Your dermatologist or doctor may advise you to have collagen injections if you want to plump up your skin.
With aging the production of collagen in the skin decreases.
With this decrease, your skin develops wrinkles, fine lines, and sags.
Your body has the ability to produce collagen till a certain age, however, after you reach your 20s, the production slows down.
With this, your body stops producing collagen on its own.
Moreover, the more sun-kissed and older your skin gets, the lesser the collagen in your skin.
Collagen is a natural component found in the second layer, i.e. dermis of your skin.
It is composed of fibroblasts.
Factors like aging, environment, UV exposure cause a reduction in the collagen your body produces.
This leads to the development of premature aging, fine lines, and wrinkles.
Keep on reading to learn more about it in detail.
Understanding Collagen
Your skin produces collagen naturally and is a protein.
It is made of amino acids and is present in different parts of your body, the skin, tendons, bones, and muscles.
Moreover, collagen has the ability to perform different important functions in the body.
These functions help to hold the cells together, strengthening the bones and keeps your skin tight.
However, with respect to its function to the skin, collagen aids in the stimulation of skin cell turnover.
This helps to improve the elasticity of your skin and radiance.
Moreover, it also helps with the issues like pigmentations, hydrates your skin, and strengthens it.
By breaking down protein-rich foods, your body gets it needed amount of collagen.
It shares the amino acids that your need to make collagen.
However, with the process of aging, the production of collagen reduces, and its quality declines.
As a result, your body begins to form wrinkles, sag, or scars more easily.
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Right Candidates for Collagen Injections
If you are someone between the age of 35 to 60, then you are most likely to opt for this procedure.
This is because you would want to minimize the early signs of aging or moderate the appearance of wrinkles on different areas of your face.
Therefore, to achieve a fuller-looking face, more voluminous lips, and to touch up the area around your mouth and forehead, you will opt for this procedure.
Moreover, an important thing to keep in mind is that the older you are, the more beneficial it is for your skin.
However, the best candidates are those with a relatively flexible skin.
This procedure is a non-surgical skin treatment as collagen is a natural part of your body.
Additionally, it is also one of the safest ways to enhance your appearance.
You are, thus a good candidate for this procedure if you notice smile lines around your mouth, creases, and lines on your forehead.
Therefore, if you have depending lines between your brows you can also opt for this procedure.
An added benefit, however, is that collagen injections can also help to make your lips plumper and voluptuous.
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Target Areas for Collagen Injections
It is important to note that these injections won’t do the magic in one go and you might need more than one session to see the desired results.
Moreover, they can help to add plumpness to lips, cheeks, acne scars, and stretch marks.
Moreover, collagen is an effective treatment for the removal of stretch marks than you might think.
Stretch marks appear when you either lose excess weight to gain weight.
Additionally, factors like pregnancy, growth spurts, muscle thinking, etc can also lead to their development.
When this process begins, the collagen in the skin ruptures, and this leads to uneven scars in your skin.
Therefore, injecting collagen into these marks causes them to heal and appear smoother as a result.
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Options for Collagen Injections
Colleen injections help to supplement the natural collagen found in your body.
These fillers are injectable and your doctor or surgeon can administer them through needles directly into the skin.
This helps to make it more supple.
It is important to note that there are different kinds of dermal fillers and collagen is one option amongst others.
Dermal fillers are cosmetic procedures and contain a solution of different components.
They help to restore the volume and enhance the structure of your kin.
Thus, removing deep, and static wrinkles.
Moreover, these fillers can also contain collagen and hyaluronic acid that help to make your skin look plumper.
Let’ discuss these options as follows:
Collagen Injections
These injections help to replace the volume and structure of the skin around different areas of your face.
These include your mouth, nose, and cheeks, and the effects of these injections are immediate.
These are derived from the fat of the cows or bovine collagen or human, i.e. from other parts of the body.
However, it is important to note that bovine collagen can cause an allergic reaction.
Therefore, before this procedure, your doctor will take an allergy test to make sure you do not show any side effects.
In some cases, doctors or cosmetic surgeons might also use a combination of bovine collagen and synthetic filler.
This helps to treat smile lines, acne scars, and the results can last for 5 years.
Collagen Stimulators
When you take collagen stimulators, your body readily absorbs them.
With this absorption, there is an increase in the production of collagen in your body.
It is important to note that these stimulators do not need allergy testing.
Unless you are already allergic to any of the materials present in the filler.
Moreover, your doctor may choose to administer around smile lines, mouth, cheeks, temple, and chin.
Thus, it is important to note that for any type of injection, they may use local anesthesia or topical one to num the area.
Treatment Requirments
In order to avoid any side effects and complications, you will have to take certain measures.
However, it is important to note that to this date, there has been no or minimal complication to this procedure.
Your dermatologist will first take your medical history, and view whether there are any potential factors that could cause complications.
Moreover, they will perform an allergy test to check whether you develop any side effects on your skin or not.
For this, they will inject a small amount of collagen into the skin of your forearm.
They will then monitor the area for one month at least,
If you develop any swelling, redness, or itching, then you are not a good candidate for this procedure.
However, if you do not, then your doctor will guide you on specific instructions.
These instructions are related to your diet, nutrition, and smoking.
It is important to follow these instructions are they are crucial for achieving optimal results.
Medical and Health Considerations
During the consultation phase, after reviewing your medical and physical health conditions, you will have to meet basic requirements for this procedure.
If you are in good health, then you are an ideal candidate for collagen infections.
However, in case of any medical or physical condition, you may not get this procedure.
Moreover, if you are conceiving or breastfeeding, then you will also have to postpone this procedure.
In case of an autoimmune disease, your doctor or dermatologist will ask you to avoid getting this procedure altogether.
Additionally, if you are allergic to bovine injections, then it is important to inform your doctor.
They will make sure to use human-based collagen for the treatment instead.
Process of Collagen Injections
The process of collagen injections is relatively simple and your doctor or dermatologist can perform it in their office.
It often takes about 30 to 60 minutes to complete this procedure.
On the basis of your cosmetic needs, they will inject collagen into the areas to optimize the appearance of the skin.
Moreover, they will help to eliminate wrinkles and facial lines in rea like mouth, smile lines, etc.
In a few days, you can see visible changes to your skin’s appearance.
Side effects like bruising or puffiness will also disappear in a few days.
Preparation for the Treatment
As mentioned, your doctor will test your skin for any allergic reaction to the solution.
They will first place a numbing gel or local anesthesia on the target area for the procedure.
Moreover, you will have to avoid smoking at least 2 months before the procedure.
This is important to avoid any complications or side effects during the procedure.
If you are taking certain medications like aspirin, herbal supplements, etc, you will also have to discontinue them.
About 97% of the people do not show any allergic reactions to these injections.
Thus, in case, you are not allergic, you can have this procedure.
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Process of Collagen Injections
The treatment of collagen injection often involves one or more injections into the area of treatment.
You might feel slight discomfort and pain especially if the target treatment area is lips or around the nose.
Before the start, your doctor will apply topical anesthesia to the treatment area to minimize pain.
Some type of collagen contains small amounts of lidocaine that helps to numb the area of injection.
Moreover, the treatment usually takes less than an hour and you can leave for the treatment during the lunch break.
Post Treatment
You might observe bruising, puffiness, or slight tenderness in the injection site after the treatment.
This is normal and will subside within a few days.
Moreover, you can resume your daily routine work after the treatment.
The results of the treatment often vary, lasting from a few weeks to at least 6 months or more.
With time, your body will absorb the collagen naturally.
You might need additional treatment to maintain the aesthetic effects of the treatment.
Maintaining the Results
To maintain the results of your treatment, it depends on the types of fillers your doctors are using.
The results of the bovine collagen treatment last around 6 to 12 weeks.
Autologen and Isolafen collagen treatments are generally performed in intervals of a few weeks for steady aesthetic improvements.
The results of these injections can last for a number of months in most cases.
However, you will need to touch up at 2 to 4 times a year to maintain optimal results.
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How Long do the Results Last?
Most often, dermatologists consider the effects of collagen treatments permanent.
Though the results can last for more than 5 years.
This is more in comparison to hyaluronic fillers, which are temporary and last about 3 to 6 months.
In some cases, the results can last even longer.
this is especially the case if you have more injections at regular intervals.
According to a study, if you have these injections, the results lasts for 9 months after the first injection, 12 months after the second one, and 18 months after the third one.
Certain factors like the location of the treatment as well as the type of injection material are also crucial.
For instance, for smoothing out smile lines, you may need touch-ups several times a year.
For scar reduction, you will need at least 2 visits, however, it most often depends on the severity of the scars.
Moreover, the effects of these injections are immediate and can take about 2 weeks to see visible results.
Side Effects of Collagen Injections
Collagen injections rarely cause side effects, as your doctor will perform a skin test before the treatment.
Moreover, it is important to note that these skin tests are important.
This is particularly important if you are getting bovine collagen.
However, with any cosmetic procedure, there are certain side effects and risks associated.
These are as follows:
- skin redness and discomfort like swelling, bleeding, and bruising.
- infection at the treatment area, or a skin rash with itching
- scars, lumps, wound on the face in case the infection penetrates too deep into the blood vessel
- blindness if the injection is too close to the eyes
You might not be satisfied with the results.
Therefore, it is important to ask questions before the treatments and bring up an image of your desired results.
There are certain treatments like laser skin resurfacing, Juvederm Filler, etc. you can also have for your skin.
Outlook of Collagen Injections
The results of collagen injections are long-lasting and help to get younger-looking skin. Moreover, it helps to enhance the appearance of your skin by removing wrinkles, fine lines, etc.
However, you can discuss options with your doctors like collagen supplements, injectable fats, or microlipoinjection instead of collagen injections.