What are Dermal Fillers?

The dermal fillers Juvederm, Restylane, Perlane and Belotero are a product made of cross-linked hyaluronic acid.   

Hyaluronic acid is present throughout the body, but we inject a thicker version of it in to creases and wrinkles. 

Dermal fillers are injected in to “static” wrinkles, which are wrinkles not caused by muscle movement. These wrinkles are often caused by the inevitable loss of fat or bone in the aging face, or by long-term “dynamic” wrinkles that have become etched in to the skin (such as forehead lines or crow’s feet that have been there for too long to erase them with Botox or botulinum toxins). 

You can also use dermal fillers on sunken or hollow areas where there has been bone loss due to aging. 

The most common area to treat with dermal fillers is the nasolabial folds which run from the sides of the nose down to the sides of the mouth. We also treat “marionette lines” which run from the sides of the mouth down to the chin. 

Other commonly treated areas treated with dermal fillers include: cheeks, under the eyes, lips, lip lines, along the jawline, chin cleft, acne scars or other scars. These products are not FDA approved for these all of these areas, but it is done. 

Lidocaine is usually added to the filler to make the injection procedure more comfortable. It is possible to dissolve hyaluronic acid fillers if needed, although this is rarely necessary.  

Radiesse is a little different type of filler made up of calcium hydroxyapatite. For our purpose that means a few things: 1. It is a stronger, denser product that lasts longer than hyaluronic acid fillers and 2. It is not reversible, so if you don’t like it you have to wait several months for it to be re-absorbed. 3. There are certain areas where it is too thick to be used, such as in the lips, and under the eyes.

Dermal fillers are amazing at creating a younger, and less-tired look. Most patients are concerned that they will look fake or “overdone”, but this is never the case in my practice. 

With dermal fillers, you will often see how you are going to look right after your treatment, so there is immediate gratification. 

Dermal fillers do not last forever, and duration is often linked to amount of product used, but most procedures last 6-9 months, and if you get a touch up at 6 months your filler can last for 18-24 months.

 About Dr. Jenny

Dr. Jenny Weyler is a board certified physician and specializes in non-invasive anti-aging and body contouring  procedures.

Her practice, Aponi Aesthetics in Worcester, Massachusetts, is a patient-centered medical aesthetic practice that uses the latest technology and medical advances to rejuvenate your skin and restore your body to a more youthful appearance.

Microneedling

Microneedling is all the buzz lately! 

Microneedling is a method of stimulating collagen in the skin, which can be used to minimize scars and wrinkles.  

Many treatments in aesthetic medicine involve coaxing skin cells (fibroblasts) to create collagen, and tighten the existing tissue, thereby improving skin texture. At Aponi Aesthetics we use the Rejuvapen microneedling device (www.rejuvapen.com). 

The Rejuvapen device uses very tiny needles to cause microscopic damage to skin cells. This damage causes skin fibroblasts to release healing hormones and proteins which encourage healthy collagen deposition. We numb the skin prior to the procedure, so there is minimal to no pain involved. 

Skin rejuvenation using this method is a process, and it takes from 4-6 treatments (spaced a month apart) to see improvements. There is minimal down time involved with micro needling. Your skin will look a little pink and you may have a few tiny needle marks. By the next day your skin is usually back to normal, and your skin cells are starting the process that will lead to smoother, younger-looking skin! 

In-office microneedling differs from home devices called Dermal Rollers because the depth of the needles is much more precise and easy to adjust. 

Also, Rejuvapen needles enter the skin at a 90 degree angle, which eliminates the tearing and damage that can happen when a roller needle lifts off the skin at varying angles. Our needle tips are disposable so they are sharp, clean and sterile every time you get a procedure, while dermal rollers are re-used and can get dull or damaged with long term use.

About Dr. Jenny

Dr. Jenny Weyler is a board certified physician and specializes in non-invasive anti-aging and body contouring  procedures.

Her practice, Aponi Aesthetics in Worcester, Massachusetts, is a patient-centered medical aesthetic practice that uses the latest technology and medical advances to rejuvenate your skin and restore your body to a more youthful appearance.

Patient Appreciation Event

Thank you to all who attended our patient appreciation event at Aponi Aesthetics last Thursday. It was another successful event and we are thrilled to have been able to celebrate the dedication and support our patients bring to us everyday. Each of us here at Aponi Aesthetics love what we do, yet without our patients, we couldn’t fulfill our passions!

We announced 6 raffle winners of amazing prizes such as free syringes of cosmetic dermal fillers, wrinkle relaxer treatments, skincare products and an acupuncture visit. Congratulations to all the winners!

In addition to awesome raffle prizes, patients enjoyed food catered by Stuck Catering of 130 Hamilton Street in Worcester. As always, the food was delicious and the service was outstanding. Thank you Struck Catering!

To continue our commitment in providing our patients with the latest and best aesthetic treatments possible, we have enhanced our list of treatments as well we hired Aesthetician, Susan Eramo Webster, with over 40 years of skincare experience. We are confident that our practice will continue to grow by leaps and bounds and are excited to share the ride with you!

Sculptra: Long Lasting Smooth Skin

We are excited to now offer Sculptra, a facial injectable product that stimulates your skin to produce your own collagen to fill lines and wrinkles. 

Sculptra is different than other dermal fillers in that it does not use a gel-like substance to fill sunken areas so that immediate results are seen. Because it causes new collagen to grow, Sculptra takes 1-2 months to show its full effect. 

This product provides a more natural transition to smoother, less wrinkled skin. And the filling effect of Sculptra is worth the wait because it lasts for over two years!

          

Dr. Jenny injects Sculptra through a blunt-tipped cannula, which is safer and much more comfortable than needles, and greatly reduces the likelihood of bruising.

What to expect during and after a Sculptra treatment: 

Before your treatment, the doctor will clean and sterilize the skin. She will make a small numb area using lidocaine, and make a small needle hole in this area. Through this hole, she will pass the cannula, and the product is injected through the cannula in to the cheeks, temporal area, nasolabial folds, chin folds, etc. Sculptra is not used in the lips. If you have a history of cold sores, we will pretreat you to prevent these, as we do with any injection around the mouth. 

Sculptra is mixed with a few teaspoons of sterile water per vial of product. The volume of fluid injected with Sculptra is more than you get with hyaluronic acid fillers (e.g. Juvederm, Perlane, Restylane), so your face may look a bit swollen immediately after your treatment. Because the swelling is just due to salt water, it will dissolve very quickly, and you will wake up the next day with minimal to no swelling. The area treated will be massaged immediately following the treatment and the patient is educated on how to do this at home in the days following treatment. 

After your treatment, you will have to be patient, while this amazing product does its work. For three days following injection you will be asked to massage the facial skin for 2-3 minutes 3 times a day, which helps to distribute the Sculptra evenly in the face and allows the product to improve the skin all over the face. For the next two months, your skin will produce collagen; saggy areas will lift; creases will diminish; and wrinkles will fade. Every patient should be seen again 2 months after the initial injection, at which point you can do another treatment if necessary. Some people need more than one treatment to reduce lines and wrinkles effectively.

What makes Sculptra unique?

          
Unlike other dermal fillers, Sculptra can be injected to affect almost every area of the face so your wrinkle filling is very natural looking. Your skin quality will improve as it gains a more youthful amount of collagen. Because of its unique affect on natural skin tissues, Sculptra filling lasts longer than hyaluronic acid fillers. It does an exceptionally good job improving the skin under the eyes. We do not inject Sculptra directly in this area, but when it is used in the cheeks, it also indirectly improves the skin under the eyes.

What does Sculptra cost?

          
Sculptra is comparable to hyaluronic acid fillers. It costs approximately $600 a vial. A patient can use as few as 1, or as many as 8 vials (there is a two vial maximum per office treatment) depending on the areas being treated.

Bottom line is that Sculptra is the ideal treatment for patients not looking for immediate results, but rather slow, less obvious results with long-term smoother skin!

 About Dr. Jenny

Dr. Jenny Weyler is a board certified physician and specializes in non-invasive anti-aging and body contouring  procedures.

Her practice, Aponi Aesthetics in Worcester, Massachusetts, is a patient-centered medical aesthetic practice that uses the latest technology and medical advances to rejuvenate your skin and restore your body to a more youthful appearance.