The wide range of hyaluronic acid-based injections available on the market may confuse many. Let’s see what to use and why.
When they ask me if there are any novelty products in the field of anti-aging treatments, I reply: it depends. The answer, deliberately laconic, actually has two separate orders of considerations.
First consideration: if you consider cosmetic dermatology treatments a mere fashion, just like the latest trend in bags, I’d say there are many novelties. This is down to the inventiveness of marketing managers, advertising agencies, and influencer-patients. A mediocre treatment or an improvised operator can become best-sellers if the communication professionals working on it are sufficiently close-knit and fierce.
Second consideration: if you’re are aware that these treatments are the result of experience and of scientific research which is sharpening its weapons and constantly progressing step by small step, I wouldn’t say there are huge novelties in the interval between one visit and another one can.
There are already numerous methods to make your face younger. The sooner the skin is treated, the better; there are however general principles that cannot be overlooked, such as proper hydration, solar protection, a healthy lifestyle, a balanced diet, no smoking, alcohol and spirits, nor a sedentary lifestyle. The results of cosmetic treatments (which alone are not enough) and which vary from individual to individual, totally depend on these guidelines. The more correct question to ask is: which treatments are most suitable for me? When one starts cosmetic treatments for the face, the theoretical basis is in the skin’s ability to respond to the specific treatment, and based on the above one can also opt for modifications to pre-established protocols.
Given these basis, the most advanced treatments are the ones that reconstruct the extra-cellular matrix, that is all the matter packed between cells, responsible for the physical support and exchange with and between cells of nutrients, cellular mediators, and growth factors. The most effective substances which are injected directly into the skin are natural hyaluronic acid (not chemically modified), nutrients such as collagen and elastin amino acids, and anti-free radical substances such as vitamin E and C, polyphenols, and glutathione.
Low and/or high molecular weight hyaluronic acid has the specific function of stimulating the cell, i.e. “awakening” it. It has a preventive function, with effects such as increasing brightness, hydration, tone (all rigorously demonstrated through clinical studies), and reducing wrinkles, but it also has a separate anti-radical function and one of support for other substances to be delivered to the body such as amino acids and vitamins. Treatment consists of cycles of close sessions which can be followed by maintenance cycles. In order to guarantee efficacy and safety, the injection technique is very important, and stems from both from an in-depth knowledge of the anatomy of the sites to be treated and of human physiology. For example, by specifically defining the injection points or by combining injective treatment with facial lymph node drainage, the result will be immediately visible and will continue to improve in the following weeks.
Fillers are a different matter entirely, consisting of “cross-linked” hyaluronic acid, made denser and chemically modified, which actually fills the tissue with an immediate result compared to natural hyaluronic acid, but is less curative. The results of a single session can last up to 12 months, but basically consists of “freezing in time” the treated part, by increasing the facial volume but not delivering curative effects.
It must be said that using fillers doesn’t exclude using hyaluronic acid, and vice versa. Often a combination of the treatments allows the desired results to be achieved more easily.
Article of Dr Adele Sparavigna for https://4me.styl