Denver Tissue Fillers
What are tissue fillers?
Two substances, collagen and hyaluronic acid, keep your skin looking smooth and supple. Collagen is a protein that provides your skin with structural support. Hyaluronic acid is a natural sugar found in all living cells that attracts and binds water, hydrating your skin and giving it volume. Over time, sun damage and other factors can diminish these substances and the skin loses structure and volume. Lines and wrinkles begin to appear.
Tissue fillers are injectable products that temporarily replace the loss of collagen and hyaluronic acid. They reduce facial lines, deep creases and folds in areas such as smile lines, vertical lips lines, frown lines, crow's feet and forehead lines. They are also used to enhance lips and outline the vermillion border.
Many people choose to enhance the results of their facial plastic surgery by using an injectable filler around the mouth, cheeks or chin. Treatments with BOTOX® help our Denver and Golden, Colorado patients as well. You can learn all about your facial cosmetic surgery options and see diagrams of how several procedures are performed when you visit our specialty site.
How will I know what tissue filler to use?
Our nurse injector will assist you in choosing the right tissue filler for you during a personal consultation. A complete history is taken and other considerations such as allergies, cost and recovery time are reviewed. You will also be instructed on pretreatment and post treatment care and precautions.
What tissue fillers do you offer?
We offer several types of collagen and hyaluronic acid products.
Sculptra® - Sculptra is a synthetic injectable material known as "poly-L-lactic acid". Sculptra is injected below the surface of the skin in areas of fat loss. It provides a gradual increase in skin thickness. No skin testing is required prior to treatment which can last up to 2 years.
Restylane® - This is a safe and natural cosmetic dermal filler that restores volume and fullness to the skin to correct moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds. It is made of non-animal based hyaluronic acid in a crystal clear gel. It is biodegradable and biocompatible with human hyaluronic acid. No pretreatment test is required. Restylane is estimated to last 6 months or longer.
Perlane® - This injectable gel is a member of the Restylane family. Made by the same company as Restylane, it is also a clear gel that uses hyaluronic acid to improve facial wrinkles by adding volume beneath the skin. The primary difference is the size of the gel particles. The particles in Perlane are larger than those in Restylane. Therefore, Perlane is often a better choice for deep wrinkles and those that benefit from deeper injection into the skin.
Radiesse® - Radiesse is an injectable dermal filler composed of calcium-based microspheres suspended in a water-based gel, used to enhance facial contours and fill indentations and wrinkles. Radiesse provides both immediate and long-lasting results, with improvements that continue to emerge over time. This filler requires no pre-testing, and results typically last up to a year or longer.
JUVÉDERM® Injectable Gel - JUVÉDERM is one of the newest wrinkle fillers available. Like Restylane, it is hyaluronic acid-based. JUVÉDERM is very effective for correcting naso-labial folds and other wrinkles, as well as filling hollows and scars. It's FDA-approved for all skin types.
Can I use fillers for lip enhancement?
Absolutely! Many people choose a filler like JUVÉDERM to give their lips a full and plump appearance. But keep in mind that fillers will only give temporary improvement. For lasting enhancement of thin lips, we offer permanent lip augmentation using Perma Facial Implants™. These implants contain a soft, solid silicone and cannot rupture, deflate, or degrade over time.
What should I know prior to treatments?
You should take a few precautions before being treated with all tissue fillers. Avoid ibuprofen and aspirin products as well as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, St. John's Wort or high doses of Vitamin E supplements prior to treatments. These may increase bruising or bleeding at the injection site.
If you have previously suffered from facial cold sores, there is a risk of the treatments causing recurrence; therefore, you would be prescribed antiviral suppressants prior to the procedure.
If you have a history of an autoimmune disease or anaphylactic reactions, use of tissue fillers are not advised. The safety of tissue fillers has not been established for persons less than 18 years of age, or in pregnant or breastfeeding woman.
Do injections hurt?
An ultra fine needle is used to inject tiny amounts into the skin, resulting in minimal discomfort. The procedures are simple and convenient and results are practically instantaneous. To assure your comfort during these short procedures, we offer local numbing agents or a nerve block for treatments into the lips.
How much do tissue fillers cost?
All treatments are customized to your specific needs, so cost will vary from patient to patient. Amounts needed and individual product costs will be discussed at your consultation.
What is the recovery time?
There are varying degrees of redness and swelling that may occur depending upon the filler that you choose. Bruising and soreness is also possible. It may take anywhere between several hours to a few days for these symptoms to resolve. Cool soaks, ice packs, soothing ointments and creams can help alleviate any discomfort.
