I've been using the combination of hyaluronic acid fillers with collagen-stimulating fillers such as Sculptra and Radiesse for years, and that gives me a predictable result.
Sculptra is a liquid of polylactic acid, lidocaine and water for injections. Radiesse is a calcium hydroxyapatite dissolved in a gel. Both products are fully biodegradable fillers and have been on the market for a long time. Sculptra since 1999. Radiesse is just a little bit younger.
In this hybrid way of injecting, I am therefore working on direct filling on the one hand and on collagen stimulation, thickening the skin and improving skin on the other. By combining the 2 techniques, you get synergy and the end result becomes more beautiful and certainly more natural than if you only use hyaluronic acid fillers or collagen stimulation alone. The best results come when the skin feels full, supple and firm and is also well hydrated and lifted.
Because the skull also decreases somewhat in volume as we age, I think injecting the collagen-stimulating agent sculptra, in the temples, is really a solution. This slowly lifts the face like the hamster cheek pouches on the jawline in women, but this technique also makes a droopy eye position less droopy. I've heard many clients say that this is the most natural eye lift, so clients can often delay their surgical blepharoplasty for a while. Especially if this is also combined with frown and crow's feet botox.
A starting tear gutter, you can improve more successfully by first treating the temples with a collagen-stimulating injectable. If the client is younger and has full, firm skin, the end result of 1 treatment is often already great and the tear hole treatment becomes obsolete.
The filling does decrease somewhat over time, with Sculptra only after 2.5 years, with Radiesse often after a year, but the skin improvement obtained remains. That is an advantage.
Of course, areas other than the face can also be treated with this combination of hyaluronic acid filler and collagen-stimulating injectables. Think of the neck, cleavage, hands, inner arms and legs, knees and sagging abdominal skin.
Allergan Aesthetics launches new Hybrid injectable filler
Recently, Allergan has launched a new filler that combines hyaluronic acid and collagen stimulation, called Harmonica. Of course, I was curious about this and on Saturday, May 21, 2022, I and my fellow cosmetic doctors KNMG attended this launch. HarmonyCa* with lidocaine (anaesthetic) is intended to improve skin quality on the one hand and to combat the signs of aging on the other. This puts the product in the category of hybrid injectable fillers. A treatment with Harmonica can mitigate these signs of facial aging in a multidimensional way thanks to the two active ingredients it contains: hyaluronic acid (HA), for an immediate lifting effect, and calcium hydroxyapatite (CaHA), a substance capable of stimulating collagen production.
Curious about the possibilities? We offer the HarmoniCa filler treatment at all our locations and to all cosmetic doctors.
