The idea behind dermal fillers is sooooooo simple. If you have a wrinkle, where the underlying support of the skin has decreased, then why not simply inject something to “fill” it back up.
That was the idea of German physician Franz Neuber, generally thought of as the first doctor to use fillers. Neuber used a patient’s autologous fat taken from other areas of the body to fill out depressed facial defects. That was way back in the late 19th century! Whoa.
OK, so it only took a over a century to get it right, but fast-forward to today and it seems there are new dermal fillers coming to market every few months. At Dr. Lavey’s practice, patients sometimes request different fillers they’ve heard of, but they don’t really understand the differences. Generally, most fillers are designed for a specific area of the face or type of wrinkle.
To clear up some of the misunderstanding, let’s go into greater detail about two of Dr. Lavey’s more popular fillers, Restylane and Perlane.
Restylane and Perlane are both made by the same company. And both are hyaluronic acid fillers, meaning they are made from hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring substance in the body responsible for skin plumpness and hydration.
But that’s where the similarities end.
Perlane
Perlane is three times thicker than Restylane. Because it is thicker, Perlane can potentially be seen under the skin after it is injected. So, Perlane needs to have fat in the injection sites to help hide the filler. Its thickness makes Perlane effective for adding volume to the cheeks, chin, and nasolabial folds. Perlane is designed for moderate to severe folds. And its results last around 18 months.
Restylane
Restylane has been used much more than Perlane: it has been injected over 11 million times. As mentioned above, it is much thinner in consistency than Perlane. This allows Restylane to flow and spread out when injected. This makes it effective for defining the lip edges or filling the hollows under the eyes. Restylane works well in areas with thinner skin. Restylane results last about one year.
OK, now that you’re a filler pro, are there some issues with aging and skin damage that you’d like to address? Call us at 925-820-3633 and let’s see which fillers may be right for you.
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