SKIN IMPLANTS - FILLERS

With aging there is a decrease in subcutaneous fatty tissue. This appears in the form of sagging cheeks and increased wrinkles around the eyes, nose and lips. Therefore the most commonly treated areas are the nasolabial folds and the filling of the lips where the skin also gradually loses its firmness and shape. It is also possible to lift the sagging corners of the mouth.

Many anatomical parts of the face can also be shaped by skin implants, such as the forehead, temples, cheek areas, cheeks, supraorbital ridges, orbital area and lower jaw. The purpose of the procedure is to alter the shape and volume of the area.

In these cases skin implants or filling materials are used to correct these areas. These are hyaluronic acid based gel products that are the body’s own substances and are applied by fine injection or cannulas. They can be used to perfectly shape the oval of the face and chin, fill out sagging cheeks, smooth out acne scars or any imperfections on the nose and fill out moderate and deeper wrinkles between the eyebrows, nose, above the upper lip and on the forehead.

Filling materials can also be applied to the back of the hands.

Skin implant application methods

So far these skin implants were only applied by fine punctures made with ultrathin needles to the middle layers of the skin. This method is sufficient if used to correct one part (such as wrinkles around the mouth). Application by thin cannulas is recommended to women of middle and older age. The filling materials reach the deeper layers of the subcutaneous tissue and above all throughout the face which is impossible if using a syringe. This is an excellent method of tackling facial sagging folds to remove any visible surface imperfections. An older face can be newly shaped concentrating on filling in the volume because this disappears over age – cheeks sink and skin sags. We can also even out contours. A secondary, but not a negligible effect of this method is the activation of the formation of collagen fibres, fibrotisation and significant skin hydration.

Course of treatment

Numbing cream or dental anaesthetic injections are used when applying injected skin implants. This is not a demanding procedure and can be carried out in place of a lunch break, but a sort of mimic rest is required for several days which means no laughing or opening of the mouth too much. When using cannulas the physician creates an opening hole with a small needle through which a cannula is inserted and passed from this point to the subcutaneous tissue throughout the face. The application is not painful and less traumatic than if applying injections. The small opening wound heals quickly.

Types of implants and durability

There is a whole range of skin implants and more than seventy filling materials exist globally. These dermal fillers are Restylane, Juvéderm, Princess, Esthelis, Phormae, Theosyal, Viscoderm, Viscosill, Haqueo and many others. These are very well tolerated products and result in the formation of the body’s own collagen fibres. Their volume and the fact that they bind the water in the skin means they can even out imperfections and smooth out wrinkles. The effect is instantaneous. But just as with botulinum toxin, they slowly break up in the skin over time and therefore it is appropriate to repeat their application. The durability of the implant depends not just on the type used, but also on many other factors such as age, type of skin, lifestyle, metabolism and the muscle activity of the treated area. We can generally determine the durability of the procedure – depending on the type of implant - from 6 months to 2 years.

AUTHOR: Dr. Věra Terzijská