The term “non-invasive cosmetic procedure” seems to have become an everyday term over the past few years. Tune into your daily talk show and you’re bound to see a makeover segment where someone is being lasered, peeled and injected.
As a Vancouver Spa integrating medical grade procedures with traditional spa treatments, Spruce Body Lab has recently expanded it’s menu of services to include fillers as demand for injectables has increased.
For the average consumer fillers and Botox® have become more accessible and with continued improvements in procedures and products the results have gotten better and are lasting longer.
For example- Juvederm, a commonly used hyaluronic acid filler, has now been approved by the FDA to last for up to one year.
There are many different brands of HA fillers on the market- all competing for consumer dollars. The trend is towards creating a smoother product with less side effects such as bruising and swelling, or post-treatment lumps and bumps.
In it’s natural form, hyaluronic acid is a liquid substance which is found to naturally occur in the skin. It’s main function is to maintain skin volume and hydration as it holds 1000 times it’s own weight in water. If it was to be injected in it’s natural form it would be absorbed by our bodies in about 12 hours. Facial fillers last longer in the skin through a process called cross-linking which chemically binds the individual chains of the acid. This differentiation prevents it’s rapid break down.
Do you need both Botox® and Facial Fillers?
Botox® and fillers differ in the type of wrinkles that they target. Botox® is used to paralyze the muscles that cause deep wrinkles such as the furrow in the brow; whereas HA fillers address wrinkles that relate to loss of volume in the skin, in areas such as the naso-labial fold (smile lines) and marionette lines around the mouth. It is also used to enhance the lips and fill scars. As a substance it has been shown to increase collagen production and inhibit the break down of existing collagen.
Botox® and facial fillers work well in combination to address the signs of aging, and a consult with a trained professional will help determine whether you can benefit from one or both.