Hyaluronic Acid
We have known for many years that the aging process of the face is not limited to the mere tissue ptosis. It is associated with the loss of fatty and bone tissues. Consequently, we strive to restore this volume loss either through the injection of dermal fillers in aesthetic medicine or via fat injection (lipofilling) in aesthetic surgery.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a constituent element of the skin but its concentration tends to decrease from one’s twenties, producing skin dehydration.
The product we use in aesthetic medicine is 100% synthetic, thus free from the risk of pathogen transmission. It is injected into the facial folds as well as in regions where a loss of volume has been observed. The highly hydrophilic nature of HA allows it to attract water and thus to have a volumizing capacity.
The rate of degradation and therefore of the disappearance of the volumizing effect depends on the injection zone. The closer the injection is to a mobile area (mouth, etc.), the faster the product is degraded. Thus we can expect a persistence of three to four years for the temples and the nose, two years for the hollows under the eyes, the cheekbones and the oval of the face, one and a half years for the nasolabial folds, one year for the lines of bitterness and six months for the lips.
When leaving the clinic you will still feel a sensation of "not enough." Indeed we must "undercorrect" the areas to be treated in view of the progressive filling that will occur during the four to five days that follow.
The injection must be performed under strict aseptic conditions and with a perfectly mastered technique. Indeed, many long-term complications originate from not respecting the two preceding rules.
An injection that is too superficial can cause the appearance of a blue line, "the Tyndall effect" due to a difference in light refraction.
An injection performed in poor hygienic conditions leads in the long term to the appearance of a lump (granuloma) indicating a reaction to a foreign body. The explanation comes from what we call the "biofilm" that surrounds the injected product and provides a culture medium for the development of germs.
WARNING: an injection performed in a bad plane with poor technique can cause necrosis of the skin in the glabellar region or at the tip of the nose
Latest message from Dr. Zirak:
"Do not let anyone inject permanent products into the body; this is heresy. How can one inject into a continuously evolving environment such as the face a product that does not degrade? Also note that all 'permanent' products cause major complications sooner or later.
Finally, hyaluronic acid injections should not be done, as I often see, solely to fill a wrinkle. They should be used to soften a negative image or expression (fatigue, sadness, looking severe, ill or aging) into a positive expression (fresh look, rested, cheerful, in good health and rejuvenated)."