#wrinkles #fillers - improving the skin and treating wrinkles with hyaluronic acid.

What is hyaluronic acid? How can it treat wrinkles?

Hyaluronic acid is a molecule which is rich in water and is responsible for the volume of the skin. It is produced in the dermis by a cell called fibroblast. The decrease in its production that occurs with aging is responsible for a sagging lax skin with its characteristic structural wrinkles. Injections of hyaluronic acid fill these wrinkles and improve the skin surface, due to a volume effect in the dermis.

What are the effective sites for the injection of hyaluronic acid?

-the nasogenial folds

-the lips

-wrinkles around the mouth linked to smoking

-wrinkles linking the nose and the mouth

-crow’s feet

-skin depressions in the jaws and cheeks

-depressed scars (burns, acne, trauma)

How is the treatment administered?

It consists of a series of injections with a very fine needle in the region of the undesirable volume loss.

How long does the treatment take? Is it painful?

The injections take just few minutes to be done (up to an hour): pain, when present, is limited to the needle insertion while injecting. The needles used are very thin. The pain can be diminished by applying a topical anesthetic before the treatment.

What to do after the injection?

The injection of hyaluronic acid is an outpatient procedure and most patients resume their daily activities after the treatment.

How long do the effects of hyaluronic acid last?

In general, the effect lasts between 6 and 18 months. The effects are therefore temporary and 1 to 2 treatments per year are needed to maintain the effect.

The duration of the effect varies according to:

1. the type of injected hyaluronic acid.
2. the natural speed of aging of the skin.
3. the injected area. In the lips, which are richly vascularized, the effect last only about 4 months, whereas on the eyelids, the effect may last for up to a year and a half.

Are there side-effects?

They are not frequent. Allergic reactions are extremely rare, because hyaluronic acid is a normal constituant of the dermis, being present in all living organisms. It is therefore not necessary to do “test” injections to screen for allergy.

• Frequently:

1. pain during the injection. The pain can be alleviated by applying an anesthetic cream before the treatment.
2. pronounced swelling which can last for up to 3 days.
3. slight chance of bruising.

• more rarely:

1. headaches
2. nausea
3. flu-like symptoms
4. reversible muscle pain

How to improve your appearance in addition to hyaluronic acid?

The injections of hyaluronic acid  fill up the volume (hence the term filler) caused by the aging loss. Conversely, injections of Botulinum Toxin work reducing the expression lines. The two treatments complement each other improving visible changes due to aging by acting at different levels. Creams, lasers and chemical peels are also effective.