A new substance for the facial wrinkles’ treatment: polylactic acid.

Dr. Redaelli Alessio mail@docredaelli.com

The facial wrinkles’ treatment, the depressions and generally the aging are very heartfelt problems in the modern ages and susceptible in many treatments.

The substance I want to talk about today is completely different from the other filler (filling) you can find in business, both for the results it can give and for the protocol and the implant’s technique.

What the polylactic acid is?

The polylactic acid is the polymer of the lactic acid, it is produced by chemical synthesis and it has a total biodegradability and biocompatibility if it is injected in human tissues.

This means that the active principle is completely reabsorbed in about 5-6 months.

Besides it is immunologically inactive and so it responds to those criterions of safety that we mostly look for when we inject any substance in the face.

It is practically exempt from the risk of allergic reactions (as it results from a wide literature on a world level). With the polylactic acid is possible to reduce the deepness of the wrinkles and increase the subcutaneous volumes.

How does it work?

The peculiar characteristic of the polylactic acid is to determine an increase of the thickness of the epidermis due to the formation of new collagen. In other words the microparticles of the polylactic acid are discovered by a mousse of collagen made by the patient himself that goes to thicken the epidermis and increase the subcutaneous tissue.

Then when the polylactic acid is reabsorbed (about 6 months), the collagen that was made remains, and this happens for rather long time.

The immediate effect is the fulfilment due to the quantity of injected liquid which the active principle was diluted with: it is fundamental to understand and be well informed on the temporariness of this result in order to avoid dissatisfaction. The real result, in fact, appears later on during the first 3-4 sessions (which means about 2-3 months) and it will reach the maximum clinical evidence also after many months from the first implant. This time is necessary in order for the polylactic acid to carry out the action of stimulus of the production of new collagen.

Which zones can be treated?

In particular the cheeks well respond to the treatment, and also in all those cases in which start to appear those vertical small wrinkles, first just when you smile and then also when you relax.

But however, in all the cases with loss of thickness of the sub epidermis.

It can also be very useful for cheekbones and to support the nasogenian wrinkles.

For the wrinkles of the neck it can be suitable in the way to fulfil them, to fill the reabsorption of collagen the ages brought.

It is important to understand that you do not have to treat one wrinkle, but the whole district that presents the slight blemish.

Are any particular attentions needed after the implant?

In the 2-3 following days, it will be appropriated to avoid the exposure to very hot or very cold temperature.

Besides, right after the implant the massage is fundamental, better if done directly by the doctor.

In fact the microparticles of the polylactic acid have to be distributed with absolute conformity in the treated district: this will give place to a uniformed and very natural result.

If instead an accumulation of polylactic acid forms in any spot, this will give place for accumulation of collagen.

And so it is absolutely evident that the massage is fundamental for the uniformed distribution of the active principle.

How long does it last?

It is important to understand that the beginning of the correction does not happen immediately as for the normal fillers, but it comes gradually in the following months.

The duration of the correction is variable in base of the frequency with whom the zone of the implant is urged; basically the result is maximum from 6-8 till 12-14 months after the first implant, but it can differ a lot from patient to patient.

The implant of the polylactic acid is not particularly painful. An anaesthetic lotion is used half an hour before the treatment. Sometime an injective anaesthesia is necessary.

What kind of problems can it give?

In literature very rare inflammatory and infective reactions occur.

If the implant’s technique is not precise, and if some accumulations of product are left, the appearance of subcutaneous nodules, also for long time, is possible like any other fillers.

The formation of subcutaneous nodules was more frequent during the first years of experience, because the polylactic acid was diluted a little bit and moreover it was massaged. It was used as a normal filler.

Today it is mostly diluted and especially the importance of the massage has been understood and so the formation of nodules is extremely rare.

However it is very important to absolutely choose an expert operator of this product, who can give results that any other filler can not give, but only regarding a very rigorous and accurate implant’s technique.