PICKING THE RIGHT SKIN INJECTABLES FOR YOUR UNIQUE ANTI-AGING CONCERNS

Thinking about skin injectables? With spring right around the corner, there’s never been a better time to focus on how you look and how you feel. If fillers or Botox will help you get there, and they’re appropriate for you, why not slip by the medispa for a treatment?

Every procedure begins with a simple consultation. This allows the spa to get to know you, your skin, and your skincare goals. It also gives your provider the opportunity to help you walk through your options. As well as identify the right choice for what you’re trying to achieve.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you should leave the decision solely in the hands of your provider. Getting informed about your options, how skin injectables work, and how to tell whether they’re right for you also matters.

That’s something we can help with!

YOUR OPTIONS FOR SKIN INJECTABLES

Almost all injectables fall into one of two categories: facial fillers or neurotoxins. Each of these addresses a slightly different need or produces a specific result. They may be used alone, simultaneously, or at different points of the treatment process to help you achieve your skincare goals. We’ll explore these in the next few sections. However, please remember that only a provider can tell you what’s truly best for your skin.

SKIN INJECTABLES AND FACIAL FILLERS

Facial fillers include products like Juvederm, Restylane, Radiesse, Sculptra, Bellafill, Volbella and Belotero. Some of these options are made from substances like polymethylmethacrylate, hyaluronic acid or hydroxy calcium apatite. Others are made of bio-stimulatory compounds. The latter encourages the body to self-repair and even produce more collagen.

HOW TO USE FILLERS

Fillers work by literally taking up space just under the first few layers of the derma. Causing the tissue to shift into a slightly different position. This produces a very distinct plumping or volumizing effect. It can be useful for sculpting and reshaping the tissue where minor imperfections exist. For example, if you have a thin upper lip, fillers may help you add volume to it to create a more balanced look. Or, you might use it to sculpt your cheekbones so that you don’t need to use as much contour each morning!

Some people find fillers effective for reducing the appearance of scars or pitting, especially as related to adult acne. This effect works by putting pressure on the inside of the scar itself to make the outer surface smoother and more even.

Facial fillers can also erase signs of aging. If, for example, you struggle with crepe skin or fine lines around your mouth, you may suffer from age-related loss of volume. Adding tiny amounts of filler in these zones plumps the tissue up again from the inside to create the illusion of younger, healthier skin.

WHICH IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

It’s hard to say in an article without having a consultation with you. The truth is that each individual filler product tends to provide a slightly different result. What works for your best friend may or may not work for you. That means you really should start by scheduling an appointment with a medispa.

Still, there are a few things we can tell you about which fillers might be right for you in certain situations. For example, products like Radiesse that contain calcium hydroxylapatite typically work best for erasing fine lines and wrinkles around the nasolabial folds. They’re also remarkably effective for helping patients who suffer from muscle wasting as a result of disease process (e.g., HIV or cancer).

On the other hand, hyaluronic acid fillers like JuveDerm and Elevess tend to work better for treating scars, pitting, and smoker’s lines. This may be because HA helps encourage the body to speed cellular turnover and produce more collagen. This also helps skin heal from injuries in the first place.

MORE ALTERNATIVES

Polyalkylimide fillers, like Aquamid, are similar in nature to calcium hydroxylapatite fillers. However, they typically produce a much longer-lasting result. Which may make them more effective at erasing scars or major muscle wasting.

Sculptra, which is made from polylactic acid, is a biostimulatory compound that adds volume and encourages your body to produce more collagen (which translates into self-created volume). For this reason, it’s especially helpful in the treatment of scar tissue, especially within the first year or two after an injury.

Last but not least we have Bellafill, which contains polymethyl-methacrylate microspheres (PMMA). This is actually one of the oldest and most trusted options for resolving fine lines, wrinkles, deep grooves, and scarring. In fact, Bellafill is so effective that surgeons even use to aid with implants! The catch is that results tend to be very prominent, so it is extremely important your provider knows how to properly fill the skin without going overboard.

BOTOX AND OTHER NEUROTOXINS

Botox and other neurotoxins including products like Botox Cosmetic, Dysport, and Xeomin. Theseall usually contain a toxin extracted from the bacteria clostridium botulinum. This produces naturally as a simple side effect of existence. This is then engineered and formulated into an skin injectable that’s safe for human use.

HOW ARE NEUROTOXINS USED?

The science behind neurotoxins is actually quite complicated. We know that, when injected locally into the skin, they block nerve receptors from uptaking acetylcholine, which is involved in sensation as well as muscle spasticity. As a result, the surface of the skin over the injected muscle group appears smoother.

As an example, think of a fabric hair scrunchie. When tight and elastic, the band pulls the fabric together and creates “ruffles,” which are almost like wrinkles. But when the elastic begins to lose its tensile strength, it relaxes. Those “folds” become far less obvious because of it. This is similar to how neurotoxins affect your skin.

There is also evidence that neurotoxins might prevent the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles if you start using them in your 20s or 30s. The reason for this probably has to do with the fact that most wrinkles are caused by overuse of certain muscle groups in the first place. Botox’s mild paralytic effect reduces how hard the muscles have to work, which staves off problematic wear and tear.

WHICH IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin all contain the same main ingredient: botulinum toxin A. You can expect them to have an extremely similar result regardless of which brand name you opt to use. However, there are a few distinct differences.

Xeomin is popular mostly because it contains only botulinum toxin A without any other additives or special ingredients. This is called a “pure neurotoxin.” Xeomin has a lower risk for allergic reactions and sensitivity issues than other products. This may be safer if you are a high-risk patient with other allergies. The body is also far less likely to develop a tolerance to it over time because of its unique formulation.

Botox contains a mixture of both botulinum toxin A and protective proteins that help prevent the skin injectable from leaking or spreading. It is very heavy and dense, which makes it far less likely to leak or spread into surrounding tissues. However, this denser formulation also impairs precision slightly compared to Xeomin and Dysport.

Dysport contains the same mixture of neurotoxins and proteins as Botox. But it is specially formulated to be less dense than Botox. This may be beneficial for people who want very specific, high-precision results, yet don’t want the increased risk of migration sometimes associated with Xeomin.

MAKING A FINAL DECISION

Feeling like one of these options just might be right for you? Great! Skin injectables can be a fantastic way to feel more confident in the skin you’re in regardless of age. Just remember that you should never base your decision on information you read online alone.

As reliable as the above information is, it cannot possibly know the condition of your skin, your individual health profile, or your goals. That’s why your first step should always be to schedule an individual consultation for skin injectables.