Midwest Eye Care Institute

Fillers

Over the last several years there has been a virtual explosion regarding the number of products available to help reduce facial wrinkles and imperfections.

At the present time, the most common products used for facial fillers contain hyaluronic acid, and these include Restylane®, Perlane®, and Juvéderm™. Dr. Conlon uses a variety of facial fillers in his practice, but at the present time Restylane® is the most commonly used.

Common areas  Dr. Conlon will use Restylane® injections include the groove between the eyelids and the cheek (tear trough), the area between the eyebrows (glabeller), the cheeks, and lips.

There is often confusion between fillers and BOTOX® Fillers are substances which are injected under the skin to “plump” up the tissues. In the eyelid area, fillers can be used to minimize the junction between THE lower eyelid and the cheek, and within the “tear trough”, which is a common reason people look tired, or have the appearance of dark circles beneath the eyelids. In the lip area, fillers are very effective in improving the definition and contour of the lip, and can also be used to reduce lipstick lines. Other common areas that may benefit from fillers include the cheeks and the nasolabial folds.

Restylane® is a long-lasting and crystal-clear gel for filling out lips, facial wrinkles and facial folds. The hyaluronic acid in Restylane® is almost identical to that naturally found in the body. The product is naturally integrated into the tissue, allowing important nutritive agents to pass freely through the implant and cells to pass between fragments of the gel.

Once in the skin, Restylane® works together with the body's own hyaluronic acid and joins forces to create volume.  Unlike permanent implants, Restylane® always leaves you a choice when the effect of the treatment has worn off. Restylane® is typically used to treat superficial lines.  It is also used for lip enhancement. Similar to Restylane®, Perlane® offers longer lasting results for lip enhancement and the correction of deep folds.
Restylane® is injected into the dermis and provides volume where the concentration of the body's own hyaluronic acid has decreased. One treatment session takes about 30 minutes. The results can be seen immediately. The actual injection only takes a few minutes and ice immediately applied afterwards.

The lips generally swell somewhat but most patients are able to return to work the following day. In rare cases, some patients may experience significant swelling, which will take a few days to subside. For this reason, Dr. Conlon will often suggest first time filler patients have the injection on a Friday.

Restylane® is not extracted from animals. This means no risk of allergic reactions. Therefore, Restylane® is perfectly safe to use instantly without pre-testing.

The length of time Restylane® treatment lasts is very individual. It depends on many factors, such as the structure of the skin, lifestyle and age as well as on the degree of perfection demanded by the individual. However, we know that for the majority of patients treated about 50-80 % of the effect remains after 6 months. Most people choose to have a touch-up done within a year of the original treatment.

It is possible for injectors to overcorrect with filler and cause an asymmetry. With the hyaluronic fillers such as Restylane®, Perlane®, and Juvéderm™ it is possible to reverse or dissolve the filler with an enzyme called hyaluronidase. The injections of hyaluronidase is straightforward and the effect can be seen in a few days.