Dermal Fillers

Plastic Surgery in Charleston, SC

Dermal fillers are a good treatment for many wrinkles and other signs of facial aging. They restore volume lost as a natural part of the aging process; volume loss that results in wrinkles, sunken cheeks, hollows under the eyes, and other signs of aging in your face. By restoring your face's youthful contours, they can help you look as young as you feel and continue to radiate beauty and confidence. Dermal filler injections take just a few minutes, but their effects can last six months or more.

If you would like to learn more dermal filler injections and whether they can help you, please schedule a consultation with Dr. Brian G. Widenhouse at Port City Plastic Surgery in Charleston, South Carolina.

How Dermal Fillers Work

As we age, our body naturally loses fat in the facial area. Fat also becomes displaced due to gravity and changes in skin quality. This leads to a combination of facial hollows and folds that can make us look aged or tired. Some people see thinning lips as another effect of aging. Dermal fillers use natural materials to replace fat lost or fill in deep folds to give the face a more youthful appearance.

Dermal fillers are commonly used for:

• Smoothing folds from the nose to the mouth (nasolabial folds)
• Smoothing marionette lines
• Filling acne or other facial scars
• Filling hollows under the eyes
• Lip Augmentation

The wrinkles treated by dermal fillers are different from those treated by BOTOX® Cosmetic injections and laser skin resurfacing. Dermal fillers are good at providing temporary treatment. More permanent results can be achieved with surgical procedures like a face lift.

Dermal Fillers We Offer

At Port City Plastic Surgery, we offer our patients many dermal filler options, including:

• Restylane®
• Perlane®
• Juvéderm®
• Radiesse®
• Fat Injection

Fat injection uses fat taken from elsewhere in your body, such as the buttocks or abdomen, as the filler material. This has the potential to give permanent correction of some facial hollows, wrinkles, or folds.

All fillers work in a similar fashion, but give slightly different final results. During your consultation with Dr. Brian G. Widenhouse, he can describe to you some of the subtle differences between them.

Restylane® and Perlane®

Restylane® and Perlane® are fillers made of hyaluronic acid, a compound found naturally in your skin, but normally lost as we age. They are not derived from an animal source, so no allergy testing is necessary before use. Restylane® and Perlane® are chemically identical, but slightly different in structure. Perlane® has slightly larger particles of hyaluronic acid gel and is designed to be injected deeper into the skin for correction of deeper hollows and folds. Restylane® has smaller particles and is designed for injection closer to the surface. It gives great results for marionette lines and for lip augmentation.

When Restylane® was introduced, it revolutionized the dermal fillers market. Its long-lasting results and hypoallergenic formulation made it immediately popular, and Restylane® remains the third most popular cosmetic treatment in the United States, after BOTOX® Cosmetic and laser hair removal. The results of Restylane® and Perlane® treatments typically last for six months or more.

Dr. Widenhouse also offers Juvéderm®, a similar hyaluronic acid-based filler marketed by the makers of BOTOX® Cosmetic.

Radiesse

Radiesse is a filler that uses two different components to give longer-lasting results than most other dermal fillers. Radiesse is made of tiny calcium-based spheres suspended in a water-based gel. When injected into facial hollows or folds, the gel is absorbed quickly, but the spheres remain. The body fills in around the spheres with collagen. This means that Radiesse gives good results until the spheres themselves are completely absorbed. Recent studies have shown that about 80% of users see results that last over a year, although your results may vary.

Radiesse is good for treating nasolabial folds (parenthesis lines from the nose to the mouth), filling scars, and adding volume in facial hollows.

Why Port City Plastic Surgery for Your Dermal Filler Treatment?

Unlike many practices where the injection of facial fillers is given over to nurses or even aestheticians, at Port City Plastic Surgery, only plastic surgeon Dr. Brian G. Widenhouse performs injections of facial fillers. He believes all patients deserve personal treatment. Dr. Widenhouse is a board-certified plastic surgeon, and his knowledge of facial anatomy helps to ensure that you get the results you desire from your dermal filler injections.

If you would like to learn more about dermal fillers or other nonsurgical procedures, please call or email Port City Plastic Surgery in Charleston, South Carolina today.