Dr. Bonnie Marting
Is Collagen A Filler? Well, yes and no. The words collagen and fillers are used frequently when we talk about getting years erased by eliminating wrinkles. Fillers can be collagen, but don’t necessarily have to be.
We are born with Collagen in our skin. It makes up the majority of the dermis, that lies just under the skin’s surface. When we say our skin is “aging”, what we are seeing is wrinkles, but this also equates to collagen deterioration. As collagen deteriorates, we get the wrinkles, lines, and general sagging in the skin.
Though there have been a variety of products telling you they replace collagen, most were based more on selling something, and not giving you actual results. I remember the collagen facial of the 80′s, which is still being used today. It sounded great until you realized the results were just not there.
That’s when the pharmaceutical companies realized we needed to actually inject Collagen back in to replace lost volume. Unfortunately, when injectable collagen first came out, it sometimes only lasted days before the body re-absorbed the injected collagen, creating no real lasting results.
There have been many advances since then; in both collagen products and how it is mixed with the latest in man made filler materials. New collagen injectables can now last an average of six months to perhaps as much as a year.
Also, injection techniques and equipment have improved. In years past, Collagen was injected deeply into the skin layer. But now practitioners are trained to inject it into a more superficial plane so it will bind to what you already have.
Keep in mind, collagen is not an injection that flows into our system like a vaccination in our arm. It remains in the specific injected area, binding itself to our existing collegen, until it is later absorbed into our system. Most collagen injections are used to fill in lines and deep wrinkles, or enhance facial features.
As you and your practitioner look into what may be best for you, please remember that the skill of the practitioner as an injector is the single most important part of the equation. An improperly placed filler will show a bulge or line, or even exacerbate the very thing it was supposed to correct. And if something like this does happen, it will not go away over the weekend. The unwelcome result will remain until the body’s natural absorption process has acquired it all back into it’s system.
