Fill ‘er Up — Teach Those Wrinkles Who’s the Boss

With the exception of vampires, no one has figured out how to outsmart the march of time. Time and the effects of aging win out every time. Your skin, the body’s largest organ, is definitely on the front lines of this ongoing battle, particularly in sunny Naples!
But at Naples Cosmetic Surgery, we provide our patients with a non-surgical option to fight back against time — dermal fillers.
Unlike Botox, which is clinically called a neuromodulator, dermal fillers take a different route to addressing wrinkles. Botox temporarily paralyzes the underlying muscle that forms a wrinkle above on the skin surface when we perform an action such as squinting. These wrinkles are called dynamic wrinkles. When Botox stops the muscle from contracting, the wrinkle doesn’t form above the muscle.
The other type of wrinkle is called a static wrinkle. These wrinkles are on display at all times. Nasolabial folds and marionette lines are good examples of static wrinkles. Dermal fillers, as their name implies, fill in the crease or wrinkle and plump the skin. Fillers are injected beneath the wrinkle and basically push the skin back up, erasing the wrinkle.
Three popular fillers
Here are the three popular fillers we use at Naples Cosmetic Surgery and their characteristics.
Restylane® — Restylane is made from hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring substance in the body that is responsible for plumping the skin. Hyaluronic acid plumps the skin by binding with water molecules beneath the skin surface. This makes the surface skin smoother. Restylane is very effective at improving wrinkles and creases around the mouth and lips, as well as those under the eyes. It is best on areas with thinner skin because its consistency allows it to spread just a bit under the skin.
Juvederm® — Juvederm is also a hyaluronic acid-based filler. Juvederm restores volume and addresses deeper wrinkles, especially those around the mouth and nose and on the forehead. There are three types of Juvederm: Juvederm XC, Juvederm Voluma XC, and Juvederm Ultra Plus. Each has different characteristics that target different issues such as volume vs. wrinkles.
Perlane® — This hyaluronic acid-based filler is made by the same company as Restylane, but its consistency is much thicker, making it best for improving large nasolabial folds and worry lines on the forehead. Perlane, due to its thicker consistency, needs to be injected in areas where there is underlying fat to hide it.
Interested in teaching your facial wrinkles who’s the boss without surgery? Call us at the Naples Cosmetic Surgery Center, 230-348-4357, and let’s talk about dermal fillers.