Another wrinkle filler approved: Choices abound to stop the clock

Move over collagen, say bye-bye Botox and hello to Hylaform, the latest and some say greatest in soft tissue wrinkle fillers, and say good riddance to your facial lines and wrinkles!

Hylaform is an injectable gel like Restylane, which the FDA approved in December 2003. Hylaform has been on the market in Europe since 1996 and is available in 30 countries. The hyaluronic acid in both Hylaform and Restylane is almost identical to that found naturally in all living beings. It is composed of NASHA meaning non-animal stabilized hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is a key structural component of the skin; creating volume and shape. However, concentrations decline with age, causing undesirable changes in the skin a.k.a smile lines, crows' feet, worry lines, acne scars and small lines around the lips to name just a few!

Restylane is fully synthetic or man-made; Hylaform comes from specially bred roosters so patients with known allergies to materials of bird origin should not be treated with Hylaform. Unlike collagen (which is commonly used to erase wrinkles), hylaform is similar to your naturally occurring hylaronic acid, so there is no need to have a skin test before treatment. And it lasts longer than botox (botulinum toxin). What makes it different from Botox, it plumps rather than paralyze. Also, Botox is not meant to correct lines around the mouth or nasolabial folds (those lines that run the length between the nose and angles of the mouth).

And clearly there's a market for it. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the top five nonsurgical procedures were botulinum toxin injection (Botox), microdermabrasion, collagen injection, laser hair removal, and chemical peel, Botox injection continued to rank first among all cosmetic procedures, increasing a modest 4% since 2001 but more than 2400% since 1997.

What to expect when you are injecting

The procedure is quick and simple; often taking as little as 30 minutes. The gel is injected just under the skin's surface through a very fine needle. It's injected at intervals along the line until the right amount of correction has been achieved. Then, the doctor will massage the treated area to smooth the surface.

With Hylaform gel, the results are immediate and there is little or no recovery time.

Studies show that results last for up to one year for treatment of wrinkles and six months for lip augmentation. And the FDA reports that while it is similar to Restylane, Hylaform has fewer side effects in the two weeks following the procedure. Specifically, Restylane was determined to have an increased incidence of severe bruising, severe swelling, severe pain and severe tenderness, while Hylaform had a higher incidence of severe redness.

Speaking of both Restylane and Hylaform, Rod J. Rohrich, MD, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the chairman of the department of plastic surgery at UT Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, says that "this new set of fillers will be almost revolutionary. They last two to three times longer than the collagen-based fillers we now use."

Talk to your dermatologist or plastic surgeon to determine which wrinkle filler is right for you!

Denise Mann
DERMAdoctor Staff Writer

(Any topic discussed in this article is not intended as medical advice. If you have a medical concern, please check with your doctor.)

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