As time goes by, the full and youthful appearance we’re used to begins to fade away, both on our faces and even in places like the back of our hands. This volume loss is a natural effect of growing older, but it can still impact our mood and self-esteem. Our team at Advanced Dermatology Center in Wolcott, CT is here to help; using treatments like Restylane, we can reverse the visible effects of aging.
What Do Restylane Injections Do?
Two areas of the body that are the first to show visible signs of aging are our face and hands, and this dermal filler is designed to restore volume in both. Dermal fillers boost the volume of your skin, restoring it to a healthier and younger look. Wrinkles that appear in your cheeks or other mid-face regions can be smoothed out with this volume restoring property. Injected directly into the sub-dermal layers of the skin, this formula can correct moderate-to-severe lines and wrinkles in your skin. Some of the areas that can benefit from this treatment include:
- Loss of chin volume
- Sunken cheeks
- Frown-lines in the forehead
- Jawline wrinkles
- Wrinkles around your brow
- Hollows under your eyes
- Lines around the mouth
While many dermal fillers are only designed for use on your face, this treatment can also benefit other parts of your body. In particular, the back of your hands can have volume restored using this injectable. The boney, thin appearance hands get as we age can be reversed with the volume-restoring properties of this treatment.
Why Does Our Skin Lose Volume?
Just about everyone deals with volume loss in their skin as one of the most common signs of growing older. Generally speaking, we typically see the worst of this volume loss between the ages of 40 and 50. However, you’ll often notice the first signs of volume loss in your mid-20s, which is when your body’s natural collagen production begins to slow down.
The supple and smooth texture of your skin when you’re young is due in part to the support providing by collagen proteins. As our body’s ability to replace this collagen slows down, there is less natural elasticity to your skin, making it more susceptible to wrinkles. Many skin care products supplement collagen loss in order to reduce the visible signs of the aging process. However, there are other compounds in our skin that are also important to focus on for anti-aging results.
What Is Hyaluronic Acid?
Essential for our skin’s ability to retain moisture, hyaluronic acid is a key component of youthful-looking skin. This naturally occurring compound is able to bind water to the sub-dermal layers of our skin, giving it that moisturized look. Young people tend to produce high amounts of hyaluronic acid, which is the reason for their healthy-looking, moist skin. Much like collagen production, our body’s natural ability to create this compound slows down as we age.
How Will This Treatment Help?
The active ingredient in this treatment is hyaluronic acid, so you’ll notice an increase in volume both immediately and in the long term. The hyaluronic acid binds to water in your skin after being injected into the targeted areas, instantly giving your skin a more plump appearance and smoothing out wrinkles. Your body will absorb and metabolize this hyaluronic acid, naturally boosting your body’s ability to produce collagen.
You will notice a long-term improvement in the moisture level of your skin as collagen production increases, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. In most patients, this increase in collagen production gradually improves for one or two weeks following your injection.
What To Expect From Treatment
To begin your path towards a younger self, we’ll start with a consultation appointment to get to know you and your goals. We’ll make sure this treatment is the right match for your needs, as well as going over the aesthetic goals and expectations you have. This consultation will be quick and straightforward, usually lasting between 20 and 30 minutes.
To prepare your skin for treatment, we’ll apply a topical numbing agent. We’ll follow that up with several quick injections into the area you wish to target. The number of injections changes depending on the severity of your appearance concerns, but most patients only need one or two syringes.
Preparing for Treatment
There are a few things you should do in preparation before your appointment for treatment. Certain vitamins, supplements, and over-the-counter medications, including anti-inflammatories, which cause blood thinning will need to be abstained from. Products that irritate the skin will also need to be avoided. You’ll have to reschedule if you suffer from acne, eczema, and other active skin infections or breakouts on the day of your appointment. If you suffer from any sunburn, you should also reschedule your appointment for that.
Post-Treatment Care
One advantage of a minimally-invasive treatment like Restylane is that there is almost no downtime. You’ll be able to drive home from your appointment by yourself and get right back into your busy life, including going back to work. You will want to stick to these simple guidelines following your injection, however.
First, avoid exposing your treated skin to heat from hot water, saunas, tanning beds, or too much direct sunlight. Continue avoiding any blood-thinning supplements or anti-inflammatory medications you’re taking that could cause bruising. If you received injections into the backs of your hands, we also recommend you rest your hands whenever possible for a minimum of one day.
How Quickly Will Results Show Up?
Within just 24 to 48 hours of your treatment, you’ll begin to see results. Your appearance will begin to look more youthful almost immediately, in some cases within only hours of receiving treatment. Because every patient has their own individual needs and goals, however, your treatment might give you more gradual results. Patients with minor wrinkles may notice improvements on the same day as their injection, but patients with deep or severe wrinkles may need a few days before they see drastic changes.
Will Results Last Overtime?
In most cases, anti-aging results from Restylane will last between six and twelve months for treating signs of aging in the face. Meanwhile, results from treatment for the back of your hands typically last for six months. Your body’s unique biology and its ability to metabolize hyaluronic acid is the key factor in determining the longevity of your results. This metabolization can be increased by certain natural hormones in your body, such as cortisol.
You may also see the results shortened if you eat or drink things that dehydrate your body too frequently. The longevity could also be decreased by exercising too vigorously or too frequently.
What’s The Best Way To Maintain Results?
Because dermal fillers such as this treatment are temporary solutions for your aging concerns that are intended to last more than six months, you should take steps to maintain the results you see. You can schedule follow-up treatments as needed, but there are also other steps to take to prolong the results of your treatment.
Leading an overall healthy lifestyle and avoiding prolonged exposure to direct sunlight can help to protect the collagen in your skin. To prevent collagen from breaking down from exposure to the sun’s harmful UV rays, wear an SPF formula during the day in your post-treatment period. Topical skincare products that contain hyaluronic acid or otherwise support collagen production will also be helpful in getting the most out of treatment.
How Is This Treatment Beneficial?
Restylane is a favorite anti-aging solution among patients because of the significant improvements it makes in the appearance of your skin. This formula’s ability to treat visible signs of aging on both the back of your hands and your face has been proven by clinical trials and approved by the FDA. You’ll also enjoy several additional benefits to this treatment, including:
Lasting Effects
One reason people turn to this treatment is the fact that the results are so noticeable and last well after you get your injection. While some dermal fillers and other anti-aging solutions might improve volume for six months, this treatment can give you a younger-looking appearance for a year or more. Both the appearance and texture of your skin will improve in a way that feels completely natural.
Safe and Efficient
Scientific studies have found this treatment to be highly effective, on top of approval from regulatory bodies like the FDA. One clinical study reported that over the course of two months after treatment, at least 95% of patients reported improvements in their appearance. Of that 95%, over 73% reported continued improvements even a year after treatment.
Another study showed that 86% of patients who received treatments to their hands reported improvements three months after their initial treatment, and 76% of those patients saw continued improvements after six months. All of these studies point to the highly efficient results most patients who turn to this treatment experience.
Be More Confident
Self-confidence in your appearance is one of the most important factors in our overall happiness. Confidence in your appearance tends to lead towards feeling happier overall, and some people will even make healthier lifestyle choices when they feel more confident. Elevating your self-esteem and feeling more attractive are possible using this treatment.
What Other Products Should I Consider?
There is a range of Restylane products for you to use towards your anti-aging goals. All of these products are formulated with hyaluronic acid, using naturally-occurring compounds in your body to restore a youthful look to your skin. Different types of aging-related concerns can be treated by each of these unique treatments. Along with Lyft, which provides overall volume replenishment, you can also use the following options for more specialized needs:
- Kysse for improved lip volume
- Refyne for moderate lines around the nose
- Silk for treatment of lines around the mouth
Is Treatment Right for Me?
If you have visible signs of aging on your face or hands that you wish to reduce and you are a healthy adult, you are most likely a good candidate for this solution. As long as you have no history of severe allergic reactions, you aren’t currently breastfeeding or pregnant, and you are at least 21 years of age or older, you are most likely eligible for Restylane.
Get Back to a Younger You
This dermal filler may be the solution you’re looking for to get you back to a youthful appearance that you can be confident in. Anyone with moderate-to-severe volume loss in their skin can benefit from this treatment. Schedule your consultation at Advanced Dermatology Center in Wolcott, CT today and get back to a more youthful self!
