Wrinkle Reducing Injections: The Treatment
Dermal Fillers
As the skin ages, it gradually loses some of its collagen
and fat. These are the materials that prevent the skin
from becoming saggy. Thus, as we age, our skin can become
thinner and more wrinkled and lined.
Dermal fillers help to restore our skin to its former
youthful appearance. Material is injected into the skin
in areas where it needs to be plumped up again and made
to look firmer.
Fillers come in different thickness, and in general,
the thicker the product, the deeper it is injected into
the dermis to help plump out fine to deep lines and
wrinkles.
The leading dermal filler used by most UK practitioners
is a hyaluronic acid based product. This particular
brand is manufactured using bacteria. Again, this product
comes in different thicknesses and is called Restylane®
or Restylane Perlane®. We at Face & Body use
Restylane® products, but are happy to provide other
products and brands on request.
Wrinkle Reducing Injections
The injectable product is derived from a naturally occurring
protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.
This bacterium makes several different types of protein
which are called type A to type F. These varying proteins
cause muscles to relax at different levels.
Our facial expressions change because the muscles
in the face contract or relax. This is caused by the
brain sending a signal via our nerve endings that we
want to, for example, frown or laugh. When the product
is injected into a specific muscle it blocks the signal
from the nerve to the muscles in the face. This means
that the nerve ending cannot tell the muscle to move.
This is not a permanent condition, however, but it will
last for around 3 - 4 months.
After the injections, your skin around the area which
has been treated will look smooth and less wrinkled;
but do not worry, the rest of your face will not be
affected. The product allows the untreated areas of
your face to move as normal and you will still be able
to laugh, smile and frown, but with less wrinkling of
the skin in the areas treated.
After a while, most patients will notice that the
lines and wrinkles around their treated areas will continue
to become less deep and pronounced. This is a result
of the product as the new skin has a chance to grow
without being repeatedly creased. Hence, it appears
to be smoother on the surface because it has not been
creased by constant muscle activity.
The product can be used to treat all wrinkles which
are the result of normal facial movement. It is not
suitable for permanent wrinkles caused by excessive
exposure to the sun.
The product does not remove wrinkles indefinitely;
it is usually necessary to have a treatment every 3
- 4 months to maintain and improve upon the original
results. It has been proven to be quite safe to have
the injections at the above frequency over a period
of years.
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