Dermal fillers have been getting a lot of attention lately
in the world of cosmetic dermatology and anti aging. And
all for a good reason. Dermal fillers such as Restylane
and Juvederm can make a dramatic difference in the
appearance of a person's skin, all with minimal time, a
fairly reasonable cost, and minimal invasiveness and pain.
There is little difference between the two big competitors,
Juvederm and Restylane, as they are both comprised of a
substance that is naturally found in the body called
hyaluronic acid, which naturally diminishes as we age.
The result of collagen's diminishment is that our skin
starts to slacken, since collagen and hyaluronic acid, a
component of collagen, is the plumping force under our skin
that makes our skin look "filled out" and youthful.
Cosmetic dermatologists and other qualified dermal filler
specialists have harnessed this "filling" power in the form
of a very fine needle that injects the fillers underneath
the skin so that it may fill out folds, lines and wrinkles
and make them look plump again, reducing their appearance.
Not only that, but both fillers may be used to plump the
lips to give them a naturally fuller look. This is the
procedure I had performed, and I chose to go with Juvederm
over Restylane for reasons I will explain later in this
article.
Another big plus of dermal fillers is their relatively long
life. Both Restylane and Juvederm typically last in the
body for about 4-6 months, and at the time that they are
diminished and fully absorbed (harmlessly) into the body,
another treatment will be necessary.
This "second generation" of fillers comes in at a few
months longer than the previously popular straight collagen
injections, which only lasted about three months due to the
high absorption rate and instability.
Typical treatments that are administered with both fillers,
which are in a gel formula, are injections into the
nasolobial folds that get deeper and more noticeable with
age. These are the lines that extend on either side of
your mouth from the outside corners of your nose to the
tips of the top lip.
I didn't think that this was a noticeable part of aging on
a person's face until I looked at before and after pictures
of people who had gotten this area filled with Juvederm or
Restylane, and boy, it really did make a difference in how
young and rejuvenated they looked.
Other areas that are great candidates for dermal filling
are deeper wrinkles around the eyes, and on the forehead.
They do have to be a significant depth to be treated with
dermal fillers though, so be aware that those finer lines
are probably not suitable for Restylane or Juvederm fillers.
Another popular part of the face that is injected with
dermal fillers is the lips, which is what I had done. I
chose to go with Juvederm after I talked to the doctor that
performed the treatment on me, only because he said
personally he felt he could work with Juvederm better on
the lips because he felt it was a bit finer than the
Restylane and he could work more easily with it and
observed slightly better results on the lip area.
Since he felt more comfortable using this product, I
decided to go with Juvederm, which cost the same as the
Restylane. The cost was $500 per syringe, which is about
average for a dermal filler. I loved the fact that this
particular facility, called EvoMedispa in the greater
Akron, Ohio area, offered to store any leftover Juvederm
for up to six months for me as well.
I did end up with a little bit leftover, so I figured I
would have them use the rest of that syringe as well as a
new syringe the next time I went and got my lips enhanced.
So far it's been about 4 weeks since I received the lip
enhancement treatment with Juvederm, and I'm loving the
results. I only asked for a very subtle plumping of the
lips since I wasn't going for anything obvious or
overblown, and that's exactly what I got.
He followed the natural line of my lips, and made sure not
to overfill the top lip, keeping the natural balance of the
top lip smaller than the bottom lip, which is how people's
lips are shaped in nature. The top lip is almost always
significantly smaller than the bottom.
He explained that by keeping this ratio, I'd look more
natural, and he was right. The procedure itself is not
bad, but I have to admit, I was glad when it was over.
If you have the procedure done, you should know that you
want to keep the next few days cleared of significant
plans, since the likelihood of bruising locally is fairly
high.
My upper lip had a bruise about the size of a kernel of
corn for a few days afterward, and it took several days for
the bruise to fully subside. Also, immediately after the
treatment, your lips are not able to move, since you are
typically going to be injected with a local anesthetic.
My local anesthetic was Lidocaine, and my lips were pretty
much frozen for much of the evening after the treatment,
and I was stuck at home since I couldn't speak correctly
and, well, quite frankly, it just doesn't look pretty the
day you get it done.
The treatment is not for those that are extremely needle
shy, since between the injected Lidocaine and the
injections of the filler itself, you will be getting
injected several times by the end of the treatment. Ahh,
the things we do for beauty!
----------------------------------------------------
Danna Schneider has written articles on her experiences
with beauty products and procedures, and also contributes
to lip plumper reviews at
http://www.mybeautyspace.com/lip-plump-reviews/ and
http://www.cosmeticsgalore.com/wrinkle-cream-reviews.html ,
where you can find reviews on natural products that are
noninvasive for lip plumping as well as anti aging and
wrinkle control and reversal.
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