Restylane & Perlane
Restylane® products are safe and natural dermal fillers that restores volume and fullness to the skin to correct facial wrinkles and folds. Made of a substance called hyaluronic acid ( a natural and very important part of skin structure), Restylane's job is to replace the natural hyaluronic acid that diminishes with age - or was insufficient to begin with, as is the case with thin lips.
Source - RestylaneUSA
Why is hyaluronic acid important?
Young skin is smooth and elastic and contains a large amount of hyaluronic acid that helps the skin look healthy - almost like jello that's been in the refrigerator. As we grow older, the ability of your skin to produce this "youth" component decreases. What used to be firm jello is now almost melting jello.
Since hyaluronic acid helps to bind water, the ability of the skin to retain water also declines with age. As a result, your skin becomes drier, thinner and less able to restore itself. The loss of skin fullness also means that your skin becomes looser. This leads to wrinkling and an older appearance.
Lots of hyaluronic acid=Youthful skin
The lower layer of your skin, the dermis, contains two protein fibers - collagen and elastin. These fibers support many of the active structures found in the dermal layer of your skin - things like hair follicles, oil glands, sweat glands and blood vessels. You can think of the fibers like the inner walls of a house. When the walls weaken, things start to sag.
When you're young, your body keeps everything hydrated by floating these proteins and skin structures in an "ocean" of hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid holds 1000X it's own weight in water so it's an incredible support molecule that helps keep your skin looking young.
Once there is decreased hydration, which happens to all of us as we get older, all these little components weaken and the skin structures lose flexibility. With time and exposure ( to things like sun, smoking, pollution ) we lose all three - the collagen, elastin and that vital hyaluronic acid "ocean". What we get as a replacement are wrinkles and lines and skin that's lost much of it's bounce-back. and firmness.
Important Pre Treatment Instructions
Recreating lost Hyaluronic Acid
Recent advances in technology have made it possible to recreate this hyaluronic acid in a lab and stabilize it to make it more long lasting. It is known as NASHA gel--Non Animal derived Stabilized Hyaluronic Acid--and it enables us to instantly 'add back' what we've lost in a simple quick office procedure. Video (Restylane Canada).
Hyaluronic acid is such an important part of hydration that it exists in the same form in almost all species on earth, and has been around since the dinosaurs---and now, with these recent remarkable scientific advances, you can essentially stop in and 'get a refill' whenever you need it!
Eye Hollows Before |
After Perlane 1.5 Syringe Each Side |
How does Restylane® work?
Restylane®, and the denser version called Perlane, are identical content cosmetic dermal fillers made of hyaluronic acid, a natural substance that already exists in your body. The hyaluronic acid also creates volume in your face, giving it a healthy, youthful appearance. Perlane is used for deeper-planed injections where more subdermal support is required and in areas under the eye where surface injections might be noticable. Perlane is sometimes used as a "base" filler which is then topped with a less dense filler such as Restylane or Juvederm.
When Restylane® is injected directly into areas where the body's support structures have been weakened, depressions can be raised to the level of surrounding skin. This smoothes and minimizes facial lines and most types of scars. In addition, skin texture is improved and has a softer and more even tone. See how the use of Restylane can improve your looks.
Before |
After |
Restylane® is injected directly into your skin in tiny amounts by an ultra fine needle, resulting in minimal discomfort. The procedure is simple and quick, and results are practically instantaneous. A "lip block" may be used before the Restylane treatment to optimize your comfort during the short procedure if your treatment is in areas such as the lips or around the mouth. Numbing cream is used for other facial areas.
A Restylane treatment will actually fill the depressions in you skin and smooth out the skin's surface, resulting in the appearance of a more youthful complexion.
Where can Restylane® be used?
The areas most commonly treated are:
- the area between the eyebrows
- the nasolabial folds
- the area around the mouth
- lip border definition
- fuller lips
- jowl area
View additional Restylane results here.
Can I use Restylane with Botox?
Yes, and in many cases Dr. Fitzgerald recommends this wrinkle fighting technique. By preventing extreme muscle movement, the Botox helps the Restylane last longer. It's a synergistic effect that seems to prolong the positive effects of both.
How long will the results of a Restylane® treatment last?
Restylane® effects last between six and nine months.
Will Restylane work for me if I have facial hollows?
Restylane is an excellent wrinkle filler and lip volumizer, but like any filler, it has limitations. If you are experiencing the hollowness in your face that comes with fat loss (again, a natural result of aging for many women and men) you may want to explore a re-volumizer like Sculptra.
Sculptra is a collagen-promoting micro-particle implant that is injected deep in your skin. Results are not immediate as it takes a number of months to become fully evident but the replaced fullness is very long lasting.
Pre-Treatment
Prior to a Restylane® treatment, you should avoid taking aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication or vitamin E supplements unless recommended by your doctor. If in doubt, please check with your primary physician before stopping any medications.
Important Pre Treatment Instructions
Call our conveniently located Larchmont Avenue office in Los Angeles to book your complimentary comprehensive evaluation with Dr. Fitzgerald. (323) 464-8046
Other Procedures
Sign up for our "Talk with Dr. Fitz" E-News
Please enter your email address below so you'll not miss out!
Get the best news, views and offers in town!
