BOTOX® and Fillersin Darien

BOTOX® [Cosmetic] is a medication that is injected directly into muscles to help relax the muscles, and reduce the furrows and creases that are created by the muscular action. It takes about two or three minutes to give. Patients can go directly back to work afterwards because there's really no bruising or swelling at all. It lasts for about three months. There are a variety of injectable products that we use. The three that I use most frequently are Radiesse®, Sculptra and then hyaluronic acid fillers such as Jupiter and Per Restylane. All three are excellent products. They just have really completely different uses. Jupiter and Restylane are relatively smooth products. They are excellent for small, fine lines that are close to the skin, or for lip augmentation. They don't tend to provide a lot of volume. If we need a lot of volume, we move to the heavier, thicker products such as Radiesse® or Sculptra. Radiesse® is the thickest, heaviest product we use which is placed deep below the skin. It is excellent at providing more volume to the face. It can also be thought of as a bony augmentation. A patient may want cheek implants. Radiesse® can be quickly and easily injected underneath the skin with virtually no bruising and down time, and provides a fuller, bony structure to the face. Sculptra, on the other hand, is injected and used to provide volume which can be thought of as replacing fat. Sculptra is injected deep below the skin. The body reabsorbs the water in which the product is suspended. The swelling goes away after about two days. Over the next six to eight weeks, your body is stimulated to create more collagen. It is, in fact, this collagen that actually gives the patient the extra volume. Because it is your own tissue, the volume tends to last for about two years. Also, because it is your own tissue, it is a very soft, natural look that can be placed almost anywhere along the face. Sculptra should be viewed as a way to replace the fat and volume that is invariably lost over time.