Baby boomers leading active lives want to look as good as they feel. If you want your face to look more youthful and are thinking about trying injectable cosmetic fillers, you’re not alone. The number of Americans getting cosmetic fillers has rapidly increased — from 1.8 million in 2010 to 2.6 million in 2016.
What are the advantages of cosmetic fillers?
Everyone ages differently. If your face has aged prematurely, with deep grooves, wrinkles, and sagging cheeks, it can affect your self-confidence. Cosmetic fillers give your face a more youthful look without the risks of surgery.
You can change the way your face looks in just one doctor’s appointment. In most cases, you have little downtime and can resume your daily routine.
Which cosmetic fillers are right for me?
Dr. Llaurado is a board-certified facial and plastic surgeon with extensive knowledge and experience in using cosmetic fillers to enhance your natural appearance. Upon review of your medical history and an in-depth consultation, he determines what cosmetic product is going to work best on your features.
Following are fillers that Dr. Llaurado uses and areas where they can be applied effectively.
Radiesse®
Radiesse® is a filler comprised of a naturally occurring mineral in your body, calcium hydroxylapatite. You know that calcium helps build bones; this mineral provides your bones with their strength and texture. It’s contained in a gel that is injected under the skin. In a clinical trial that preceded its approval as a filler, Radiesse performed better than collagen solutions at eliminating wrinkles than collagen solutions. It also promotes collagen growth, so you need fewer injections to maintain your results.
If you have very pronounced smile lines from your nose to your mouth that appear as deep creases, Dr. Llaurado can use Radiesse to treat these grooves on either side of your face. You’ll see softening of your creases as Radiesse goes to work. It can also fill in acne scars and smooth wrinkles on your chin.
Do your hands show signs of aging? If you have thin skin that makes veins in your hands bulge into ridges, Radiesse can help your hands look younger. It’s the only cosmetic filler that has clearance from the FDA to plump up the skin on your hands.
Restylane®
Restylane® is a filler containing hyaluronic acid, a natural substance in your skin that helps it retain volume so it doesn’t sag or wrinkle. Half of your body’s hyaluronic acid is contained in your skin. As you age, your body produces less hyaluronic acid, so your skin has less skin elasticity, causing thin skin, sagging skin, and wrinkles. Many serums, lotions, and face creams now contain this ever-more-popular anti-aging ingredient.
Restylane has various forms that work on your hands and on different areas of your face. Restylane Lyft® smooths out your smile lines, like Radiesse. It also works effectively to plump up your cheeks if they’ve lost volume and have begun to sag, as well as enhancing the appearance of your hands by increasing your skin’s volume.
Restylane Silk® improves the appearance of your lips if they’ve lost their plumpness and appear as thin lines. This filler comes in a gel containing lidocaine, which helps to ease any discomfort during treatment.
Juvéderm®
Like Restylane, Juvéderm® contains hyaluronic acid and comes in various forms to treat different areas of the face. Juvéderm Voluma® XC adds fullness to your cheeks, smooths out your smile lines from your nose to your mouth, and your “marionette” lines — from the corners of your mouth toward your chin.
Juvéderm Ultra® XC adds volume to thinning lips, as does Juvéderm Volbella® XC, which also lessens the appearance of the vertical lines from your nose to your upper lip.
How long do cosmetic filler treatments last?
Radiesse treatments last up to 12 months or more. You’ll see results right away.
Restylane results vary with the product. Restylane Silk injected into your lips lasts up to six months. Restylane Lyft injected into your cheeks to improve volume lasts up to a year, while injections to help your smile lines between your nose and mouth last up to six months.
With a “full treatment” of Restylane, which includes a repeat injection, the enhancement lasts for up to eight months.
Like Restylane, Juvéderm fillers vary in how long they last. Juvéderm Voluma XC, with results still evident at two years, is the longest-lasting hyaluronic acid filler. Juvéderm Ultra XC lasts 6-12 months, and Juvéderm Volbella lasts up to one year.
Contact the Raymund J. Llaurado, MD, practice, featuring board-certified facial plastic surgeon Dr. Llaurado for expert cosmetic facial treatment. You’re in safe hands.