Dermal Cosmetic Fillers and Sun Protection

In the quest of looking youthful women and men are using cosmetic fillers and dermal fillers to minimize laugh lines, crow's feet, and forehead furrows.

These injectable cosmetic wrinkle fillers, such as Juvederm and Restylane, are soft tissue fillers approved as medical devices by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Cosmetic wrinkle fillers are injected into the skin to help fill in facial wrinkles, giving a smoother appearance. The body eventually absorbs most wrinkle fillers.

According to the FDA, successful results depend on:

* health of the skin
* skill of the doctor
* type of filler used

Health of the skin is where sun protection comes in!

The #1 cause of wrinkles is UV radiation which damages the skin over time. Too much sunshine damages collagen fibers and harms cellular DNA, creating deeper lines, reducing elasticity creating a more leathery appearance. Additionally, sun damage makes it more difficult for the skin to repair itself. The sun can also darken pigmentation which can accentuate a wrinkle or just look blotchy.

After spending all that money for dermal fillers to look young the last thing any of us wants is to speed up the process we are paying the big bucks to eradicate.

So here is the plan:

1. Use a Physical Sun Block

This can be a face shield, sun protection hat or a sun umbrella

The absolute best defense against the sun is a physical barrier between you and the sun. One example is using fabric draped across the face as the middle east women do.

If draping fabric across your face is not practical, which is often the case, consider a good wide brim sun hat or sun umbrella. These very effective physical blocks are quick and easy to use.

A wide brim sun protection hat or sun umbrella is very good UV protection for the sun rays coming straight down at you, but it does not provide a barrier from the sun's reflective UV rays. Reflective rays are those pesky UV rays that bounce off surfaces like a parked car or the sand and come underneath your sun hat or sun umbrella.

2. Use sunscreen to protect against reflective UV rays.

Here is where sunscreen enters into the sun protection arena. (Whenever possible, it is never wise to think of sunscreen for all day sun protection. Even the highest SPF sunscreen will NEVER protect as well as highest UPF fabric.)

a. I think we all know that using broad spectrum sunscreen is a must. Broad spectrum means the sunscreen has ingredients that block both UVB AND UVA. Ingredients that block UVA radiation are Avobenzone, Zinc Oxide and Titanium. (UVB is the only wavelength measured in the SPF rating, so until the term broad spectrum became popular, many sunscreens did not include UVA ingredients.)

b. Apply enough sunscreen and be sure to apply it evenly. We have all had episodes when we "missed a spot" and paid the price of a painful sunburn. Wearing enough sunscreen means approximately 1 tsp for the face and neck.

c. Sunscreen should be reapplied every 2 hours.

d. Apply sunscreen 20 minutes before walking out the door and wear it everyday.

3. Beware and watch for unexpected sun exposure like sitting next to a window while at work or driving.

4. Don't be fooled by a cloudy or cold day. UV radiation can penetrate clouds and is not lessened by cold weather.