Anyone struggling with aging, skin problems, and dipping self-confidence has likely considered nonsurgical and surgical treatments at one point. Between the two, noninvasive procedures— particularly the use of cosmetic injectables—are the preferred option, and for good reason. Besides being more affordable, these treatments show instant results and require no downtime.
If you’re mulling over getting one, a little knowledge will help you decide and prepare for these anti-aging and beauty-enhancing solutions.
Cosmetic Injectables: What Are They?
The demand for non-invasive cosmetic procedures has steadily been increasing for several years. Despite the pandemic in 2022, physicians performed over 5.5 million nonsurgical cosmetic procedures in the United States. Of these, about half or 2.6 million services involved the use of neurotoxins. Additionally, dermal fillers took the second-highest number of procedures at 1.3 million.
Cosmetic injectables are classified into two broad categories:
1. Neuromodulators
These types of medical-grade fluids are a variety of botulinum toxin that works to relax the facial muscles. Over time, regular facial movements like squinting, frowning, and smiling can lead to shallow and deep folds along the skin. With age and gravity, your skin eventually develops wrinkles.
With regular treatments, your facial muscles will loosen up, and fine lines and wrinkles will disappear. Frequent shots of these beauty treatments can also keep new wrinkles from forming, according to Med Lounge. That’s because this beauty in a syringe can block the nerve signals in the muscles, preventing the formation of lines on your face.
You don’t have to worry about getting it done regularly as these products are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for both therapeutic and cosmetic purposes. Doctors often use them to address the following:
- Wrinkles on the forehead: This is the most common issue treated with this anti-aging formula.
- Crow’s feet: These are the lines on the sides of your eyes that appear when you smile.
- Frown lines: Also called glabella lines, these unsightly creases appear between the eyebrows and show up when you frown. A line in this area can make you seem angry and upset.
- Bunny lines: They may appear cute on little children, but lines that appear on either side of the nose, especially when you pucker your face, may not look attractive when you’re an adult.
- Perioral lines: These facial creases show up when you pucker your lips. Despite being known for their other name, smoker’s lines, you don’t have to be a smoker to develop them.
- Marionette lines: They’re called as such because these lines start from the corners of your mouth and extend toward the jaw, similar to the lines on a puppet’s face.
- Neckbands: Mature individuals often develop loose and creasy skin along the neck as their muscles start to sag.
- Sagging eyebrows: For this issue, most doctors combine eyelift surgery and neuromodulator injections for best results. A few sessions will freeze the muscles that pull down the eyebrows.
Should You Get An Injection?
Aging is never gentle on your skin and muscles. Thus, if you notice signs of skin aging, such as wrinkles along the treatment areas mentioned above, it may be the best time to get wrinkle treatments.
These noninvasive procedures are performed in an hour or less inside the doctor’s clinic. After your session is done, you can go back to work or continue with your daily activities. Expect to experience its effects in three days, and they’ll get better in three weeks but may start to disappear in three months. That’s why patients are requested to visit the clinic about three or four times a year.
2. Dermal Fillers
As you age, the body’s production of a natural compound called hyaluronic acid also slows down. This substance is essential in keeping your skin glowing and looking young, being that it provides a plump, firm, and smooth appearance. As hyaluronic acid plummets, the lines on the face become more pronounced.
Hyaluronic acid is infused in dermal fillers not as a liquid but a gel to provide the skin with more volume. Another lesser-known dermal filler is one that’s infused with calcium. Apart from plumping up the areas where lines are starting to form, these beauty treatments can add more volume to multiple areas of your face.
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Hyaluronic Acid Dermal Fillers
Most dermal fillers are infused with this substance, making it another safe anti-aging solution. Regular sessions can make you feel more confident as they fill in lost volume in the following areas:
- Upper lips
- Smile lines
- Marionette lines
- Nasolabial folds
Dermal fillers can also be used exclusively to add more volume to the lips, cheeks, and under the eyes. Despite their versatility, some filler brands work better than others when injected in specific areas of the face.
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Calcium-Based Dermal Fillers
Calcium-based fillers have been used for decades in medical surgeries. However, this type of cosmetic gel is often used to treat deeper creases along the nasolabial and melomental folds. Nasolabial folds are found on either side of the mouth, extending from the edge of the nose to the corners of the mouth. Melomental folds, on the other hand, are creases running from the corners of the mouth to the lower jaw.
This treatment, which could last for up to two years, is also effective in boosting volume in the cheeks and chin. In some cases, it may even be injected into the hands to make them look younger. Calcium-based fillers may not be ideal for crow’s feet or along the glabella lines as they need to be placed deeper under the skin than hyaluronic acid-based fillers.
Should You Get Dermal Fillers?
As with neuromodulators, you may choose to have dermal fillers to reduce the appearance of fine lines or add more volume to multiple sections of your face. Most fillers last for anywhere from six to 12 months, while calcium-based formulas, as mentioned, last for a couple of years.
The procedure can be done in a few minutes and has minimal downtime. Bruising may occur but will eventually go away with self-care techniques. Additionally, not all patients react the same way toward a particular brand, so a patient’s body can be more attuned to a specific brand and not to another. Doctors often switch brands as soon as a patient expresses dissatisfaction with a filler that’s just been injected.
Final Thoughts
Since cosmetic injections are considered aesthetic procedures rather than medical ones, the decision to get them rests on the individual. While gaining confidence can mean differently from one person to another, it definitely helps to look great while working toward your life goals.
So if you’re worried about the physical changes triggered by aging or want to get rid of facial flaws, consider dropping by your doctor’s clinic to discuss the best option for you.
