Dermal Fillers: Restalyne, Perlane. The skin’s natural aging process in combination with sun damage and other factors manifests as changes in facial contours. Our skin loses some of its elasticity and begins to sag. Dermal fillers reverse this sagging by “plumping up” and adding volume to the treated areas. Among the most effectively treated areas are the nasolabial folds (those smiles lines or “parentheses” that run from the bottom of your nose to the corners of your mouth), around the mouth/lips, and under the eyes.

How do you select a Dermal Filler? Dozens of filling agents, called Dermal Fillers, are currently available. We have incorporated the ones we feel most confident about into our cosmetic practice. Your physician will evaluate your needs and in consultation with you about the options, determine which filler is best suited to address a particular skin imperfection. Fillers are sometimes categorized by duration – temporary, semi-permanent, or permanent. New to the market are injectable permanent fillers, but we are not offering them as yet, given that they can only be removed surgically, and there have been some complications. (At the Integrated Laser & Wellness Center, we are not early adopters of new treatments that come on the market; instead for your safety, we prefer to wait until they have been proven.)

Restylane®, Perlane®. Restylane and Perlaneare gels that are injected into the skin in order to add volume to lift up wrinkles and folds. They consist of hyaluronic acid, which is a natural substance already present in your body. Once in the skin, Restylaneand Perlane work by creating volume. During treatment, the gel is injected into the skin in tiny amounts with a very fine needle. The gel produces volume under the wrinkle, which is lifted up and smoothed out. When enhancing lips or facial contours, Restylane and Perlane add volume and shape to the treated area.
The distinguishing characteristics are differences in particle size, which provide for variations in product consistencies. Thicker consistencies are used for deeper wrinkles and folds, and thinner consistencies are used for finer ones.