Wrinkles are our skin’s natural response to aging and while light laugh lines may be charming, deep creases and furrows are aspects of age you no longer have to settle for. An incredible amount of new research about the causes of wrinkles has become accessible over the last decade, and dramatic improvements in injectable fillers have helped tens of millions of men and women look and feel more beautiful. Dr. Maddox and his team at Thrive offer a number of wrinkle reduction services designed to help you look as beautiful as you feel.

Botox Cosmetic is a protein derived from botulism toxin that is most commonly injected underneath the skin in order to minimize or smooth out lines and wrinkles on the face. It was first introduced to the medical community in 1989 as a treatment for eye muscle disorders and was eventually approved for cosmetic use after much successful testing. These procedures use a small amount of diluted botulinum toxin that enables controlled weakening of muscles.

Botox works to relax the contraction of muscles by blocking nerve impulses. The result is muscles that can no longer contract, and so the wrinkles relax and soften. It usually takes two to four days to see cosmetic improvement and the effects tend to last from three to six months. While most patients require additional treatments as wrinkles and lines begin to reappear, after each injection the wrinkles return less severe than before as the muscles are trained to relax.

Restylane is the number one wrinkle filler in the United States. Restylane is made using naturally occurring hyaluronic acid, the same substance that already exists in the body. Restylane works quickly, adding volume and fullness to the skin to correct moderate to severe wrinkles and folds and is most commonly used in the nasolabial folds, or the lines from your nose to the corners of your mouth.

Because Restylane maintains its shape using the body’s own moisture, it increasingly binds to the body’s own water molecules over time, which produces lasting results as the skin ages and loses moisture. In a clinical study of laugh lines (nasolabial folds), at least 95% of patients treated with Restylane continued to see results for up to 18 months after initial treatment when patients returned for a follow-up treatment at 4.5 or nine months.

Juvéderm can be used by a licensed physician to fill moderate to severe parentheses lines, marionette lines, and vertical lines between the nose and upper lip, with results lasting up to one year. Some preparations of Juvéderm also include lidocaine, which reduces the minor discomfort that some people feel during the process. Like Restylane, Juvéderm is a hyaluronic acid gel used to fill lines and wrinkles around the mouth. Hyaluronic acid binds to and absorbs water in the dermis (the layer of skin between the epidermis, the outer layer of skin that we see every day, and the connective tissue inside our bodies). As we age, our bodies don’t produce as much hyaluronic acid as before, leading to shrinking and volume in the dermis, which appear as wrinkles in the epidermis.

If you’d like to start 2012 looking as beautiful as you feel, contact Dr. Maddox and his team at Thrive Portland to schedule an initial consultation.