When it comes to popular cosmetic treatments among American women and men, cosmetic fillers are second only to Botox® injections, according to data from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
In fact, well over 3 million filler treatments are performed each year in the United States on both new patients and patients who are so satisfied with their results, they opt for follow-up treatment to maintain the benefits.
Michele Meinhart, FNP, is a top-ranked dermal filler treatment provider for women and men in Salem Virginia, offering an array of filler choices to help each patient at Starkey Medical Esthetics achieve their unique goals. If you aren’t sure which filler is right for you, this quick overview can help you decide.
Fillers work by restoring facial volume lost to the aging process. When we’re young, our bodies produce plenty of collagen and elastin, two components that keep skin firm and resilient. As we age, that production declines dramatically, leaving our skin a lot more prone to sagging and wrinkling.
At the same time, aging makes it harder for our skin to retain moisture to keep it plump. Fat underneath the skin diminishes or “drifts” downward because of gravity. All these issues contribute to sagging skin, lines, wrinkles, and deep creases.
Fillers are injected under the skin to fill in lines and wrinkles around your nose, lips, and jowls. Injected in the cheeks, lips, and other areas, many fillers restore volume and gently lift your skin, helping it look and feel smoother and firmer.
The reason why there are so many different types of fillers is because each type uses a different formulation. Each formulation is designed to treat specific issues, like nasolabial folds or sagging cheeks. That’s why choosing the right filler is so important for getting the results you’re seeking.
Starkey Medical Esthetics offers an array of fillers to help patients treat a variety of skin issues, including mild-to-moderate lines and wrinkles, deep facial folds, and volume loss in the cheeks, under eye area, lips, and even the backs of your hands.
JUVÉDERM®
One of the most well-known fillers, the JUVÉDERM family of fillers includes several formulations to treat different areas of the face. JUVÉDERM uses hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring substance that adds volume and attracts moisture for continued results.
The smooth formulation makes these products ideal for smoothing out lines and wrinkles around your eyes, mouth, and nose, and for adding volume to your cheeks and lips.
Also based on hyaluronic acid, the Restylane family of fillers treats many of the same areas as JUVÉDERM. The primary difference: Restylane’s formula is a little more granular, making it ideal for restoring volume in deeper lines and restoring volume around the eyes, cheeks, and lips.
Another hyaluronic acid-based product, BELOTERO BALANCE is especially good at plumping up moderate and deep facial folds and lines. It’s also a great option for adding volume to the backs of your hands, smoothing out your skin and preventing the “bony” look that comes with aging.
RADIESSE products use calcium hydroxylapatite microspheres suspended in a gel base. Offering a stiffer formula than hyaluronic products like Juvéderm, RADIESSE is a good choice for filling in deeper lines and wrinkles and for restoring volume in larger areas, like the backs of your hands. Its unique formula also makes it a good choice for gently lifting your cheeks or chin area.
On top of all those differences, some fillers contain lidocaine, an anesthetic to help numb the treatment area for enhanced comfort during treatment.
Worried you choose the wrong filler? No worries! At Starkey Medical Esthetics, we recommend fillers after a careful review of each patient’s treatment goals, aging concerns, skin type, and other variables, so you can feel confident in your results.
To learn more about our filler treatments, call 540-389-0909, or book an appointment online today.
