Hyaluronic Acid Dermal Fillers – A Brief Rundown

At the recent 2013 Laser Cosmetic Medicine Conference, Dr Mariusz Gajewski shared his wisdom and experience on the topic of Hyaluronic Acid dermal fillers for facial rejuvenation.

In Europe it is estimated there are over 600 dermal fillers available on the market. In 2003 Restylane was FDA approved, this was one of the first hyaluronic acids available.

What is Hyaluronic Acid? It’s a large molecule of glycosaminoglycan, has a large component of extracellular matrix, and is remarkably biocompatible across individuals, even species. The average human being has 15g of hyaluronic acid.

Other dermal fillers on the market include Sculptra, Radiesse, Juvederm and permanent filler “Aquamid”. When using permanent fillers Dr Gajewski states that care needs to be taken when using it in a part of the body that changes a lot.

Dermal fillers have different particle sizes too and your practitioner may use a variety of fillers depending on your requirements and the areas being treated. The small particle size fillers are Restylane or Juvederm refine. Medium size fillers are Restylane or Juvederm ultra, and the larger particle size fillers which are used for deep areas (such as the jawline) are SubQ and/or Voluma.

Dr Gajewski believes the emerging trends for dermal fillers are in the area of three dimensional volumetry, and changing morphology – such as tear troughs, cheek augmentation, nasolabial lines, marionette lines, the jawline, chin augmentation, and perioral lines (the lines that develop around the mouth as we age).

With dermal fillers the results can be seen instantly.

Here’s a brief rundown of the most commonly used fillers in Australia:-

• Aquamid – permanent filler
• Sculptra – volumising filler usually used in the nasolabial area
• Radiesse – volumising filler for moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds
• Juvederm – volumising filler for moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds
• Restylane & SubQ – volumising filler to restore volume and structure