Botulinum and dermal fillers
Botulinum is mainly known under the name of Botox®, which is actually a product name of Allergan. Nevertheless, most patients refer to botox when speaking of botulinum. The medical substance botulinum is derived from the clostridium botulinum bacteria and reduces muscle activity, according to the dose injected.
How to apply botulinum and dermal fillers?
«Anger wrinkles» and forehead lines are the result of overactive mimic muscles, just as prominent platysma wrinkles (neck folds). If a smile shows too much gingiva, then the corresponding muscle lifts the lips too much. Botulinum reduces the muscle activity, so that the skin is able to relax. The right dose, adjusted to your needs, makes the right appearance. A face should always look natural, not artificial.
Volume loss of the cheek bones and the cheeks can be rebalanced with dermal hyaluron fillers. The lip contour and volume can be modelled with hyaluron filler. Deep nasolabial folds as well as mouth angle folds can be corrected. Bony hands get a softer body feel with filler. Tear troughs and eye rings can be smoothened. Men may want to accentuate the jaw line with a filler.
Treatment with botulinum causes minimal pain when punctured with a fine needle. Furthermore, filler treatments usually do not require anesthesia; however, you are welcome to tell me if you want local anesthesia. For the lips, I always recommend anesthesia, usually with a strong lidocaine cream, upon request also with a syringe.
What is botulinum, what is dermal filler?
Most dermal fillers are made of hyaluron and are a transparent gel, packaged in a sterile injection set. The hyaluron in dermal fillers is a copy of the human substance and therefore well compatible with the human body. The difference from one product to another is the concentration of hyaluron and the number of crosslinks between the hyaluron molecules. In other words, some fillers are softer, others thicker. Depending on the facial area, the appropriate filler has to be chosen. The longevity of the filler varies from 6 to 12 months and is determined by the product and the mechanical stress on the area. I use the fillers which my patients had the best experience with: Princess®, Juvederm® and Teoxane®.
For certain filler treatments, Radiesse® is an alternative filler. Its active substance is calciumhydroxylapatit. This biological substance is a natural ingredient of the human bone. In cosmetic medicine, it is prepared as a white, intransparent gel that can be injected into the deeper layers of the skin. Its main effect is volume substitution, but it also stimulates collagen fiber production.
It comes as a powder in a vial and has to be dissolved with sterile water before injection. The powder does not contain bacteria, but only botulinum. The injection takes a few minutes, the right number of units is injected using a fine needle. Fillers require a little more time.
A botulinum treatment lasts from 3 to 6 months on average. I use the product BOCOUTURE® manufactured by Merz.
The procedure
A personal consultation helps to find the right treatment for you. You will need to provide details of your medical history and possible side effects and precautions to take will be explained. Please bring your medical record and a list of your medication, if you are under other medical treatment. The treatment itself takes from 15 to 45 minutes, the consultation time depends on your knowledge and experience in aesthetic medicine.
Risks and important advice
The longevity of treatment varies and cannot be guaranteed. Every treatment may cause bruising and swelling. Possible serious adverse effects will be explained during a personal consultation.