You may understand the basics of how dermal fillers work—we inject a gel-like substance into your face, and it fills sagging skin to reverse wrinkles and fine lines. But what about the deeper science?
We’re all about education at Vive Aesthetics and Wellness. So in this blog, we’ll look at how your skin works, how wrinkles develop, and how you can improve the signs of aging with dermal filler in Marlton, NJ.
Understanding The Skin
To better understand how dermal fillers improve your skin, we first learn how your skin works. As the largest organ in (or on) your body, the skin has many functions to keep you healthy and strong. There are actually 3 layers of your skin.
Epidermis
The epidermis is the uppermost layer of skin, and it protects your skin from external pollutants and debris. It also contains cells that are part of your immune system, which help fight off bacteria and infections.
Dermis
The dermis is the thickest layer of skin, making up about 90% of your total skin’s thickness. Fibroblasts in the dermis produce collagen and elastin, proteins that help keep your skin, organs, muscles, and connective tissue stretchy and flexible. The dermis also houses your hair follicles, nerves, oil glands, sweat glands, and blood vessels. These parts of your dermis help maintain your skin’s temperature and hydration.
Hypodermis (Subcutaneous Layer)
The hypodermis stores any excess fat. While this fat can be unhealthy in excessive amounts, it actually protects your muscles and bone from injuries or sudden impact. Fat also helps regulate body temperature by allowing blood vessels to expand and contract.
The Types Of Wrinkles
When you visit our team to address your wrinkles, we first examine your skin to understand what type of wrinkles you want to address. There are 2 types of wrinkles:
Dynamic
Dynamic wrinkles are caused by the repeated relaxing and contracting of certain facial muscles. These typically occur on the upper half of your face, appearing between your eyebrows, on your forehead, and around your eyes. Because these result from muscle movements, we use muscle relaxers like Botox. Muscle relaxers (also known as wrinkle relaxers) reverse and prevent wrinkles by limiting movement in specific muscles in your face. That limited movement allows you to retain your natural facial expressions without making them deep enough to cause wrinkles or fine lines.
Static
Static wrinkles are caused by loss of facial volume and increased skin laxity. Your body naturally produces collagen and elastin to keep your skin tight and flexible, or “stretchy.” There are many factors that can cause a decrease in collagen and elastin, including aging, but as you begin producing less, your skin will lose that tightness and begin to sag. As you age, you also lose your fat pads, or the fat that gives volume to your face. We use dermal filler in Marlton, NJ, to help increase collagen and elastin production and add volume to your features, smoothing out wrinkles and creating a more youthful complexion.
The Causes of Wrinkles
We use dermal filler in Marlton, NJ, to correct static wrinkles, or wrinkles that are caused by skin laxity. While skin laxity has many causes, here are the most common culprits our team sees.
UV Damage
The sun is the #1 cause of skin laxity. While sunlight helps our skin create vitamin D, it also emits UV rays that damage collagen and elastin fibers, causing our skin to lose its “stretchiness” over time. The more UV exposure you have, the more your skin will begin sagging, creating wrinkles and fine lines.
Lifestyle Choices
Certain lifestyle choices can damage your collagen and elastin fibers as well. Habits like smoking, drinking alcohol, eating an unbalanced diet, and never exercising can break down collagen and elastin faster and cause your body to produce fewer of these proteins. This causes sagging skin, fine lines, and wrinkles.
Losing Weight
Fat adds volume to your facial features, so losing weight can cause skin to sag, so you look older or more tired. With fillers, you can restore that lost volume and increase collagen and elastin production to create an appearance of vitality that matches your weight loss progress.
Genetics
Genetics also plays a huge role in how and how soon you develop wrinkles and fine lines. If your family members have a history of showing signs of aging fairly early, then you can expect to age prematurely as well.
Aging
Even if you make healthy lifestyle choices and have good genetics, the natural aging process causes your skin to break down collagen and elastin, so you develop wrinkles and fine lines over time. While you can’t stop that natural aging process of your skin, treatments like dermal filler in Marlton, NJ, can help restore your youthful complexion.
The Science of Dermal Fillers
Dermal filers use a gel-like substance to restore volume and smooth out facial lines, but what exactly is in this gel-like substance?
Most dermal fillers use hyaluronic acid as the base for their formula. Hyaluronic acid is a natural substance your body produces, found mostly in the eyes, joints, and skin. As a slippery substance that helps retain water, hyaluronic acid helps keep your joints and skin flexible and hydrated. In fact, a quarter teaspoon of hyaluronic acid can hold 1.5 gallons of water. Many skincare and eye care products contain hyaluronic acid because it binds so well to water to rehydrate your skin.
When injected into your skin, hyaluronic acid also increases collagen and elastin production. This helps rebuild your skin’s structure so results from your filler can last for about a year, depending on how well you protect and nourish your skin.
Each dermal filler in Marlton, NJ, has a slight variation in the formula to highlight different qualities in the injectable. Some changes enhance spreadability, water affinity (how well it retains water), or the filler’s ability to provide structure.
Juvederm
Here are some common goals our patients have when they visit our team, and here are the Juvederm fillers we use to achieve those goals.
- Plump, voluminous lips. For plump lips, we usually select Juvederm Ultra, since it has a high water affinity and low spreadability.
- Smoother, more defined lips. For this goal, we typically choose Juvederm Volbella, which offers high spreadability, low water affinity, and great structure.
- Cheek support and volume. Juvederm Voluma offers great support and volume. It’s known for its structure, low water affinity, and low spreadability.
- Sharpened jawline or chin definition. Juvederm Volux is the most structured and stiffest filler. We often pair it with Juvederm Voluma for added support.
SkinVive
Most dermal fillers deliver immediate results, but SkinVive’s non-traditional formula has a slight variation that increases your skin’s ability to retain moisture. Instead of “filling” areas of loose skin, SkinVive provides your body with the ingredients you need to develop hydrated, glowing skin. It does not add volume to your features, and it takes about 4 weeks to see the full results.
The Injection Process
While your care is customized to your individual needs, here is what you can expect when you receive dermal filler in Marlton, NJ.
Consultation
For your first appointment, you will first meet with one of our providers for a personal consultation. Your provider will learn about your goals and medical history, including any cosmetic injections you may have received previously. Once they understand what you need, they will help you determine which fillers are right for you and create a customized care plan.
Injections
Once you and your provider have created your care plan, you can receive your injections immediately after your consultation. Your provider will cleanse your skin and then mark the placements for your injections. To achieve your desired results, you will most likely need multiple injections in specific areas. Your provider will be able to determine the best areas for your injections and mark them before administering your fillers. Since you’ll be receiving multiple injections, your provider can also apply a topical numbing cream if you’re concerned about discomfort. Once you’re ready, they will use their expertise to administer your injections.
Results
If you receive any of our hyaluronic acid-based dermal fillers, you will notice results immediately. However, you will also see some of the volume diminish after a week as any swelling reduces and the gel settles. If you receive SkinVive, you will see some results after about a week, but your full results will take about 4 weeks to appear after your injections.
Why Vive?
When you’re considering dermal filler in Marlton, NJ, you need an expert provider who understands and can fulfill your needs. Our Vive team has extensive training to administer safe and effective care, and we combine that with passion and dedication to ensuring you feel comfortable.
We want to enhance your wellbeing and confidence with the latest technology and treatments. Our team will address your individual needs to deliver subtle but noticeable results that help you look and feel your best, no matter your age.
Fill Your Needs With Filler
Our team members can address your specific concerns with customized care. To get personalized recommendations for your goals, you can fill out our complementary treatment planning tool, and we’ll send you an individual care plan.
To determine which specific filler will best fit your needs, you can also schedule a consultation with one of our providers. See why patients keep returning to Vive for dermal filler in Marlton, NJ.
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