Most people want to look their best. If your face looks older than you’d like, but you’re not ready for a facelift, you may be interested in dermal filler injections. These can get rid of wrinkles, fill hollow cheeks and smooth nasolabial folds and marionette lines. Inland Empire has many doctors who offer fillers like Juvéderm®, Restylane®, and Sculptra®. Some offer Bellafill. Many provide traditional fat transfer or fat grafting. If you’re thinking about adding volume you are probably wondering: All these fillers get great results. Which one lasts the longest? And which provides the best value and saves money in the long run?
You may be interested to know that one filler lasts up to 4 times longer than the others. Another new injectable treatment could last a lifetime. And, surprisingly, it’s affordable now, and the least expensive in the long run.
If you have wrinkles, hollow cheeks, marionette lines or deepening nasolabial folds in Inland Empire, why use a filler?
For years, plastic and facial plastic surgeons believed that the best way to fight facial aging was a good facelift. It makes sense. A facelift tightens loose facial muscles, underlying tissues and sagging skin. It works well, but sometimes you need more. Why? Researchers found that volume loss is also a major cause of facial aging.
We’re all born with natural fat pads under the surface of our faces. They round off sharp angles and give us a pleasing, attractive look. But after the age of 25, we all lose about a teaspoon of fat each year. Once you reach 45, you’ve lost 20 teaspoons of fat. At 55, you’ve lost 30. That’s a lot of lost volume. Lines, wrinkles and sharp angles start to appear. Nasolabial folds between your nose and the corners of your mouth deepen. Marionette lines can form between your mouth and jawline. It’s too early for a facelift. What are you best options?
What about Fat Grafting (Fat Transfer)?
If you’ve lost facial fat (which you want) and gained fat elsewhere that you don’t want, fat grafting makes perfect sense. Why not remove fat where you don’t want it and transfer it to where you do? With the best technology, fat grafting can provide a low-cost, long-lasting solution. At STC Plastic Surgery, we use BeautiFill, a breakthrough fat grafting method I believe is the best available.
However, new advances in medicine sometimes take years to be widely adopted. Most cosmetic physicians use traditional fat grafting. That may not get you the results you want.
Traditional fat transfer has one big problem: Many of the fat cells your doctor injects into your face will not survive the first year. Liposuction, washing, spinning, and getting manually packed into syringes is rough treatment for delicate fat cells. Some 30% to 50% of them won’t survive. To compensate, doctors who perform traditional fat transfer often inject significantly more fat into your face than you actually need to restore volume, smooth lines, and soften angles. You can walk out of the doctor’s office with chubby face. If things go as planned, the right number of transplanted fat cells will die, and you’ll end up with the great results you want. But you’re rolling the dice.
If too many fat cells “take,” you’ll end up with plumper look than you want. And short of dieting, there’s no way to reduce the new fat. More often, too many fat cells die. Then you have to go back for additional procedures. Traditional fat grafting’s limitations are a major reason why dermal fillers were invented. It’s also the major reason for a true breakthrough technology, BeautiFill.
BeautiFill is a significant advance in fat grafting technology. Its sealed system allows trained physicians to harvest far more viable fat cells. Often, 90-95% of the cells injected under your facial skin survive. This virtually eliminates the gamble inherent in traditional fat grafting. There’s no need to over-inject, no need for puffiness.
BeautiFill can save you money. Once they take, your own fat cells can last for many years – even a lifetime – in their new location. With BeautiFill fat grafting it costs less to look great for years. But fat transfer is a minimally-invasive surgical procedure. If you don’t want a surgical procedure, are not a good candidate for one, or are not sure of exactly what you want, a filler may be a better option for you. There are many fillers on the market – which one is most cost-effective?
Fillers provide a great short-term solution
Dermal fillers provide instant, great-looking results. Unfortunately, most don’t last much more than a year. Juvéderm®, Voluma and Restylane® are hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers. A physician skilled in injecting them can do a terrific job. But it won’t last. Your body absorbs HA fillers. To maintain your great new look, you’ll need another round of shots every year or so. Radiesse® can last longer, and Sculptra® lasts up to 2 years. But you’ll still need to plan on regular injections. That can get expensive.
In addition, you many need a number of filler syringes to replace the volume you’ve lost. That can add up quickly. And if you get too many shots in the same area (needed to fill deep lines) you can develop the Tyndall Effect, a bluish tint you won’t like. Filler treatment allows you to leave the doctor’s office with a great new look. But it’s often not a cost-effective solution. One filler, though, does provide you a reasonable alternative to BeautiFill fat grafting.
Bellafill can be the most cost-effective filler
Bellafill is an FDA-approved filler for nasolabial folds and marionette lines. It has many other uses as well. It can last 5 years or longer. This filler has millions of microspheres of PPMA (used in bone cement) spread evenly in bovine collagen. For years, bovine collagen was the filler of choice, providing outstanding results. Unfortunately, it only lasted a few months.
Treatment with Bellafill allows you to leave the doctor’s office with the great new look you want. And your body will start surrounding the PPMA particles with your own collagen. As your body is absorbing the bovine collagen, it’s replacing it with your own. That’s why the FDA certified Bellafill as a 5-year filler. And in contrast to HA fillers like Juvéderm®, Restylane®, Radiesse® and Sculptra®, there’s no Tyndall Effect (bluish tint) with Bellafill.
Bellafill costs more than HA fillers. But it lasts so much longer that you save in the long run. It’s even approved to fill acne scars.
BeautiFill fat grafting is most cost-effective – Bellafill is the best filler option
It’s clear from years of great results that Juvéderm®, Restylane®, Voluma, Radiesse® and Sculptra® all work really well in Inland Empire’s climate and across the country. So, if you don’t want or can’t have even a minimally-invasive surgical procedure and aren’t sure what you want, you can’t go wrong with one of them if administered by a skilled injector.
However, as a board-certified facial plastic surgeon with years of experience I can confidently say that BeautiFill fat grafting can provide the longest-lasting great new look at the best price. It often costs less than $5,000.
But if you want a nonsurgical procedure with minimal discomfort that provides quick, long-lasting results, Bellafill is your best option. However, it’s vital to have a truly skilled injector and know the look you want. Unlike HA fillers, Bellafill cannot be reversed.
What’s the best choice for you? To find out, consult a skilled, board certified specialist. As of January, 2020, I’m the only facial plastic surgeon that offers BeautiFill in Inland Empire.