Botulinum toxin & Filler

Botulinum toxin & Filler

 

 

 

 

 Botulinum toxin

 Botulinum toxin injection is used to remove deep facial wrinkles such as crow’s feet, forehead lines, glabella wrinkles (lines between the brows) and sagging neck wrinkles which are caused by muscle contraction. The principle is that the injection of purified botulinum toxin in the facial expression muscles paralyzes the muscles for a considerable period of time and the wrinkle resulting from the muscle contraction reduces. In some cases, botulinum toxin is injected into the dermis(dermo-toxin). The wrinkle reducing effect takes place within approximately 24 to 72 hours after injection and the maximum effect appears around 2 weeks and lasts up to 4-6 months after the procedure. Follow-up with repeated injections increases the duration of the effect, and the interval between subsequent procedures become longer. Botulinum toxin injection is effective in deep wrinkles not responding to laser resurfacing. As it entails no downtime, it is ideal for busy office workers.

 

 

Filler

 The richest amount of hyaluronic acid is found in the skin. It is a polysaccharide also found in the body, and acts as a intercellular substance that bonds cells in the dermis and epidermis.
 Hyaluronic acid has powerful ability to hold the water with just one molecule of hyaluronic acid attracting 214 water molecules. Therefore, the hyaluronic acid injected into human skin is gradually absorbed biologically, but holds a volume of water similar to the injected amount and maintains the initial volume.
 Synthetic hyaluronic acid is effective against deep, noticeable wrinkles of the forehead, glabella wrinkles, lines around the eyes, and nasolabial folds. It is also used to give more volume and clearer delineation to the lips as well as to remove acne scars and severe indentation of the skin. The effect lasts for 8 to 24 months depending on the type and site of the injection. Other fillers known to have longer lasting effect than hyaluronic acid are calcium hydroxylapatite (Radiesse), and PAAG (Aquamid), etc. These fillers are preferred in rhinoplasty and reduction of nasolabial folds due to their long lasting effect.

 There is an influx of various types of fillers into the market in addition to the above materials. They differ in indications and duration of the effect, etc (Figure 1).

 

 

(figure 1)