The use of dermal fillers can soften these lines and give a fresher more relaxed appearance. Soft tissue fillers are flexible substances that can be injected into the skin to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, plump lips, fill out hollow cheeks, improve scars, elevate deep folds, and repair various facial imperfections. The result is a smoother, more youthful appearance with minimal "downtime" and maximum safety. The dermal fillers JUVEDERM, PERLANE, RESTYLANE are all Hyaluronic acid, which is a natural product of the body found in the eyes, joints and skin. There is no need for an allergy test prior to injection. These gel type fillers bind with water to produce fullness when injected in small amount into the dermis of the lines. These injectables come in different viscosities for specific requirements. These products are used to treat the smile lines (nasolabial lines), corners of mouth (marionette lines) and fine upper lip lines (kiss lines). Cheek and jaw contouring and lip augmentation can also be achieved these dermal fillers. The treatments are safe and tolerated well. Topical anesthetic cream is applied prior to injecting for most cases. Patients having lip augmentation are recommended to have local anesthetic injected as the lip is very sensitive however topical anesthetic can be used if the patient prefers. These dermal fillers last between 4 and 12 months depending on the product used and the area being treated. The most common side effect of these treatments is redness and swelling, which will subside in a few days. If you take Aspirin therapy, take anti-inflammatories or take high doses of vitamin E you are more prone to bruising. These medications should be discontinued 5 to 7 days prior to treatment to decrease that risk Radiesse An Alternative to Hyaluronic acid fillers is Radiesse. It is composed of calcium hydroxylapatite micro spheres, which build a scaffold to support your own collagen growth. This product is not animal derived so no allergy testing is required pre treatment. This product can also be used to sculpt the jaw line to lessen the "jowl" look, to fill in the cheek area where there can be a loss of fat causing hollow cheeks and fill fine lines and wrinkles. Radiesse can last from 1 to 2 years Artecoll Artecoll is another product to fill facial lines and is also an excellent treatment for acne scars. It is made up of Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) micro spheres, collagen and local anesthetic. The PMMA micro spheres are surrounded by new collagen as the source in the Artecoll is absorbed. Full results take about 3 months. Due to the collagen in the product a skin test is done 4 weeks prior to injection. There are minimal side effects to this treatment. There may be itching and some redness in the area which subside quickly. As with all dermal fillers ASA, anti-inflammatory and high doses of Vitamin E may increase risk of bruising and should be discontinued 5 to 7 days before treatment Injections of Artecoll into facial lines can expect to give good correction for 5 to 10 years. It remains under the dermis permanently but as we continue to age the collagen in the skin around the Artecoll implants decreases allowing the lines to reappear.