Wrinkle Fillers

Wrinkle Fillers

It's inevitable as people age, they wrinkle. But there are many new wrinkle fillers just approved by the FDA, and several new ones in the offing which can help reverse the effects time and sun exposure have on youthful skin.

Wrinkle fillers are hot topics of discussion at the American Academy of Dermatology's summer scientific session. There are already several wrinkle fillers on the market, collagen being the oldest and best known. But the new wrinkle fillers are taking the latest of modern science, and creating a smoother, more natural appearance, and helping to wipe away the years without surgery.

Patients are opting to go to the doctor to help turn back the clock a bit on their facial appearance and instead of choosing plastic surgery and a face lift, they're increasingly choosing to get one of the latest in skin wrinkle fillers. Dr. David Goldberg, a New Jersey dermatologist, says, "It's amazing how man people want to have some sort of treatment for their wrinkles and don't want surgery. Wrinkle fillers are very popular because they are not invasive and they take all of five minutes to do."

Wrinkles result from the loss of three crucial skin components, namely collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid. Skin wrinkle fillers like restylane replace these. "We went almost twenty years from the time that collagen came on the market before restylane was FDA approved. Within that short period we have several new wrinkle fillers." says Dr. Golberg.

While collagen works well especially around the lips, helping to plump them up, the newer wrinkle fillers are best suited for softer tissues in the face, like the cheeks and chin, which require more of a softer appearance and feel. After injection, these products bind to water and build volume in the wrinkle, filling in large folds of skin around the mouth and cheeks.

But the injections are not a permanent fix. Dr. Leslie Baumann, director of cosmetic dermatology at the University of Miami, says, "Many publications have stated in the past that restylane and other hyaluronic acid wrinkle fillers last up to a year, but this just isn't true. They last four to six months. Patients should be told this so that they're not disappointed."

There are few downsides. One is that while collagen contains a local anesthetic, so it doesn't hurt when injected, the new wrinkle filler does not have the anesthetic, and can be painful. Also, there is usually a temporary inflammation that produces swelling and redness just after injection, especially in the lip area.

There are several new products on the near horizon including one called poly-l lactic acid. It is not a wrinkle filler per say, but rather it stimulates the dermal skin cells to produce their own collagen thus filling in the wrinkles on their own. Poly-l lactic acid is undergoing FDA approved trials now.

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