Category: Types of Dermal Fillers

Thanks to advances in dermatology, there are many non-surgical methods for rejuvenating the appearance. Treatments range from laser therapy to injectable dermal fillers. At California Skin & Laser Center, patients have access to a variety of treatments to address a number of skin conditions, as well as restore a more youthful appearance.

Our Board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Gerald Bock, has been improving the lives of patients for more than 40 years. Dr. Bock administers our injectable dermal fillers, ensuring the safest, most comfortable, and effective treatments. Dr. Bock and our team offer a premier line of dermal fillers to meet the unique needs of patients in Stockton, Lodi, and beyond.

As we age, we loose deeper tissue in the face, including bone. The shape of the face changes. We highly recommend dermal fillers for volume replacement in the face. The right dermal filler can restore a youthful shape. We can treat the entire face including the temples, forehead, cheeks, and chin. We offer the following dermal fillers:

• Restylane – This contains a synthetic form of hyaluronic acid, a natural substance found in the body that acts as a cushioning agent in joints such as the knees, elbows, and hips. Restylane can be used for gentle contouring and correcting fine lines.
• Perlane – A member of the Restylane family, this injectable has a thicker consistency and can be ideal for treating lines around the nose, improving facial skin contours, and reducing the appearance of acne scars.
• Juvéderm – This injectable is the top selling dermal filler in the United States. It is formulated with hyaluronic acid. Its smooth consistency makes it ideal for treating the lips, cheeks, chin, temples, laugh lines (nasolabial folds), and the back of the hands.
• Voluma XC – This is a Juvéderm product that contains hyaluronic acid. The FDA approved this injectable for adding volume in the cheek area.
• Radiesse – This product contains hydroxylapatite microspheres suspended in gel. In addition to replenishing facial volume, Radiesse stimulates collagen production.
• Sculptra – This injectable is used to restore facial volume and a youthful appearance. Like Radiesse, Sculptra stimulates the body’s collagen production. We use Sculptra to treat chin wrinkles, folds between the mouth and nose, and mouth-framing lines.

With dermal filler treatment, we can replace volume that was once lost to help you look and feel younger. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Bock, call 209-751-4292.

 

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Facial rejuvenation procedures are by far the most popular minimally invasive cosmetic treatments in the U.S., according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, products such as Botox and Dysport, soft tissue fillers, and chemical peels accounted for 9.7 million of the 10.8 million top four non-invasive procedures in the U.S. in 2013. Laser hair removal accounted for the balance of treatments.

Why fillers?

The natural aging process and environmental factors such as sun exposure and smoking can contribute to freckles and liver spots, visible blood vessels, acne scars, and lines.

Dermal fillers may be injected to improve texture-related changes like wrinkles. These injections can also address another reason facial rejuvenation may be in order: lax skin.

Collagen and elastin fibers give skin its firmness and flexibility. Over time, these supportive structures weaken. Skin loses its plumpness and firmness. Loss of muscle tone can make the lower part of the face appear droopy. Sagging skin may create a double chin even on a fit person.

Upper eyelids may droop and lower eyelids can slacken, contributing to under-eye bags and a sunken appearance. Generally, the shape of our face changes. We can restore a youthful shape without going under the knife. There are many different types of minimally-invasive dermal fillers. While the fillers are all injected underneath the skin, they are made from various materials.

Which fillers?

Sturdy fillers may reshape cheekbones. Softer fillers can be used to plump the lips. These injectable materials may be used all over the face, including temples, forehead, and chin.

Hyaluronic acid fillers are made from a natural lubricant. This gel-like substance adds volume to the cheeks and lips. Recently HA-based Juvéderm Voluma XC was released to restore fullness to the cheeks temporarily.

Poly-L-lactic acid fillers, such as Sculptra, are increasingly popular. The same material used in dissolvable stitches, it is a comparatively longer-lasting option eventually absorbed by the body. Sculptra Aesthetic adds volume to areas such as between the mouth and nose, and around the lips and chin.

How is California Skin & Laser Center different?

We want to assure our clients have a comfortable and safe experience with minimal side effects such as bruising. One of the ways we achieve this is by using flexible cannulas. Dermal fillers are administered through these bendable tubes. Cannulas accomplish the same results as traditional needles, without the negative aspects including pain, tissue damage, and bleeding.

Looking for the best face fillers near Stockton? California Skin & Laser Center specialists offer multiple fillers with unique characteristics. We can identify the best injectable to treat your specific concern. Our specialists also take into account factors such as lifestyle, expectations, and medical conditions. Schedule a consultation on 209-751-4292 to discuss these and other considerations with Dr. Bock and his team today.

 

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A major use for dermal fillers is to replace volume lost as we age. Intrinsic or “natural” aging usually begins in our mid-20s. This process is exacerbated by extrinsic factors, such as unprotected exposure to the sun’s rays. These external exposures contribute to premature aging. In the succeeding decades the loss of underlying fat makes our cheeks and eye sockets look hollow. Face shape changes.

There are many types of fillers or materials that may be injected into the face to restore a youthful shape. These injectables are versatile and may fill in sunken cheeks, chin, forehead, temples and other areas.

The fillers administered by Dr. Gerald Bock are effective and FDA approved. Since these fillers are either made up of naturally occurring substances or have been used in the body safely for decades, adverse reactions are minimized. These solutions are biocompatible. When injected they aren’t toxic or damaging to living tissues.

Additionally, Dr. Bock injects these solutions in a comfortable and safe manner with flexible cannulas. While these bendable tubes are as effective as needles, they are associated with less pain, and less risk of either bruising or necrosis when skin cells are irreversibly damaged. Generally, these tubes have a better safety profile than their more “traditional” counterparts.

You can assure whatever type of the many fillers with different characteristics available to address different goals is administered safely, with minimal side effects and minimal likelihood of experiencing unwanted effects.

Hyaluronic acid fillers are among the most common. If you’ve heard of Restylane or Perlane then you know this type of filler. HA is natural lubricant found in high concentrations in our joints and eyes. This gel-like substance may be injected to add volume to the cheeks and lips. It may also be used to correct signs of aging around the nose and mouth.

More recently the Juvederm family of HA-based dermal fillers released the FDA-approved Juvederm Voluma XC. It temporarily restores fullness to the mid-face, including the cheeks. The majority of those studied, in a clinical report submitted by Allergan to the FDA, saw improved cheek fullness that lasted for up to two years.

Poly-L-lactic acid fillers are increasingly popular. The California Skin & Laser Center uses Sculptra. You may know PLLA and not realize it. The material has been used for years in dissolvable stitches. Unlike permanent fillers, the body absorbs Sculptra. While absorbable, it is a long-lasting injectable. Sculptra Aesthetic reports, on average, three injection sessions over a period of a few months result in sculpting effects that last for more than two years. It replaces lost collagen in the mid- to lower-face and chin, adding volume to deep folds between and around the mouth and nose, and in the chin. Results are gradual and Dr. Bock has seen another benefit in addition to plumping up shallow areas: Sculptra improves the appearance of the skin’s surface, too.

There are many different types of dermal fillers for Stockton area residents. As new solutions are approved and become available on the market, experienced and knowledgeable specialists are nearby to select a safe and effective treatment plan built around you. Call Dr. Bock and his team at the California Skin & Laser Center on 209-751-4292 to schedule a consultation.

 

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The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports botulinum toxin type A injections were the most sought-after minimally-invasive cosmetic procedure in the country in 2013. At 6.3 million injections, other top procedures such as soft tissue fillers, chemical peels and laser hair removal didn’t come close at 2.2 million, 1.2 million and 1.1 million procedures respectively in 2013.

You may know botulinum toxin by the trade name Botox. This solution to smooth wrinkles is, however, just one of a group of medications that use the same active ingredient to affect muscle activity. Other brands of this drug include Myobloc, Xeomin, and Dysport.

While all of these products use botulinum toxin type A, each one is different particularly as it relates to dosing. That’s why you can’t use these solutions in conjunction with each other.

Dysport has been used in the United Kingdom since 1991. It was initially developed and approved as a treatment for involuntary blinking and various forms of muscle spasms, including hemifacial spasm and post-stroke arm spasticity.

In 2009 the Food and Drug Administration approved Dysport for the treatment of cervical dystonia, a chronic condition characterized by involuntary contractions of the neck muscles. Dysport was also approved to temporarily reduce the appearance of moderate to severe glabellar lines. The glabella is the skin between the eyebrows and above the nose. Each time you make a facial expression you are working a facial muscle. When you frown, smile or squint a groove forms beneath the skin’s surface. Aging skin loses its flexibility and the lines that normally only appeared when an expression was made are now permanent features of your face. This explains why glabellar lines are better known as “frown lines.”

According to the company’s USA site, Dysport goes to work on the muscles that repeatedly contract, tighten and cause wrinkles with one injection into each of five points above and between the brows. When Dr. Bock administers this solution, it blocks the signal sent by the nerve to the muscles that normally cause the activity responsible for lines. Since the signal needed to produce the contraction is blocked, the muscles can’t cause lines when we frown or make other expressions.

While this treated area will look smooth and youthful again, you don’t have to worry about areas of your face appearing unnatural and frozen. Dysport only works at the site of the injection. Your face will still be able to express how you feel, and the professionals at California Skin & Laser Center certainly hope you feel better about how you look with this treatment.

We’ll want to discuss if you have had any allergic reactions to botulinum toxin products, such as Botox, and any medical conditions that affect the muscles and nerves. Call 209-751-4292 so we can walk through these and other considerations associated with getting a Dysport injection in Stockton.

 

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Dr. Gerald Bock of the California Skin and Laser Center is a dermatologist near the Stockton area who believes in offering his patients a wide selection of cosmetic services to help them improve their appearance. From laser hair removal to injectables, his practice is well-suited for both men and women who want to address specific concerns with their skin and body. While offering a wide selection of injectables for patients, he believes that one of the best and most cost effective methods of treating widespread loss of facial volume is through the use of Sculptra.

Sculptra is a poly-l-lactic acid injectable which stimulates the production collagen within the skin. Collagen is what gives the skin a plump, youthful appearance, and after the age of 25, patients begin to naturally lose collagen. This results in hollowness and skin laxity which encourages the formation of fine lines, folds and wrinkles in the skin. The signs of aging are often unwanted and many patients want to consider methods of turning back the hands of time in a non-invasive way. This is where Sculptra comes into play.

Sculptra works differently than injectable counterparts such as dermal fillers made of hyaluronic acid and neuromodulators such as Botox and Dysport. Sculptra does not provide immediately results, but rather offers patients a way of gradually improving the appearance of their skin over time. Collagen takes time to regenerate, though patients can use Sculptra in conjunction with neuromodulators and dermal fillers for an overall face lift without the need for plastic surgery.

Sculptra does require several injections for optimum results, but these results can withstand the test of time and many patients continue to see improvements over several years. Many patients can rest easy knowing that they are receiving the best in care at the California Skin and Laser Center because Dr. Gerald Bock is a very experienced and skilled dermatologist ready to help new and existing patients.

If you’re ready to educate yourself on Sculptra or any combination of injectables used to achieve a “liquid facelift,” now is the time to contact Dr. Gerald Bock at his cutting-edge practice to find out if they are appropriate for your specific needs and desires.

 

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Soft tissue fillers have become an extremely popular procedure in this country, and for good reason. In the hands of a trained and experienced Board Certified dermatologist, fillers restore youthful volume, soft contours, and lip definition to the face (and in some cases, other areas of the body). Dr. Gerald Bock helps California Skin & Laser Center patients throughout CA turn back the years through the skillful use of dermal fillers for facial sculpting.

Cosmetic fillers 101

Today’s dermatology patient is lucky to have a range of filler options available. Basically, they fall into these categories:

• Hyaluronic acid (HA) based. HA is a compound of complex sugars that occurs naturally in the body. It has the unique capacity to attract and retain many times its own weight in water to plump skin from the inside out. Some familiar names in HA fillers are Juvéderm, Perlane, and Restylane. HA fillers work well to smooth laugh lines and to augment lips. Each patient and treatment area is different, but results typically last about six months. Voluma is a new HA filler in the Juvéderm family, specifically designed to add volume to the cheek area.
• Poly-L-Lactic acid based. This amazing formulation is found naturally in eyes and joints, and used in dissolving sutures. You know it as the cosmetic filler called Sculptra. With a series of treatments, Sculptra gradually rebuilds collagen to smooth deep folds around the mouth. Results last up to two years.
• Calcium microspheres. Radiesse contains calcium hydroxylapatite. These tiny beads of calcium are suspended in a smooth clear gel. It is injected around the mouth and chin to add immediate volume, and to stimulate the body’s natural production of collagen. Results usually last a year or more.

When cosmetic fillers are a good choice

Fillers are a great option for the male or female patient whose skin needs more rejuvenation than a topical treatment can deliver, but who is not ready for the risks and recovery time of cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic fillers are very safe, minimally invasive, and require little or no downtime. Facial sculpting with dermal fillers is also discreet – co-workers, friends, and family members won’t ask if you’ve had work done. They’ll just know you look terrific!

Call California Skin & Laser Center today at 209-751-4292 for more information on cosmetic fillers.

 

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