When you smile, laugh, frown or look puzzled, you contract the muscles of your face. Over time, these contractions produce permanent furrows and deep wrinkles in the skin especially around the eyes and mouth. These lines can make you look older, sad, angry or tired. Cosmetic dermal fillers can not only prevent you from deepening these lines during natural facial movements, they can also erase these marks of aging, leaving you looking younger and refreshed.
Dermal fillers are FDA approved and safe for use by most patients. Many of the dermal fillers are made from substances found naturally in the body, or synthetically made to mimic natural substances or stimulate collagen production. These fillers are injected directly into the skin of the targeted area to restore volume and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Dermal fillers are often combined with neuromodulators such as BOTOX® or Dysport® to work synergistically in facial rejuvenation.
Dr. Lowry, our cosmetic facial specialist, offers patients many different dermal filler options to provide the best possible results for individual patient needs. These include Restylane®, Restylane Lift®, Restylane Silk®, Restylane Define®, Restylane Refine®, Juvederm Ultra®, Juvederm Ultra Plus®, Voluma®, Vobella®, Vollure® and Sculptra®. Targeted treatment of appropriate facial areas with the right type and amount of dermal filler can help you achieve a more youthful appearance. Common treatment areas include laugh lines, lipstick lines, corners of the mouth and marionette lines. Volumizing lifting fillers for the mid-face and cheek area and special formulations to use around the eye region are also commonly performed comfortably in the office setting personally by Dr. Lowry.
Hyaluronic Acid Dermal Fillers
Hyaluronic Acid is a sugar that naturally occurs in the skin that helps hydrate and add volume. Hyaluronic Acid (HA) in the normal skin diminishes with age contributing to the formation of wrinkles and folds. In the United States there are a number of popular hyaluronic acid fillers including the Restylane® product lines, the Juvederm® product lines and Voluma®. In general, all these HA fillers are smooth consistency gels that help hydrate the skin, correct mild, medium and deep wrinkles and folds and restore volume to deficient areas of the face that develop with aging.
Areas that are commonly improved include the folds that run from the nose to the corner of the mouth (nasal labial folds), the marionette lines in the corner of the mouth down to the chin, cheek volumization and lip augmentation. The results typically last 9 to 12 months for most of these products 18 months with Vollure® and up to 24 months with Voluma®.
Dr. Lowry our board certified facial cosmetic specialist is knowledgeable in the best products and applications of all dermal fillers. We offer a broad range of options that you can discuss with him to best serve your needs. Rest assured Dr. Lowry personally performs all cosmetic injectable treatments.
Restylane®
Restylane® is one of the most popular injectable dermal fillers on the market and was first approved in the United States in 2004. Dr. Lowry has extensive experience with this product which offers exceptional treatments for moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds. Several formulations exist. Traditional Restylane® is commonly used for the eyelid and mouth area. Restylane Lift® replenishes lost volume in the cheeks and mid-face and restores youthful contours to the face by lifting and supporting facial tissues non-surgically. Restylane Silk® is uniquely formulated to give lips fullness and better definition. Results are immediate and long lasting.
Restylane® is a clear synthetic gel made with purified hyaluronic acid, a natural sugar that is found throughout your body. Hyaluronic acid works with collagen to support the skin and keep it smooth and supple. The Hyaluronic Acid in Restylane® has been modified so it lasts longer forming strong bonds with water molecules in the skin prolonging its rejuvenating effects for up to one year or more.
At Morganton Eye, all our cosmetic dermal filler injections are personally performed by Dr. Lowry, our board certified facial plastic surgery specialist.
Before and After Gallery
Juvéderm® Injectable Gel
Like Restylane®, Juvederm® is a popular injectable dermal filler comprised of lab created Hyaluronic Acid, allowing for natural looking results and gradual biodegradeability. Juvederm Ultra® and Ultra Plus® are approved to last over a year, Vollure® 18 months and Voluma® the cheek augmentation Juvederm product has been demonstrated to last 2 years. Juvederm® is the only HA filler that has demonstrated safety and effectiveness in patients of all skin types and colors.
Several formulations of Juvederm® gel are now available to patients. The original, Juvederm Ultra®, is less dense and more appropriate for medium and superficial depth wrinkle correction. Juvederm Ultra Plus® is more extensively crosslinked, resulting in more robust product effective for correction of deeper more pronounced facial folds. Voluma® is approved to add volume and restore contour to the cheek area giving significant lift to sunken tissues and giving the face a more youthful lift. While regular Juvederm® fillers provide excellent results when applied to fine lines and wrinkles, Voluma® is better suited to treat larger scale facial volume loss.
Juvederm® injections take less than 1 hour to administer in Dr. Lowry’s office. A fine needle is used for the injection given under the skin in the targeted area to add volume or to fill in wrinkles and folds. Because Juvederm® contains Lidocaine to improve comfort, topical anesthetic may not be needed. However, we commonly use a topical anesthetic on the areas to be treated before giving the injection. Results are immediate and natural and down time is minimal.
Dr. Lowry has extensive experience in cosmetic facial filler rejuvenation and will have an in-depth consultation with you to understand your needs and what facial features you would like to enhance. He will explain all the options to make sure your treatment satisfies your expectations, and he will personally perform your treatment.
Before and After Gallery
Sculptra® Aesthetic
Sculptra® Aesthetic injectable is used to reverse the signs of facial fat loss that occur with aging. By restoring collagen, which decreases as the body ages, it fills out shallow to deep wrinkles and folds that run from the sides of the nose to the corners of the mouth (nasal labial folds), and also for generalized volume improvement in the face. It is different than Hyaluronic acid fillers, as it is a collagen stimulator as opposed to an HA filler. It is not appropriate for use in the eye or lip areas.
Sculptra® Aesthetics main active ingredient is an alpha hydroxy acid called Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLLA), which is a safe and long lasting synthetic (artificially created), biocompatible (can be used harmlessly in the body), biodegradable (broken down naturally by the body) substance. PLLA has been used for more than 25 years in many surgical products, including dissolvable sutures and soft-tissue implants.
Collagen is a key structural ingredient which allows the skin to appear youthful and smooth. Sculptra® uniquely works in the deep dermis (below the skin surface) to replace lost collagen specifically. Sculptra® gradually restores collagen to improve wrinkles and folds and skin texture and tone that are the results of volume loss. Replacement of lost collagen results in a more youthful appearance with the results lasting as long as 2 years. Dr. Lowry is one of a unique group of facial cosmetic specialists certified to administer this special injectable.
