Injectibles Procedures:
- Natural – hyaluronic acid derivatives. Hylaform, Restylane and Juvederm are all made from hyalurnoic acid. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is found naturally in your body in your joints and in your skin. These products can be almost bioidentical to the stuff already in your skin, and therefore the incidence of allergic reactions is very, very low. HA is found in your normal skin, and when it is injected into the skin, it increases the water in your tissue, and also promotes collagen deposition, so in a way, it makes your body build up more collagen, which is why it lasts longer than regular old collagen, and why it can be injected very superficially in your skin.
- Synthetics – Sculptra, Radiesse, and Artecolle are all synthetic products, designed to increase collagen production as well. But they do this more both by adding volume to your tissue, and by stimulating a localized reaction in your skin. Sculptra has an advantage in that it comes in vials that are five times larger than the others, but it must be injected more deeply. It can last up to three years, but in general you shoud expect one to one and one half years. Radiesse is designed for long-acting correction, but can be associated with small nodules, especially if it gets too close to the surface.
- BOTOX – is really one of the great pharmaceutical breakthroughs in our life-time. It represents a whole new class of drugs, just like penicillin started antibiotics. It acts on motor neuron end plates to block transmission of impulses. Basically it can relax the muscles, and can reduce spasms. Doctors have used it to reduce spasms in both the esophagus and anal sphincters, with unwanted spasms around the eyes, and, of course, to help reduce those worry frown lines. These worry lines are also sometimes just the result of constant tension and contraction of those muscles.
- View our Injectables Before and After Photos.