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Titled: Which Injectable Filler Is Right For me? Get the Beauty category RSS Feed

Which Injectable Filler Is Right For me?

Article Summary: There are a variety of injectable fillers today to treat facial lines, wrinkles, folds, and lips. Because they are new and well advertised, marketing claims can cloud the actual science behind their effectiveness. Let's sort out the science from the hype on injectable fillers.

With all of the new injectable fillers that available for facial concerns, and with the certainty that more are on the way in the next few years, it is important for patients to have some basic understanding of the similarities and differences between the choices that are currently available.

Today's injectable fillers can be classified into two basic types: hyaluronic acid (HA or hyaluron) and particulated (particle-containing) compositions. Just because they are injectable does not make the different fillers the same. HAs are now the gold standard of fillers since they arrived in 2002 and have relegated old-style collagen to an almost historic footnote. Since they are synthetic 'knock-offs' of natural human hyaluronic acid, the patient does not need a skin test prior to injection and they last at least twice as long as collagen. The alleged differences between the four commercially-available HA injectates (Restylane, Hylaform, Captique, and JuvaDerm) is largely marketing-driven and no clinical studies has ever compared how long all of them last compared to each other. Because they are like injecting a 'soft form of Jello', they can be used anywhere on the face including the lips (even though the FDA has never approved any injectable filler for use in the lips) without fear of excessive lumpiness. JuvaDerm and Perlane are touted as lasting the longest currently and my observations is that it appears to be true. Newer more concentrated forms of HA are being developed that have the promise of greater longevity. The particulated fillers contain synthetic beads or particles (plastic or ceramic) in different liquid carriers. (Radiesse and ArteFill) Due to the non-resorption of the beads (which usually make up less than 25% of the solution), longer-lasting effects are seen than with the HAs. The beads that partially comprise the particulated fillers do not resorb, so theoretically over time, some permanent volume is acquired. However, because of the particles and the potential risk of lumpiness, these particulated fillers should not be injected into the lips. the common problem of deep nasolabial folds is an ideal location for the particulated injectable fillers.

Since no injectable filler is ideal for every patient or type of facial line or wrinkle, the best plastic surgeons usually work with two or three different ones to custom treat each facial problem. It would not be uncommon for me to use, for example Radiesse in the nasolabial folds and Juvaderm in the lips, in the same patient. Wihtout understanding the different properties of the various injectable fillers, they can not be used to their best advantage.

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About the Author:
Dr Barry Eppley
Dr Barry Eppley runs a private plastic surgery practice through his hospital-based medspa locations at Clarian Health in Indianapolis. To learn more about the latest trends in plastic surgery, spa therapies, or skin care, go to his daily blog, http://www.exploreplasticsurgery.com .