Aging is like the rants from some TV political pundit — ongoing and unrelenting. With every passing year after your reach the age of 20, your collagen production drops by one percent. Add that up over 20 or 30 years and you can understand why your skin is saggy and loose. Some wrinkles are more noxious than others. This definitely can be said of smile and marionette lines. But at UMass Memorial we help you take the fight to those wrinkles with Radiesse volumizing filler.
You’ve probably heard of Restylane and Botox, the other injectables we offer at UMass Memorial. But you may not know about Radiesse. Radiesse is a popular, long-lasting option at UMass Memorial for our patients with smile and marionette lines, and other problems resulting from volume loss.
How does Radiesse work?
Fillers such as Restylane are hyaluronic acid fillers (where hyaluronic acid binds with water molecules to plump and hydrate the skin); Radiesse is different. It is comprised of calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA) microspheres suspended in an aqueous gel carrier.
Radiesse works two ways, with both immediate and long-term results. First the aqueous gel instantly fills the area when injected beneath a crease or wrinkle. That’s the first part of its function. From there, the hydroxylapatite microspheres stimulate the body to produce new collagen in the injection area. This occurs in the weeks following your injection and the results last for up to 18 months. So, while most fillers lose their function once the body absorbs them, Radiesse, because it initiates the building of new collagen, continues to show its effects even after the microspheres and gel are absorbed.
What does it work on?
Radiesse is a volumizing filler, meaning it is effective for replacing volume and for deeper wrinkles such as those around the mouth. Here are the areas we use Radiesse for our patients from Worcester and the surrounding areas:
- Smile lines — Also known as nasolabial folds, these lines run from the nose down to the corners of the mouth. They are the result of decreasing facial volume and skin elasticity that comes with aging. These creases can be some of the deepest on the entire human body.
- Marionette lines — While these lines may be necessary for ventriloquist dummies, you don’t want them! These lines run straight downward from the corners of the mouth and can make you look unhappy. These also result from decreasing volume.
- Corners of the mouth — Also known as oral commissures, the corners of your mouth can turn downward as you age and lose volume below the mouth. This phenomenon can make you look as if you’re frowning or mad.
- Pre-jowl area — The areas on each side of the chin, the pre-jowl sulcus, can hollow out due to sagging in other areas of the lower face.
- Chin wrinkles — Chin wrinkles form horizontally across the chin and can be distracting to a person talking to you. Volume loss in the lower face again is the culprit.
Do the long-term results of Radiesse sound good to you? Call us at UMass Memorial Cosmetic Surgery Center, (508) 334-5990, and schedule an injection session.
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