Collagen

Wrinkle Fillers

How Wrinkle Fillers Work

When you see wrinkles, you are actually looking at the shadow, not the wrinkle. Light casts shadows into them, making them visible. Wrinkles are visible because they are lower or deeper than surrounding skin. If wrinkles can be brought to the same level as surrounding skin, their visibility will diminish because the accompanying shadows will be nonexistent. This can be accomplished by either lowering the surrounding skin or raising the skin within each wrinkle. Chemical peels, Dermabrasion, and Laser Resurfacing are all procedures that lower the surrounding skin. Wrinkle fillers such as collagen, work in the opposite way, by aiming to raise the skin within the wrinkle and diminishing the shadow.

The Procedure

Using fine needles, your plastic surgeon can inject fillers into your skin under each wrinkle. The filler pushes the depressed wrinkle outward and makes it less visible. This procedure involves temporary discomfort, associated with the needle. Once the injection is complete, there is no discomfort. Because the procedures are non- invasive, you may apply make-up immediately and return to your usual activities.

Collagen Options

Bovine Collagen is extracted from cow skin. The collagen is then purified, sterilized and processed into liquid form for injection under the skin.
Autologen injection is collagen from your own skin, harvested during a previous operation and processed into liquid form for injection under the skin.
Isolagen injection is collagen from your own skin, cloned in a laboratory and processed into liquid form.
Dermalogen is collagen from human cadaver skin that has been sterilized, purified, and processed into liquid form.

Bovine Collagen

Bovine collagen injections last 6-12 weeks. Because of transient effect there are possible allergic reactions and potential connective tissue disorders. Doctors have turned to other using other alternatives that are safer and have less side-effects.

Autologen

When you have a tummy tuck, facelift, breast lift, or other operations in which skin is removed, your skin may be sent to a commercial laboratory. At the laboratory, the collagen will be extracted, sterilized and prepared for re-injection. The amount of collagen yielded depends on the amount of skin removed. Expect to obtain enough from tummy tuck skin to fill several facial wrinkles three to five times. A total of 2-4 injections may be performed at one to three month intervals. Your processed liquid collagen can be stored for five years if you do not need it all at once.

Although Autologen injections appear to last longer than bovine collagen injections, duration is variable. Some doctors may claim that the effect is permanent. If your doctor claims this, be skeptical. The permanent effect has not been proven.

Isolagen

Isolagen is made of cloned collagen-making cells that are derived from your own skin. In order to clone the collagen a doctor must first remove a piece of skin the size of a pencil eraser, from behind your ear. The extracted skin is then sent to an Isolagen lab for cloning. Within a few weeks, the lab will send your Isolagen to your surgeon. A minimum of three injections is recommended at two- week intervals. The first injection will improve your wrinkles by about 15%, the second injection by 35%, and the third injection by 70%.

Because live cells are injected, improvement may continue for several months after the last injection. Isolagen, unlike bovine collagen, theoretically does not need maintenance injections. Presumably, the benefit gained will eventually dissipate, and you will need another series of injections. The time between your injections is variable and could range from a few months, to years.

Dermalogen

Dermalogen is obtained from deceased human donors. It may last longer than bovine collagen and minimizes the problems of allergic reactions and connective tissue disorders.

One of the benefits to Dermalogen is that it doesn't require removal of skin from your body. Also, unlike Isolagen or Autologen, it does not require a waiting period for its preparation.

Transmission of infection from the human donor is a theoretical risk, but because Dermalogen is sterilized and processed, transmission of infection has not occurred.

Two or three injections are recommended at one to two month intervals to achieve maximal benefit. Maintenance injections are supposedly not needed, although the benefit is expected to dissipate over months or years, at which time a new series of injections will be needed.

Cost per session

Assuming about 1 ml is injected during each session, the following prices include the collagen and the surgeon's fee:

Bovine collagen: $300 to $800 per session
Autologen: $800 to $1000 per session.
Isolagen: $1000 to $1500 for each session.
Dermalogen: $500 to $1000 per session.

Alternatives

Many people find that a combination of Botox and Laser Resurfacing will achieve more dramatic and longer lasting results.

In addition, there are newer materials are being developed each day to be injected into the skin as wrinkle fillers, such as Radiance, Restylane, Hyalaform, and many others. Each of these agents have their own unique set of advantages and disadvantages.

Dr. Loftus is the highly acclaimed plastic surgeon who authored The Smart Woman's Guide to Plastic Surgery, which is the #1 Best-selling book on plastic surgery in the United States. She has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, THE TODAY SHOW and THE VIEW, discussing all facets of plastic surgery. People from all over the world travel to Cincinnati to seek her care.

Loftus Plastic Surgery Center
Cincinnati, Ohio: 513-793-4000
Northern Kentucky (A suburb of Cincinnati):
859-426-5000

The Cincinnati office is located within 45 minutes of Dayton, Ohio
The Kentucky office is located within 45 minutes of Lexington, Kentucky.

This web site is for information only.
Do not use the information herein to diagnose or treat your plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery problems. You should contact your plastic surgeon with all questions and concerns.

Information for this website is provided by Dr. Jean M. Loftus, a nationally respected female plastic surgeon, who practices cosmetic plastic surgery in the greater Cincinnati, Ohio area.