Botox and Skin Fillers
Botulinum Toxin is a neurotoxin used to decrease facial wrinkles by paralyzing those muscles responsible for causing the wrinkling. Dynamic facial wrinkles, caused by the contraction of various muscles in our face, respond exceptionally well to this fairly quick and painless procedure of injecting miniscule amounts of this very potent toxin directly into the muscle to be paralyzed. This toxin is very potent, and while not permanent, does produce a dramatic effect for approximately four months following injection. For that reason, injection by a well trained Plastic Surgeon, with expert knowledge of the facial anatomy is advised.
The casual approach to Botox, with injection at “Botox Parties” or in the back rooms at Hair Salons or Gyms increases the chances of complications or a less than desirable result.
Botox, marketed by Allergan (www.botoxcosmetic.com) has been the only botulinum toxin approved by the FDA and experienced a reported $1.2 Billion dollars in sales in 2007. Hopefully, with the approval of Reloxin, marketed by Medicis (currently used as Dysport in Europe and South America), and the development of PurTox by Mentor corporation, we will see a broader choice of agents and a decrease in prices due to competition among suppliers.
There are many different soft tissue “fillers” available on the market in the United States, and even more being used around the world. These fillers are used to decrease superficial and deep wrinkles and improve the contour of the skin. While they cannot duplicate the results obtained by surgery, they are often an excellent compliment to surgery, or temporizing measure until surgery is performed.
Hyaluronic Acid, a naturally occurring element of our skin, is the most common type of soft tissue filler being used. Restylane and Perlane (www.restylaneusa.com), marketed by Medicis, Juvederm Ultra and Juvederm Ultra Plus (www.juvederm.com), marketed by Allergan, and Prevelle Silk (www.prevelle.com), marketed by Mentor are such examples. These products typically last from three to six months in the skin.
Johnson and Johnson have re-introduced a collagen product, Evolence (www.evolence.com), which also has the lasting ability from six to nine months for correction of deeper wrinkles. Radiesse (www.radiesse.com), marketed by BioForm Medical, is a calcium hydroxyapetite microsphere suspended in a gel carrier, with the potential of improving deeper wrinkles for approximately nine months. Sculptra (www.sculptra.com), by Dermik, is made of a poly-L-lactic acid, and works by promoting formation of ones own collagen in areas of need.
No matter which dermal filler or anti-wrinkle agent is chosen, it is vitally important that you utilize a highly skilled and trained Plastic Surgeon to administer this treatment. No other physician has the same level of anatomical knowledge and ‘esthetic eye’ as a Plastic Surgeon. When these procedures are taken lightly and not respected for what they are, such as receiving them at parties and in gyms, that is when complications can occur.