Collagen Injections – Is it for You?

Deep down, all of us always want to look our best every day. We strive and work to find the best products and treatments to look fresh, lively and youthful. While most of us stop at the expensive creams and what not, a few of us choose to go one step further.  Collagen injections are just one of the tricks some women use to enhance or preserve their beauty. Collagen to give your skin a plump and smoother appearance reminiscent of a child’s supple skin and texture. But, is it for you?

Collagen is the protein found in the second layer or dermis of your skin as well as in your bone, cartilage and tendons. Collagen provides a framework for the growth of cells and blood vessels; it acts as the support for your skin.  When we’re young our collagen is intact and our skin looks and feels moisturized and elastic. As we age the collagen weakens and our skin loses its elasticity and tone. As we laugh, smile, frown, squint and make other funny faces, we put stress on the collage in our skin.  Our facial expressions result in those tiny lines and wrinkles we all love to hate. That’s why some people refer to them affectionately as, ‘laugh lines‘.

Laugh lines, wrinkles or ‘crow’s feet‘ aren’t exactly what some women want to see every day and that’s why collagen injections are becoming more an more and more popular.  Collagen injections are used to treat facial imperfections and create fuller lips, cheeks and other areas of your body.

There are a few common types of collagen fillers available today:

Zyderm and Zyplast are the most common type of collage fillers. They are taken from bovine (oxes or cows) and is purified, sterilized and then liquefied for cosmetic treatment. These are often less expensive than other fillers.

Autologen is from your own skin’s collagen which is harvested during a separate procedure. Although this is from your own skin or dermis you will still need to be tested for any allergic reactions. This is a good alternative if you’re allergic to the bovine derived fillers. This type of filler lasts longer but are a bit more expensive than bovine collagen.

Isolagen is another form of collagen filler taken from your own skin usually through cloning collagen making cells taken from behind your ear. There is less risk of an allergic reaction with Isolagen but treatments are more expensive.

Dermalogen is a collagen filler taken from deceased human donors that is sterilized and processed.  Benefits of using donated human collagen is it lasts longer than the bovine type and the risks of allergic reactions are minimized.

CosmoDerm and CosmoPlast are bio-engineered human collagen fillers that are similar to the Zyderm and Zyplast fillers but you do not need to have a skin test before getting it done.

By having a trained health-care professional inject collagen into your skin, it helps smooth fine lines and scars. Before getting injected, you are first given local anesthesia to numb the area on your face to be treated. There can be possible bruising, redness, tenderness and puffiness associated with the area that is injected with collagen. Please take the time to gather all the facts and discuss treatment options with your physcian.  Collagen injections are often not a one-time treatment, you may need more than one to achive your desired result and that can be pricey.  Also, depending on the type of collagen injection you  receive, you may have to come back 2 to 4 times a years for touch ups.

It takes a lot of work to look beautiful, doesn’t it? Growing old is a mandatory process. We can fight it with all products and injections in the world but maybe, we should listen our grandmothers when they say it’s best to let nature take its course and just  ‘age gracefully.’

There’s always a lot to be thankful for if you take time to look for it. For example, I am sitting here thinking how nice it is that wrinkles don’t hurt.
- Unknown