Why is Belly Fat so Risky and Stubborn?
Worried about that belly fat accumulating around your midsection? You may not be worried enough. Find out why you need to take action to reduce it soon!
How Can Fillers Enhance My Lips?
Even if you’re still in your 20s or 30s, you may have noticed that your lips have begun to thin. But if you’re blessed with a genetic makeup that staves off the inevitable for a while, certainly by the time you reach your 40s and 50s, you’ll face the same fate as all humans — shrinking lips.
And it’s not just your lips that lose volume. Everything that once looked plump and soft can begin to resemble a deflated balloon, including your eyelids, cheeks, and even your hands. The main culprit behind this transformation is the depletion of collagen, the fibrous protein that gives your skin its structure. By age 20, your collagen production rate drops by 1% every year.
Fortunately, you can counter this natural digression with safe and simple dermal fillers. At Frederick H. Watkins, MD, we offer a full line of dermal fillers that address multiple signs of aging, including fine lines and wrinkles, depressed scars, and the lines and folds that form and deepen around your nose and mouth.
Whether you were born with thin lips or have ended up with them as you’ve lost collagen over the years, our dermal fillers can help.
The purpose of injectable lip fillers
Dermal fillers are cosmetic treatments that help reverse the signs of aging by adding volume back to your skin. Depending on the ingredients and your body’s unique chemistry, the results may last up to a year.
Ideally, your lip filler will add volume and smooth out your lips while maintaining a natural appearance. To avoid unwanted effects, such as lumps, asymmetry, or an overfilled look, it’s important to choose an experienced medical professional, such as Dr. Watkins, to administer your lip filler.
What’s in injectable lip fillers?
Dermal fillers are the second-most popular minimally invasive cosmetic treatment in the United States, with 2.6 million people receiving injections every year. This has triggered a flood of new manufacturers and products.
At Frederick H. Watkins, MD, we trust and offer four of the top proven products to our patients: Juvéderm® XC, Radiesse™, Restylane®, and Perlane®. While each product family shares the same goal of increasing volume and decreasing wrinkles, they contain slightly different ingredients that tend to favor specific issues.
Hyaluronic acid
Juvéderm XC, Perlane, and Restylane contain hyaluronic acid, though the exact formula and viscosity may differ. This is a substance that your body already produces, so there’s a very low-risk of an adverse reaction. Hyaluronic acid fillers deliver consistent results to give you fuller, smoother lips that look naturally beautiful.
Calcium hydroxyapatite
Radiesse contains calcium hydroxyapatite microspheres suspended in a gel. Calcium hydroxyapatite is also a natural substance found in your body. The viscous gel gives you consistent results, but that’s not the only benefit. In the weeks following treatment, the calcium hydroxyapatite stimulates an increase in collagen production — your body’s own “filler.”
Your injectable lip fillers may also contain lidocaine, a common local anesthetic that minimizes any discomfort, so you can relax comfortably throughout the short treatment.
Which filler is best for your lips?
There’s no single filler that’s perfect for all people. This is because there are too many variables in product and body composition. So when it comes to picking the right filler for you, Dr. Watkins takes time to discuss your aesthetic goals and evaluate your skin’s age and condition. Within each product family, he may choose a specific formula to address various desired outcomes, including:
- Increasing lip volume
- Filling in vertical lines
- Achieving lip symmetry
- Smoothing wrinkled lips
To learn more about dermal fillers and how they can restore your lips’ youthful volume and texture, contact us at either of our two locations in Rockville, Maryland, or McLean, Virginia, today.
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