When you’re young, your skin is thick, plump, and resilient thanks to a variety of proteins, molecules, and fats.
However, the aging process, combined with the damaging effects of ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun and other sources, gradually depletes your skin of these ingredients, causing problems such as:
You may already know how important the proteins collagen and elastin are for skin health. Collagen forms the supportive matrix that gives your skin plumpness and depth. Elastin lets it stretch out but then snap back into place.
Just as important as collagen and elastin, however, is a molecule called hyaluronic acid (HA).
One reason your skin looks thinner and drier as you age is that it loses its ability to hold moisture. This is directly due to the loss of HA, which is a glycosaminoglycan that has a unique capacity to bind with and retain water molecules.
Without sufficient HA, you can slather your skin with moisture and creams all day, but it won’t be able to take up or retain the water. Without HA, your skin remains dry, thin, and frail.
At Dutch Hollow Medical Day Spa in Godfrey, Illinois, our founders, Samuel Figueroa, MD, and Mirka Figueroa, CEO and medical esthetician, offer a variety of treatments to restore health and resilience to your skin.
To remedy volume loss from a lack of HA, they may recommend a dermal filler that contains HA, such as Restylane®, Versa™, Juvéderm®, or RHA®.
How can dermal fillers restore your HA and your skin? Here’s the rundown.
Not only does HA hydrate your skin, it also helps keep your joints lubricated, too. Although injectable HA is synthesized, it’s still a molecule that your skin recognizes and utilizes.
We use injections of hyaluronic acid to undo some of the damage done by aging and sun exposure. Depending on your needs, we may recommend HA-based dermal fillers to:
However, you don’t actually have to wait for the aging process to kick in to benefit from HA injections. Selective use of HA may improve the natural contours of your face by building up your cheekbone area or filling in scars.
Unlike collagen-stimulating fillers, which may take months to show results, you can see a change in your facial contours directly after your HA treatment. Your skin feels noticeably firmer. It also appears smoother and younger looking.
Over the next few weeks, the HA gel works into your skin. Your results further improve during this period, too.
Although Botox® and other neuromodulators need touch-ups every 3-4 months, many of the HA fillers last significantly longer. The duration depends on what formulation is right for your needs.
Some of the injectables in the Juvéderm, Versa, RHA and Restylane collections can last for 18 months or more. We keep track of your injection schedule so you never miss a maintenance treatment.
Unlike surgery or even some laser treatments or chemical peels, there’s no recovery period after an HA dermal filler treatment. Directly after we restore volume to your face with HA, you can return to your normal routine.
You can even reapply your make-up after your session. Many women and men book their HA injections during the lunch hour so that they can go straight back to work.
Your body already makes HA, so negative reactions are rare. The main side effects are due to the injection process rather than to HA. You may have a little swelling or bruising after your procedure, but those tend to resolve within a day or two.
Are you ready to add more volume to recontour or rejuvenate your face with dermal fillers? Call us or use our online appointment form today for a dermal filler evaluation and experience for yourself the benefits of HA injectables.
