Baby Boomers Rely on Hyaluronic Acid Facial Fillers to Look Younger in Minutes

"I felt 10 years younger right away!" says Margaret, age 59, after she tried hyaluronic acid facial fillers to smooth out the lines from her nose to the corners of her mouth and plump up her lips. "People really noticed!" Margaret maintains her new look by having hyaluronic acid injections every six months. "Each time I get a treatment, the effects seem to last longer," she says.

Now researchers have found a scientific basis for the results that Margaret and many other woman and men have noticed. A new study shows that Restylane, a popular injectable anti-wrinkle treatment, appears to stimulate facial skin cells to make their own collagen, a basic skin protein. This research was reported in the Feb. 20, 2007 Archives of Dermatology, published by the American Medical Association.

The clinical study showed that Resytlane's initial anti-wrinkle effect is caused merely by the presence of the filler in the skin. But three or four weeks after treatment, the skin actually begins forming its own new collagen.

What is hyaluronic acid?

Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring sugar in the skin that holds collagen and elastin together. This essentially provides a framework for the skin.

Injectable fillers such as Restylane and Juvéderm plump the facial skin, adding volume to minimize lines and wrinkles. These hyaluronic acid fillers work by pulling water into the skin. Patients notice the results immediately.

Since the clinical study on Restylane, the Food and Drug Administration has approved Juvéderm, an injectable hyaluronic acid filler introduced by Allergan in January 2007.

Hyaluronic acid fillers surpass collagen injections

Hyaluronic acid fillers are extremely popular among busy women and men seeking less-invasive procedures to address the signs of aging. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), Americans received 1,593,554 injectable hyaluronic acid treatments in 2006 -- making this non-surgical facial enhancement second in popularity only to Botox. Hyaluronic acid injections are normally given every six to 12 months.

Both Restylane and Juvéderm are available in several formulations to treat fine, medium and deep lines and wrinkles. Hyaluronic acid fillers are most commonly used to plump up the nasolabial folds, which extend from the nose to the corners of the mouth, as well as lines in the glabella, or the area between the eyebrows. These facial fillers can also add fullness to thin lips, smooth out acne scars or pits, and diminish vertical lip lines known as smoker's lines.

Allergic reactions are rare

Another reason for the rise in hyaluronic acid-based fillers: fewer allergic reactions. Because earlier facial fillers such as collagen were derived from cows, patients had to undergo a pre-treatment skin test for allergies, then make a separate appointment for their first treatment.

But unlike collagen, hyaluronic acid is a natural component of the skin, so no pre-testing is required and allergic reactions are rare. Patients can normally be treated on their very first doctor visit. And hyaluronic acid poses no risk of transmitting animal diseases by injection.

With the popularity and precision of hyaluronic acid facial fillers, the use of collagen injections has plummeted. The ASAPS reports that 160,252 collagen treatments were administered in 2006 -- a reduction of 52% among women and 83% among men since 1997.