| Candidates for injectable treatment include individuals who are looking to improve the signs of facial aging including laugh lines, smile lines, crow’s feet and other facial creases and furrows, as well as some scars, skin depressions and other areas of the face which have lost volume. Some injectable treatments are also appropriate for enhancing the lips. Candidates considering collagen will need to undergo an allergy skin test prior to treatment. A consultation with Dr. Kapoor in his Beverly Hills office is the best way to determine if injectable filler treatment is right for you and which filler can best address your needs.
There are many options available for treatment including collagen-based fillers like Zyderm and Zyplast, fat injection, Botox, and a variety of other injectables such as Fibril, Gortex, Restylane, and Radiesse. Zyderm and Zyplast are collagen-based fillers derived from purified cow skin. They may be used to improve the texture and overall appearance of the facial skin and fill in a variety of lines, wrinkles and scars on the face and even the neck, back and chest. Fat injection (autologous fat transplantation/microlipoinjection) is a procedure in which fat cells are removed from another area of the body, such as the abdomen, buttocks or thighs, and then injected into the facial skin. This procedure is often used to improve the appearance of skin depressions, laugh lines and other wrinkles. It may also be used to add fullness to the lips or to sunken cheeks. Botox is an injectable which temporarily paralyzes the facial muscles that cause wrinkles and is often used to treat crow’s feet, forehead creases and frown lines.
Fibril is another type of injectable comprised of a gelatin powder compound that is mixed with a small amount of the patient’s own blood. This is then injected beneath the skin to plump sunken areas. Gortex is a thread-like material which helps to support the soft tissues of the face once implanted beneath the skin. Restylane, Hylaform and Captique are all hyaluronic acid-based fillers which can be used similar to collagen but with longer-lasting results of up to nine months. Radiesse is another filler derived from the same calcium compound found in bone and it provides results lasting up to two years on average.
Dr. Kapoor performs most injectable treatments in his office. Local anesthesia is often used for the fat injection procedure. Other injectables often contain lidocaine, an anesthetic, within the injectable solution and thus do not require additional anesthetic though a numbing spray may be used if so desired. Treatment is generally quick and usually lasts no more than forty-five minutes, though fat injection procedures will take longer. Some injectables require overfilling which may result in a temporarily swollen appearance. Some bruising and redness may also occur which is usually short-lived. Most patients are able to immediately return to work and other normal activities unless a large area was treated. However, sun exposure should be avoided during the first forty-eight hours after treatment.
Injectable Filler Questions
Q. What options are offered?
If you'd like to improve the texture and general appearance of your facial skin, or fill out sunken cheeks, deep wrinkles, furrows and creases, consider injected collagen or fat. They can also add more fullness to the lips, and help make some types of scars less visible.
Q. What are the risks?
Complications are infrequent and usually minor when a qualified plastic surgeon is handling the procedure. With collagen, an allergic reaction is possible for some patients. That's why an allergy skin test should be performed a month or so before the procedure appointment. If, during the next three or four weeks, there are signs of redness, swelling or itching at the test site, this should be reported to the surgeon and collagen may be ruled out. When fat is chosen as the injectable, there is hardly ever an allergic reaction because the fat is from the patient's own body. Other potential risks include infection and failure to heal (a possibility with heavy smokers).
Q. Where is the procedure performed?
Usually in the surgeon's own medical facility. However, if you are having a cosmetic surgery procedure, your injections may be given at the same time.
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But help is available. Through the use of soft-base fillers - such as injectable collagen or fat - your cosmetic surgeon can fill in these unsightly lines, creases, and "sinkholes" to help you look younger, with a smoother skin. When injected by an expert, these fillers can add fullness to the lips and cheeks, and reduce or erase those unsightly lines and creases. They can be used alone, together with a facelift, or in conjunction with a laser treatment that resurfaces the skin. 
