Collagen is nature's
skin support system…
Your skin is 75%
collagen - collagen is the reason your skin looked plump and fresh while you
were young. With age - as the collagen in your skin starts to break down -
your skin no longer has all its natural padding and sagging and wrinkles start
to appear.
Collagen fillers allow
doctors to put back the collagen you lose over time in a radical anti-aging
treatment. Injections of collagen under the skin smooth out wrinkles and
fill sagging and sunken areas of skin.
Where does the collagen
come from?
If you are thinking
about having a collagen filler this is a very good question to ask. You need
to know about the two types of collagen filler that you could be offered:
·
Those containing bovine
collagen
·
Those containing human
collagen
Bovine collagen has been
around the longest and is the least expensive option. This type of
collagen filler is mostly used to eliminate wrinkles and depressed scars.
Human collagen is
sourced in a variety of ways including tissue culture and cadaver tissue
removed at the time of death. That sounds pretty gruesome - and to be fair
it probably is - but what you need to be most concerned about is how the tissue
is treated and tested after it is extracted.
All human tissue has to
be tested for conditions such as HIV and hepatitis - and treated to remove all
cells before being processed into an injectable form. Human collagen is
available in sheet form in which it is commonly used as an anti-aging treatment
for deep wrinkles, folds and furrows. In its injectable form its primary
use is as an anti-aging treatment for medium wrinkles, fine lines and pitted
scars.
The Procedure
If your doctor is using
bovine collagen, you will be advised to have a skin test where a small amount
of collagen is injected into your forearm to see if you have an allergic
response. Around 3% of people will
have a positive skin test preventing them from having treatment with bovine
collagen.
Collagen fillers are
injected through very fine needles inserted into the skin along the edge of the
treatment area. Some surgeons use a local anesthetic - although should
your doctor choose not to you will feel minor stinging and burning.
Because part of the
injection consists of salt water, the doctor will overfill the area. The
salt water will then be absorbed into the tissue within two days leaving the
area smooth and plump with a marked decrease in wrinkles and lines. You will
get some redness and discomfort immediately following the treatment which
should disappear within a couple of days.
No bandaging is needed
and you'll be free to resume your normal daily activity almost
immediately. That includes wearing make-up and sunscreen.
Are there any drawbacks?
One important drawback
is that injected collagen is gradually degraded by the body's enzymes and can
only be replenished by more injections.
Bovine collagen tends to
have a life span of only 3-6 months while the more expensive human collagen
lasts 6 months when injected and up to 2 years when used in sheet form. After
this time, those wrinkles you first spotted in the mirror will start to
reappear.
Increasingly other
dermal fillers - especially those based on hyaluronic acid - are taking over
from collagen as the filler of choice for many surgeons as there is less risk
of allergy and they are more long lasting.
What about the risks?
As long as the procedure
is carried out by a qualified surgeon, the risks associated with collagen
fillers are few and any complications that may arise are rarely serious.
The greatest risk is
that of allergy but providing the allergy test is clear this should not be a
problem. Human collagen is less likely to lead to allergy than bovine collagen,
which carries a 3-7% risk of this happening.
Other risks include
infection, abscesses, open sores, skin peeling, scarring and lumpiness,
although all of these are extremely rare and usually associated with poorly
trained physicians. If you have a history of cold sores, you may find that
they break out if the collagen is injected close to your lips.
It is also worth bearing
in mind that connective tissue disease could arise after bovine collagen
injections although no definite link has been established.
Can anybody have
collagen filler treatment?
No. There are
certain people who should avoid collagen fillers. If you suffer from
rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma or dermatomyositis, collagen should be
avoided. If you have acne, you won't be able to have collage fillers
because of the increased risk of infection. If you have any of these
conditions, then you should think about an alternative anti-aging treatment -
perhaps a less invasive approach.
What's the cost?
On the surface collagen
fillers appear to be an inexpensive anti-aging option with each syringe costing
between $300-$700 (£200-£400).
However, you need to
remember that this could be a lot more depending on the degree of sagging and
wrinkling you want to correct. The number of syringes you need will depend
on the size of the area and the severity of the wrinkles.
You also need to bear in
mind that this is not a long-term anti-aging solution. If you are being
treated with bovine collagen, you need to commit to paying around $1200-1500
per year for all the anti-wrinkle treatments you would need. You are
unlikely to want less than four in a year as the effect will wear off after
three months.
With human collagen, you
will pay more per treatment but you will need less to maintain your new look as
each treatment will last longer. You also need to consider the repetitive
nature of the treatments and the discomfort involved.
Alternatives and
additional treatments
Botox and fat fillers
(where fat is taken from elsewhere in your body) are alternative anti-aging
treatments to collagen fillers. Your doctor may also suggest chemical
peels, laser resurfacing or microdermabrasion in addition to the collagen
filler.
Of course, if you really want to slow the anti-aging clock - natural anti-aging strategies such as proper skin care, anti-aging sun protection and an optimum anti-aging diet should be given priority. Much can be done before radical invasive treatment needs to be considered.
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