As we become older, our faces begin to show the effects of gravity, sun exposure and years of facial muscle movement, such as smiling, chewing and squinting. The underlying tissues that keep our skin looking youthful and plumped up begin to break down, often leaving laugh lines, smile lines, crow's feet or facial creases over the areas where this muscle movement occurs.

Fleshy tissue fillers, generally known as injectable collagen or fat, can help fill in these lines and creases, temporarily renovating a smoother, more youthful-looking appearance. When these fillers are injected beneath the skin, they plump up creased and sunken areas of the face. They can add fullness to the lips and cheeks as well. Injectable fillers may be used alone or in combination with a resurfacing procedure, such as a laser treatment, or a recontouring procedure, such as a facelift.

If you're taking into consideration a facial-rejuvenation treatment with collagen or fat, this article will give you a necessary understanding of the procedure: when injectables can help, how the procedure is made and what results you can anticipate. It may not answer all of your questions, as a lot depends on your individual peculiarities. Please inquire your doctor if there is anything about the procedure you don't understand.

Knowing Your Options

Injected collagen and fat are mostly used to advance the exterior of the texture of skin. They can help fill out deep facial wrinkles, hollow cheeks, creases and furrows, skin dejections and some types of scars. They can also be used to adjoin more sensuous and fuller look to the lips.

  Injectables are commonly not sufficient for harsh surface wrinkles on the face, such as numerous vertical "lipstick lines" that sometimes form around the mouth. As an alternative, your plastic surgeon may recommend a resurfacing technique, such as chemical peel, dermabrasion or laser treatments. Instead of filling in facial lines, resurfacing methods strip away the outer layers of the skin to produce a smoother appearance.

Face or brow deep folds caused by overactive muscles or by loose skin can be more successfully treated with cosmetic surgery, more obvious a facelift or browlift. Injectables are sometimes used in combination with facial surgery procedures. Though, injectables alone cannot alter facial contour the way surgery can.

Bear in mind that a plastic surgeon is a specialist that can offer you the full variety of the most advanced treatments ranging from cosmetic surgery, refinishing techniques, laser therapy, injectables and the use of other fillers. Together with your surgeon you may determine that a single procedure or a combination of procedures is the best choice for you.

ASPS articles are available on chemical peel, dermabrasion, laser treatments, facelift and browlift. If you and your doctor consider that one of these other procedures might be more appropriate for you, ask your plastic surgeon to supply you with a copy.