Hyaluronic Acid Fillers (Restylane and Juvederm)

What is it?

Facial wrinkling is the result of many factors, such as sun exposure, smoking, and time. One of the major factors in facial wrinkles, though, is pull of the facial muscles causing pleating of the overlying skin.

Wrinkles can be further classified into two types:

• Static Wrinkles: These are wrinkles which are present at rest or without facial expression
• Dynamic Wrinkles: Wrinkles which only appear when facial expression occurs, such as frowning or scowling.

With time, dynamic wrinkles can turn into static wrinkles. The goal of Restylane and Juvederm is to correct static wrinkles.

Restylane and Juvederm are hyaluronic acid molecule, which is made up of sugars and proteins. Restylane acts as a sponge, drawing water into the bottom of the wrinkle and softening it.

Benefits

Restylane and Juvederm are simple, non-surgical, physician administered treatments (in our office) which can improve static wrinkles of the face, usually in the lip, nasolabial fold, and glabellar regions.

Clinical trials have shown that over 90% of patients note improvement in wrinkling after treatment.

If injected properly, your ability to show emotion and have facial expression will not change. The only difference will be that your face will show fewer wrinkles.

Hyaluronic acid fillers (Restylane and Juvederm) have been used for the last ten years to replace collagen as a filling agent. It has a lower allergic response rate than collagen, and is more easily injected.

Cautions

• Please tell the doctor if you have any neuromuscular disorders, as this may increase your chances of side effects.
• Notify the doctor if you are pregnant or breast feeding. Make sure to list all medications or herbal supplements on your evaluation sheet.
• Precise placement of the injections must occur to obtain the desired result. If the medication distributes to an unintended area, such as the eyelid, it can result in temporary weakness of those muscles.
• Injections are temporary. Its results usually last around three to five months. Additional injections usually provide the same result ? that is, they don?t last longer or shorter than the initial injection.
• You and your physician should review which wrinkles should be expected to improve with injection.

Pricing

Pricing is dependent on each patient?s anatomy and areas which require treatment. The number of injections and amount of medication will determine final price. Most patients cost is around $200-500 per session.