Posts Tagged ‘Restylane’

Collagen Fillers on their Way Out as Other Fillers Grow in Popularity

Monday, July 12th, 2010
Radiesse before and after photos

Before and after photos of Radiesse patient (Courtesy of www.radiesse.com)

The latest issue of Dermatology Times reports on the changing U.S. injectables market, given that most collagen fillers will be gone from the market at year’s end.

In late 2009, Johnson & Johnson announced that it was discontinuing its collagen filler Evolence. As covered previously in Dr. Lo’s blog, patients who have received treatment with Evolence will continue to receive support regarding medical inquiries and reporting of adverse reactions. Despite the discontinuation, the company maintains that Evolence offers effective results and a “favorable safety profile.”

Then, in January 2010, Allergan announced it would be discontinuing its collagen line of fillers at the end of the year. The company stopped production of the products in 2009, but manufactured sufficient inventory to meet estimated market demand through the end of 2010, according to Kelly Lao, manager of corporate communications.

“The discontinuation of the sale of our collagen products … is in response to declined market interest … since the introduction of hyaluronic acid dermal fillers like Juvéderm have become more popular,” Ms. Lao says.

“There is an overwhelming popularity of the new kid on the block: the hyaluronic acids. They have been embraced universally, and suddenly collagens aren’t as popular,” says Dr. Seth Matarasso, clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco.

The popularity of hyaluronic acid products, including Restylane, Perlane, Juvéderm, Radiesse, and Sculptra, is due to several factors:

  • Longer-lasting results
  • Appear to give a better fill
  • Some contain lidocaine for less painful injections

Dermatology Times reports that future improvements of hyaluronic acids will provide more volume and contour-changing ability, as well as the ability to fill deeper lines.

The full story is available online at Modern Medicine. About Faces Cosmetic Surgery in Tucson, Arizona offers patients three hyaluronic acids fillers: Restylane, Juvéderm, and Radiesse.

Study Investigates if Botox Affects Emotions

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

Woman smilingA study published in the June 2010  issue of  Emotion, a journal of the American Psychological Association, examined if Botox injections have an effect on emotional experience.

To test if feedback from facial expressions influences emotional experience, Joshua Davis and Ann Senghas, Barnard College professors who led the research, compared the impact on self-reported emotional experiences of a group who had Botox injections, which paralyze muscles of facial expression, and a control group who had Restylane injections, a filler that does not affect facial muscles.

The abstract says, “When examined alone, Botox participants showed no pre- to post-treatment changes in emotional responses to our most positive and negative video clips.” However, comparing the Botox group to the Restylane group showed that Botox participants exhibited an overall significant decrease in the strength of emotional experience.

“With the advent of Botox, it is now possible to work with people who have a temporary, reversible paralysis in muscles that are involved in facial expressions,” said Davis. “With Botox, a person can respond otherwise normally to an emotional event, e.g. a sad movie scene, but will have less movement in the facial muscles that have been injected, and therefore less feedback to the brain about such facial expressivity. It thus allows for a test of whether facial expressions and the sensory feedback from them to the brain can influence our emotions.”

The findings suggest that feedback from facial expressions is not necessary for emotional experience, but may influence emotional experience in some circumstances.

The study is titled “The effects of BOTOX injections on emotional experience” and the abstract is available online. Dr. Lo offers both Botox and Restylane injections at his Tucson, Arizona office.

Makers of Restylane Launch Skincare Product Line

Friday, April 30th, 2010

A new line of Restylane skincare products has been launched in Sweden and Europe.  Q-Med announced the new product line last month during the World Congress for Anti-Aging Medicine in Monaco.

Restylane skin care products are said to contain the same stabilized hyaluronic acid technology used in Restylane wrinkle fillers, an addition they say adds a pleasing consistency while promoting moisture and luster in the skin.

On their website, Q-Med explains the new Restylane skincare line:

“The secret to beautiful skin is balanced skin hydration combined with a healthy and protective skin barrier. Restylane Skincare combines these two qualities in an innovative series of creams [that] supplement the effect of injectable Restylane products.”

We will be sure to let you know if these products become available in Tucson.

Can Injectable Treatments Be Comfortable?

Monday, January 25th, 2010

Many people are surprised to learn that injectable treatments can be done with little orbotox_az no discomfort, thanks to local anesthetics that work to numb one or more areas of the face beforehand. Lidocaine is the one most frequently used by plastic and cosmetic surgeons; there’s no doubt it makes a big difference in terms of patient comfort and ease. Several of the latest dermal fillers are actually prepared in advance with this anesthetic

Lidocaine kicks in fast to block pain

Just as your dentist probably uses lidocaine as as a quick and simple way to numb the mouth, your cosmetic surgeon will use it for procedures involving injections. Lidocaine blocks the pain signal sent by the nerve endings on the skin in response to injections of the dermal filler solution. Patients quickly feel the anesthetic taking effect, and numbness kicks in.

For patient and surgeon, lidocaine has benefits:

1. Reduces or eliminates pain when the doctor is injecting into sensitive facial tissue
2. Minimizes tissue swelling that occurs when solutions are injected underneath the skin
3. Lessened swelling allows the doctor to sculpt areas of the face for the most attractive, natural looking result
4. Better relaxation during the procedure

5. When used during longer procedures – filling in the cheek area, for instance – it eliminates the need for general anesthesia.

Related links about Lidocaine and wrinkle fillers:

Happy New Year to our patients and friends!

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

We hope all of our readers and patients are having a wonderful holiday season. Here at Aboutfaces Cosmetic Surgery, we are grateful for the activities and accomplishments over the past year, some highlights are:

 - a very successful open house event,

- bringing in the first and only Fraxel Repair laser to Tucson,

- Sculptra!

- an ever-growing family of patients who keep us busy with everything from aesthetician treatments to injectables to surgeries.

We hope to see you in the New Year!

Harper’s Bazaar Explains the Liquid Facelift

Friday, September 4th, 2009

harpThe “liquid face lift” has gotten extensive media attention, and Harper’s Bazaar is just the latest to discuss the procedure(s).  You can find an excellent article on their website with some facts and figures about soft tissue augmentation with the some of the most popular wrinkle fillers.

The Best Beauty section of the Bazaar September 2009 issue includes before and after pictures and a discussion of professional techniques for administering injectables.

The idea of a liquid facelift isn’t what you would expect from a wrinkle filler treatment; it isn’t a “touch up” here and there, but a relatively extensive series of injections intended to achieve results similar to a facelift, yet the results are “typically more subtle than surgery.”  According to the authors, you can expect to pay at least $3,000 for a full liquid face lift.  A Florida dermatologist by the name of Dr. Fredric Brandt explains, “I resuspend the face with Botox, lifting up the brows, neck, jawline, and tip of the nose and then fill in and replace volume around the eyes and cheeks.”  Some of the products and procedures discussed in the aforementioned article include Juvederm, Restylane, Perlane, Botox, Sculptra, and fat transfer.

The liquid facelift has also been featured on The Doctors (NBC), Rachel Ray Show, New Beauty Magazine, Dr. 90210, FOX News, Cosmetic Surgery Times, and more exposure is said to be in the works.

ASAPS Asks Patients: Why Use Botox or Wrinkle Fillers?

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

A survey conducted by researchers from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) has given us some insight about patients who choose wrinkle treatments. Researchers sent questionnaires last March to 687 patients who had received Botox and/or dermal filler treatment. 

The following statistics illustrate the opinions of the ‘typical’ patient. Who is the ‘typical’ patient?  According to the survey results, she is “a married, working mother between 41-55 years of age with a household income of under $100,000.”

Roughly 70 percent of the respondents claimed that Botox and dermal fillers play an important role in their cosmetic routine.

When asked what their motivation was for pursuing Botox treatment, 34 percent said their appearance looked “stressed” or “angry”. Others said that a friend, family member, or their physician had recommended it, or they were preparing for a social event. 66 percent said they received Botox treatment 2-3 times per year. 72 percent of the respondents chose Botox to treat glabellar lines – the vertical lines that appear between your eyebrows.  

When asked about their motivation to use hyaluronic acid fillers, the majority (63 percent) of patients reported a desire to remove facial wrinkles and folds – mostly the nasolabial folds that travel from the nose to each side of the mouth.

Nearly 70 percent of the respondents who had been treated with Botox also opted for dermal filler treatment.

A full summary of the results is available (in MS Word) here.