Collagen Stimulating Injectables
The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery says PLLA is known as a bio-stimulatory dermal filler, which means it stimulates your own skin to produce new collagen. Over time, the society adds, the skin breaks down PLLA into water and carbon dioxide. Its reference page on injectable poly-L-lactic acid gives the full description of injectable poly-L-lactic acid.
The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery says multiple treatment sessions with PLLA are needed, often spaced at one month intervals, and that the effects typically last up to 24 months, after which additional injections are required to maintain the effect. The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery also says the effects of PLLA appear gradually over a few months, producing natural results. Cleveland Clinic says that within about a month of injection you should start to notice that your skin looks plumper or fuller.
Cleveland Clinic also cautions that a filler of this kind is not a permanent solution to deep wrinkles, and that you may need multiple injections every few years to maintain your results. Those figures are the ones to hold an offer against. A course quoted as one price should say how many sessions it assumes, and a quote that stops before the maintenance injections describes only part of what the result costs to keep.
The related treatment to read next
- Platelet Rich Plasma for Younger Skin: what the three-step procedure involves, how much research supports it, and what a multi-session offer should spell out.
A reader comparing injectable types can also check the society's reference page on injectable polymethylmethacrylate and bovine collagen filler.
Terms worth knowing before a consultation
Collagen stimulator. Cleveland Clinic describes poly-L-lactic acid as a collagen stimulator that absorbs into your body a few days after treatment to encourage your cells to produce more collagen. Collagen is a protein in your skin, as well as in your connective tissues, bones and cartilage, that provides structure, support and strength.
Calcium hydroxylapatite. The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery says calcium hydroxylapatite filler produces immediate results and over time can also increase collagen production in the areas injected, and that the effects typically last about 12 months, after which additional injections are required to maintain the effects. The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery lists wrinkles, nasolabial folds, marionette lines, pre-jowl sulcus and chin lines among the areas calcium hydroxylapatite filler can be used to treat.
Reading a filler quote
Ask which product is being quoted, how many sessions the price covers, how long the benefit is expected to last, and what the maintenance schedule costs. If a package adds sessions or products, compare its total against those answers rather than against the discount it advertises.