Saturday, August 5, 2006

The Face: Skin Augmentation

Small depressions in the skin may be caused by wrinkles, scars from acne, surgery or viral pox. Many times, these small depressions can be corrected without surgery through skin augmentation. In skin augmentation, materials are injected into or under the skin to raise the skin's surface and make it look smooth.


Collagen injections

Collagen is an animal protein found in skin, bones and connective tissues. Purified bovine collagen has been used for skin defects since the early 1970s. Once injected, it stays in the facial skin usually between six and 12 months. After that time, it begins to sink deeper into the skin and is removed by the body, so the correction is reduced or lost. Because the benefit of injectable collagen is temporary, reinjections will be needed on a regular basis. Allergic sensitivity is usually assessed in individuals prior to injection. Allergic reactivity can lead to redness and swelling which can on rare occasion compromise the aesthetic result.

Fat transplantation

In fat transplantation, small amounts of the patient's own fat are injected into or under the skin to fill out defects. Using liposuction techniques, local anesthesia and small incisions, fat is removed from a site of excess on the patient's body. The fat is then placed in a syringe and injected at sites of surface depression or atrophy. Allergic reactions do not occur because the fat comes from the patient's own body. A drawback is that the full extent of correction seen on the day of surgery is never fully retained due to atrophy and absorption of the fat. A good correction sometime requires two or three sessions of fat injections.
Since correction is temporary, retreatment may be needed as soon as six months for wrinkles around the mouth or as late as 12 to 18 months for acne scarring on the cheek, temple or forehead. Patients can receive retreatment as often and as long as they wish. There is no known limit to the amount of collagen or fat that can be injected.

No comments: