Restylane® Injections
Restylane® adds volume to lips, lifts up wrinkles and folds and helps reshape facial contours. The results can often be seen immediately.
What is Restylane®?
Restylane® is a clear, biodegradable non-animal stabilized hyaluronic acid (NASHA) gel. It is a collagen injection substitute that has no chance of an allergic reaction and lasts substantially longer than collagen. It contains hyaluronic acid, a natural, but non-animal derived substance already present in your body.
Courtsey of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons
What is a treatment session like?
Treatment with Restylane® is a very quick and easy process. A treatment generally takes 30 minutes. The clear gel is injected into the skin in tiny amounts with a very fine needle. The gel produces volume under the skin and helps to reshape facial contours. Most people find the injections painless. Immediately after the treatment, you can expect slight redness, swelling, tenderness or an itching sensation in the treated area. This is a normal reaction to the treatment. The discomfort is temporary and generally disappears in a few days. Adverse reactions are very rare.
Can I combine Restylane® with other procedures?
If you have recently undergone any other facial treatment, we recommend you wait until the treated area is totally healed and the skin has returned to normal (usually 4-6 weeks).
Why choose Restylane®?
Restylane® is fully biocompatible with human tissue. It is non-inflammatory and non-toxic. It is not of animal origin so there is no risk of disease transmission from animals or allergic reactions.
Radiesse™ Injections
Radiesse™ is an injectable product for lip enlargement and filling of folds and lines. It is safe and long lasting. Throughout its life, it remains soft and flexible and compatible with your body.
Radiesse™ consists of tiny micro spheres of a synthetic material called calcium hydroxylapatite (30%) that is combined with a common hydrogel (70%) used in a vast array of products. The result is a creamy like substance. It maintains this creamy consistency throughout its life allowing it to feel like your natural facial features.
Radiesse™ remains soft and takes on the characteristics of the surrounding tissue. New soft tissue will gradually replace the Radiesse™ over time with most replacement occurring within three months. Patients report Radiesse™ remains soft and passes the "kiss test."
The synthetic calcium component has similar chemical and structural characteristics to bone and teeth and is therefore compatible with the body; it should not elicit a chronic inflammatory or immune response.
Treatment can take place immediately due to the safe and compatible materials used in Radiesse™; no pre-testing of any kind is required. There have been no reported reactions from use of the Radiesse™ product. The gel carrier doesn’t require allergy testing. The longest term studies come from Italy and suggest that Radiesse™ shows promise as a new agent for facial contouring with no serious side effects, efficacy and durability.
How long will the Radiesse™ treatment last?
For most clients treated with Radiesse™, it lasts around two years although in some it has lasted three or more.
What areas are normally treated?
Typical Radiesse™ treatments include: smoothing and contouring smile lines, wrinkles at the corner of the mouth, vertical lip lines, acne scars, frown lines, restoring volume in and around the cheeks, and providing lip definition.
What can I expect after the treatment?
A mild localized anesthetic is normally used to minimize or eliminate the pain associated with this type of treatment. The numbing effects will wear off. There is no pain reported afterwards. There is normally minor inflammation or swelling from the treatment which is resolved well within 24 hours but may last as long as 48 hours for some patients. Most patients resume normal activities only a few hours after receiving treatment. You should avoid activities that will strain your facial features for 48 hours following treatment as much as possible. For example, avoid activities such as strenuous laughing, using a straw, singing, shouting, cheering, chewing gum, eating tough food, etc. Otherwise normal activities are fine.
How safe is Radiesse™?
Radiesse™ has been safely injected in thousands of patients worldwide without a report of reaction to the product. There have been minor complications reported by some patients receiving large volume lip augmentation. Complications of this nature have been normally resolved clinically within 30-60 days with patients reporting satisfaction. Smaller volume lip augmentation is recommended.
