Wrinkle Correction & Lip Augmentation
Walnut Creek, in San Francisco Area
Restylane®, Captique™ & Radiesse™
be done to improve age-related changes of facial skin without surgery. While
surgery remains the gold standard of facial rejuvenation, soft tissue skin
fillers can be used at any age to achieve significant improvements . These
include wrinkle reduction, increasing tissue volume as in lip augmentation
and improving skin contour irregularity caused by acne scars.
Several injectable skin fillers have been approved by the FDA and are now
available for use. Each of these products has certain advantages over the
others and often, a combination therapy may yield the best results. The soft
tissue fillers discussed here have two things in common; they are based on
natural substances which are NOT human or animal derived and their use
requires minimal "down-time". Soft tissue fillers are not permanent and
eventually require repeat administration as the filler is naturally removed by
the body. The duration of action is both patient and product dependent and
ranges from 4 months to over one year.
A frequently asked question is how are soft tissue injectable fillers different
than Botox®. Restylane®, Captique™ and Radiesse™ are material that are
used to increase the volume of skin and deeper soft tissues. In contrast,
Botox® is a low dose drug that blocks nerve transmission only in the area of
its injection, thus paralyzing the underlying muscles. Therefore, their uses
are inherently different: The fillers gives volume to areas of skin wrinkles,
and Botox® prevents contraction of muscles under the skin which produce
the wrinkles in the first place. Many patients have been very pleased after
receiving treatment with both products. The following is a discussion of the
soft tissue fillers which have been used extensively and are offered by Dr.
Behmand at our facilities.
1. Restylane®, is a safe and natural cosmetic dermal filler that restores
volume and fullness to the skin to correct moderate to severe facial wrinkles
and folds, such as the nasolabial folds. It is also commonly used for lip
augmentation, to enhance the fullness of the lips. Restylane® is hyaluronic
acid based, which is a naturally occurring sugar in the human body. The role
of hyaluronic acid in the skin is to deliver nutrients, locally hydrate the skin
by holding water and to act as a cushioning agent. It has been the most
widely used soft tissue filler in the United States, with excellent results. The
hyaluronic acid in Restylane is a crystal clear gel called NASHA™, or Non-
Animal Stabilized Hyaluronic Acid. NASHA is biodegradable and
completely biocompatible with human hyaluronic acid.
Restylane® may be used for correction of wrinkles, improvement of acne
scars and for lip augmentation. The duration of action of Restylane® in a
typical patient is 4-6 months. The procedure is performed by Dr. Behmand in
our Walnut Creek office (or at the time that other surgical procedures are
being performed) and typically requires 30-60 minutes of your time.
Because Restylane® is non-animal based and fully biocompatible, allergy
testing is not required. There is virtually no risk of animal-based disease
transmission or allergic reaction. The most commonly reported side effects
are temporary redness and swelling at the injection site. These effects
typically resolve within two to three days.
If other products, or a combination of products, are better suited to your
needs, Dr. Behmand will discuss the options with you. Sometimes, a
combination of Botox® and Restylane® may produce superior results in
preventing wrinkle formation and correcting existing wrinkles. Also, for
some patients when a combination of soft tissue fillers are used, more natural
and longer lasting results can be achieved. Dr. Behmand would discuss any
such option with you to achieve the optimal outcome.
Lip Augmentation with Restylane®
(2 ml)
Before After
Before After
You may have treatment with Restylane® at any time. If you have had
Restylane® treatments in the past and have been satisfied with the results,
you may set up an appointment with Dr. Behmand for a repeat treatment. If
you have never had treatment with Restylane® before, you would benefit
from a consultation with Dr. Behmand to evaluate and discuss the best
options for you. If you are good candidate for treatment with Restylane, then
the procedure can be done at the time of your appointment.
2. Captique™ is a clear, colorless skin filler gel which is also made of
hyaluronic acid. The sterile gel is injected into the skin tissue for the
correction of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds, such as the
nasolabial fold, providing correction of wrinkles and folds. As the material is
absorbed by the body, periodic touch up treatments will be necessary.
Generally, Captique™ is similar to Restylane® in it's duration of action,
which is about 4-6 months. Captique™ is a newer product than Restylane®
and less is known about its long-term effects. Captique™ has been reviewed
and approved by the FDA for cosmetic improvement of facial skin wrinkles.
3. Radiesse™ is a cohesive, semi-solid soft tissue implant. The principle
component of Radiesse™ is synthetic calcium hydroxylapatite, a biomaterial
with over twenty years of use in several other surgical specialties. The
calcium hydroxylapatite is suspended in a gel carrier which dissipates after
injection leaving the hydroxylapatite behind resulting in long-term
restoration and augmentation of the soft tissue. Radiesse™ has considerably
longer-lasting results than either Restylane® or Captique™, with results
typically lasting over a year. Radiesse™ is most suitable for deeper soft
tissue augmentation in the nasolabial folds, cheeks, and the frown lines of the
forehead. It is often used in combination with a "softer" filler such as
Restylane® or Captique to obtain both long-lasting deep soft-tissue
augmentation and a smooth surface. During your consultation Dr. Behmand
will discuss with you if Radiesse™ alone or in combination with other soft
tissue fillers is the ideal approach for you.
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