Collagen & other Injectable Fillers in Plastic Surgery
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| Details Procedure Risk/Side Effects Recovery Results FAQ |
Collagen and fat provide the most popular solutions to those crows feet, smile lines and other facial creases caused by aging, gravity, exposure to the sun and years of face muscle movement. They restore a much smoother and younger looking appearance.
Details
As we grow older, the tissues that keep the skin looking young and plumped up begin to break down. Negative effects begin to show on the face. Collagen and fat provide temporary but instant solutions.
(Dr. Patterson can also discuss a number of other facial rejuvenation techniques with you, including Fibril, a gelatin powder that's mixed with your blood and injected to plump up the skin, and Gortex, a thread-like material implanted beneath the skin to add soft-tissue support).
Procedure
Fillers are injected beneath the skin to plump up sunken areas of the face, and can include the lips.
Collagen Injections: Treatment with collagen can begin after a skin test determines that you're not allergic to the substance. The collagen is injected using a fine needle, inserted at several points along the edge of the treatment site. If a local anesthesia has not been used, you may feel some minor stinging or burning as the injections are administered.
Since part of the substance is salt water that will be absorbed by the body within a few days, the doctor will slightly overfill the area. You may be asked to hold a hand mirror during the procedure to help your doctor ensure that you get precisely the result you want.
Fat Injections: Treatment includes extracting fat cells from your abdomen, thighs, buttocks or elsewhere and reinjecting them beneath the facial skin. Fat is most often used to fill in sunken cheeks or laugh lines between the nose and mouth, to correct skin depressions or indentations, to minimize forehead wrinkles and to enhance the lips.
After both the donor and recipient sites are cleansed and treated with a local anesthesia, the fat is withdrawn using a syringe with a large-bore needle or a cannula (the same instrument used in liposuction) attached to a suction device. The fat is then prepared and injected into the recipient site with a needle. Sometimes an adhesive bandage is applied over the injection site.
As with collagen, overfilling is necessary to allow for fat absorption in the weeks following treatment. When fat is used to fill sunken cheeks or to correct areas on the face other than lines, overfilling may temporarily make the face appear abnormally puffed or swollen.
Length: 15 minutes to 1 hour per session.
Anesthesia: Collagen: usually none; local may be included with the injection. Fat: local.
In/Outpatient: Outpatient.
Side-Effects / Risks
Collagen: Allergic reaction is the primary risk of collagen. To help determine if you are allergic to the substance, Dr. Patterson will perform an allergy skin test about a month before your procedure. After the test, the test site should be watched carefully for three or four weeks, or as long as Dr. Patterson advises. Any sign of redness, itching, swelling or other occurrences should be reported. You may experience some short-term side-effects which can include slight reddening of the skin or local swelling which goes away within a few days. In rare instances, there may be some blistering.
Risks not necessarily related to allergies include infection, abscesses, open sores, skin peeling, scarring and lumpiness, which may persist over the treated area. Reports of these problems are very rare.
Fat: Allergic reaction is not a factor for fat because it's harvested from your own body. However, there is a small risk of infection and other infrequent complications.
Recovery
Immediately following treatment, you may notice some minor discomfort, stinging or throbbing in the injected area. Occasionally some bruising or swelling will occur but is usually minor. Any redness that appears in the injected site usually disappears within 24 hours. However, in some individuals, particularly fair-skinned patients, this redness may persist for a week or more. Tiny scabs may also form over the needle-stick areas; these generally heal quickly.
No bandaging is needed and you are free to eat, drink, and wear makeup with sunblock shortly thereafter. There may be some temporary swelling and redness in the treated area which should dissipate within a few days. If these symptoms persist, contact Dr. Patterson.
Results
Collagen: The duration of results from collagen injections is variable. Collagen's longevity depends on the patient's lifestyle and physical characteristics as well as the part of the body treated. In general, the injected material is likely to disappear faster in areas that are more affected by muscle movement.
Fat: The duration of fat injections varies significantly from patient to patient. Though some patients have reported results lasting a year or more, the majority find that at least half of the injected fullness disappears within 3-6 months. Repeated injections may therefore be necessary.
If you're like most patients, you may be quite surprised and very satisfied with the pleasing results of your injectable treatments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How long do injectable results last?
A. In some individuals, results may last only a few weeks; in others, the results may be maintained indefinitely. Researchers believe that age, genetic background, skin quality and lifestyle, as well as the injected body site, may all play a role in the injected material's “staying power”. However, the precise reason for variation of results among patients has yet to be identified.
Q. How can I determine if I will be allergic to an injectable?
A. To help determine if you are allergic to the substance, Dr. Patterson will perform an allergy skin test about a month before your procedure. After the test, the test site should be watched carefully for three or four weeks, or as long as Dr. Patterson advises. Any sign of redness, itching, swelling or other occurrences should be reported to him.
Q. How will I know if fat or collagen is the best solution for me?
A. Dr. Patterson will be pleased to discuss the benefits of all injectable fillers and other techniques, as they pertain to your particular situation. You and he may determine that a single procedure or a combination of procedures is the best choice for you.
