What is a gel injection?
Fillers, or dermal fillers are substances that have a gel-like structure and are used to rejuvenate the skin. Injection of dermal fillers under the skin can be used to compensate for the lost fullness, remove wrinkles, improve the shape of surface curves (contours) of the face and body.
FDA approved applications
Using gel to volume: Skin fillers can be used to increase the volume ang height of the lips, chin and cheeks. Most people know this application as “prosthesis”.
Wrinkle removal: Gel injection can be used to remove wrinkles such as forehead line, frown line, laugh line, lines around the lips and nose.
Facial volume: One of the most unpleasant effects of skin aging is the reduction of facial volume. This effect is usually seen on the lips, cheeks and eyelids. Gel injection is one of the most effective ways to compensate for lost volume. This method can be used to remove dimples and dark circles under the eyes, eyebrow lifts and sagging skin of the face and neck.
Hand rejuvenation: In addition to facial rejuvenation, dermal fillers can also be used to rejuvenate the skin of the body.
Rhinoplasty: Correcting the shape of the nose without surgery is one of the interesting applications of gel injection.
What are dermal fillers made of?
Today’s variety of dermal fillers have been approved by the FDA, these fillers have the fewest side effects and their risks have been studied in large, long-term studies, be sure to check FDA approval before injecting the gel. Note that FDA-approved fillers can only be purchased by dermatologists or plastic surgeons.
There are two general categories for dermal fillers:
1. Permanent or non-absorbable fillers
Currently the use of non-absorbable or permanent fillers has been greatly reduced. These fillers have many side effects and risks.
Another point is that gel injections using non-absorbable fillers are only allowed for deep wrinkles. Injection of these fillers to remove surface wrinkles has been banned all over the world.
Important point about gel injection
Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) granules
Polymethyl methacrylate, or PMMA, is the only permanent filler approved by the FDA and is only allowed to remove wrinkles around the lips (such as the laugh line). Of course, there are many off-label uses of this form of gel injection.
Some of the applications of this filler include the following:
* ¥ Fill in wrinkles around the lips (FDA approved use only)
* • Eliminate acne scars
* • Filling the gaps created by the wounds
* ¥ Lip augmentation
PMMA is a synthetic and non-biodegradable polymer, but it is well tolerated by body tissues. When you inject a foreign substance into the body, the body may react to it. An obvious example of this, is the case with drug allergies, where, for example, a person develops severe allergic reactions after injecting penicillin. Therefore, in the production of drugs and therapeutic products that are to enter the body, the issue of their tolerance by the body’s cells is very important. Complications of this form of gel injection include rashes, swelling, bruising, redness, itching, and mild pain at the injection site that usually resolves within 24 hours. In rare cases, we see skin rashes, bumps and sensitive skin in the long term.
An issue that worries applicants about permanent gel injections is the bulging (bullet) of the injectable material under the skin or inside the lips. You should know that this complication has been seen in only 1% of patients in 5 years after gel injection. This problem will not be seen if the permanent gels are injected by an experienced surgeon.
2- Temporary or absorbable fillers
Temporary fillers are made of hyaluronic acid, collagen, calcium hydroxyapatite, polylactic acid or body fat. Fat injection, which is a great way to dermal rejuvenation and augmentation in another article entitled “What is fat injection?” We have examined in detail. Fat is one of the skin fillers; But obviously it is not a gel injection. That is why we have introduced it in this article.
What is the best material and brand for gel injection?
As a gel injection applicant, you are responsible for choosing the gel in terms of the shelf life of the gel, and you should leave the choice of the appropriate brand and material of the gel to the treating doctor; Because this is a very specialized and difficult task and can only be done by a doctor.
Currently, temporary gel injection of hyaluronic acid is the most popular method of gel injection among clients and doctors; Because these gels are easier to inject and have very few side effects. In addition, the treatment of complications and allergies caused by hyaluronic acid is very simple. If your body reacts badly to this substance, by injecting an enzyme called hyaluronidase into the treated area, all the injected hyaluronic acid can be eliminated.
If you want to choose gel injection, there are some important things to keep in your mind rather than choosing a gel brand or something that usually catches the minds of applicants.
First of all, you need to choose the right clinic for this. A clinic that has the necessary licenses from the Ministry of Health and also has an experienced and skilled treatment team. Compliance with international standards and the laws of the Ministry of Health, as well as the using the best gels available.
After choosing the right clinic, you should see if gel injections are the best skin rejuvenation method for you or not. Dermal condition, age, history of gel or Botox injections, general health, smoking and various medications are some of the things that can make you a suitable or unsuitable candidate for gel injections. A complete description including the types of fillers and suitable rejuvenation methods for your skin will be fully explained in a face-to-face meeting by our specialist doctor.
