Injectables

Lines, wrinkles, areas of volume loss — we all have them. Blame declining collagen production as we age. Blame thinning skin. Blame hundreds of thousands of muscle contractions. Blame the sun.

But you don’t have to put up with all of that. At North Scottsdale Med Spa we offer every type of injectable — neuromodulators like Botox®, dermal fillers like Restylane®, even specialized injectables like Kybella. They’ll erase your wrinkles and return the volume to areas such as the cheeks.

What Are Injectables?

Injectables are a growing area of the aesthetic world, as they enable people to address aging without surgery. Injectables are broken into two categories, along with Kybella® (we’ll get to that in a bit). They are categorized based on how they function and the type of wrinkles and lines they erase. Injectables provide different lengths of results; the body eventually absorbs them all at some point. When that happens, the wrinkles and lines will return, but another session with our team at North Scottsdale Med Spa will keep those wrinkles at bay.

What Are The Different Types Of Injectables?

Patients clump injectables together, but there are two completely different groups: neuromodulators and dermal fillers. Here’s how they differ from each other.

Neuromodulators

The most well known injectable the world over is a neuromodulator, Botox®. Neuromodulators consist of the botulinum toxin type A, along with some additional proteins. The botulinum toxin is the same bacteria that can cause botulism, but they are also found throughout the natural world. The fact that these bacteria cause botulism seems scary, but it’s not. Way back in the 1950s, scientists discovered that when minuscule amounts of the toxin were injected into a muscle the muscle stopped contracting for a period of time. Botox was a direct result of this research.

How Do Neuromodulators Work?

Once injected, neuromodulators work by blocking the nerve messenger, acetylcholine, from transmitting messages from the muscles to the brain. The brain never receives the message to contract the muscle, so the muscle remains relaxed. This obviously had immediate implications for health issues involving involuntary muscle spasms. In fact, that was the first FDA approval for the use of Botox® in 1996 — to treat involuntary eyelid spasms, a condition known as blepharospasm.

But it was 2002 when Botox® became a rock star of the aesthetic world. That was the year the FDA approved Botox® for cosmetic use to erase frown lines and forehead lines on the upper third of the face. (Approval to treat crow’s feet was added in 2011, although Botox® had long been used off label for that.) Every year since 2002, Botox® injections have been the world’s most popular cosmetic procedure, surgical and non-surgical, across the globe.

How To Treat Dynamic Wrinkles

Botox® works its magic on what are known as “dynamic” wrinkles. These are wrinkles that form when we make expressions such as frowning, showing surprise, or squinting. Go ahead, form a frown. You can feel the muscles engage around the eyes, between the brows, and on the forehead. Over time and hundreds of thousands of muscle contractions, wrinkles begin to form on the skin above those contracting muscles. These are crow’s feet at the outside of our eyes, glabellar/frown lines between the brows, and forehead lines. When Botox® or Dysport® (the other neuromodulator we offer at North Scottsdale Med Spa) is injected into these muscles, the muscles remain at rest so the wrinkles that form on the surface don’t form.

Dermal Fillers

Dermal fillers are the other category of injectables. True to their name, dermal fillers are injected beneath a wrinkle or crease and they add instant volume, pushing the skin back up and erasing the wrinkle. They can also instantly return the volume to areas that have flattened, such as the cheeks, the lips, and the backs of the hands.

What Is The Difference Between The Various Dermal Fillers?

Dermal fillers are categorized as “natural” or “synthetic.” Natural fillers — the entire Juvederm® and Restylane® lines are the most popular — are made from hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring substance in the human body responsible for hydrating, plumping, and firming the skin. Hyaluronic acid does this by binding with nearby water molecules. Belotero® is another hyaluronic acid filler we offer at North Scottsdale Med Spa.

Synthetic Fillers Vs. Dermal Fillers

Synthetic fillers use manmade ingredients, such as calcium microspheres, to add volume and encourage new collagen production. We don’t offer synthetic fillers at North Scottsdale Med Spa. Dermal fillers only work on what is known as “static” wrinkles. These are wrinkles caused by sun damage, declining collagen production, personal habits such as smoking, and other factors. Static wrinkles show themselves at all times; they have nothing to do with muscle contractions.

Neuromodulators Vs. Dermal Fillers

Botox (and Dysport) only work on dynamic wrinkles on the upper third of the face. Dermal fillers only work on static wrinkles on the mid to lower face. At North Scottsdale, we offer the complete line of Juvederm® fillers (Juvederm, Ultra, Volbella, Vollure, and Voluma) and the entire line of Restylane® fillers ( Restylane, Defyne, Refyne, Lyft, and Silk). We also offer Belotero®.

Kybella

Kybella® is a wild card in the injectable world. It is used only to address the double chin, clinically known as submental fullness. It is an injectable, technically, but it is completely different than a neuromodulator or a filler. Kybella® is essentially made from deoxycholic acid, which occurs naturally in the body. The job of deoxycholic acid in the body is to aid in the breakdown and absorption of dietary fat.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Does Kybella Work?

Deoxycholic acid doesn’t discriminate between dietary fat you eat and existing fat that accumulates under our chin in the jowls. So, when Kybella® is injected into the jowls, it immediately attacks and breaks down the fat it encounters. Over the next few weeks, the body removes the destroyed fat cells and this reduces the jowls. Kybella® dramatically slims the profile.

Is Kybella FDA Approved?

Kybella® is only approved for use by treating double chins.

Are Injectables Painful?

Injectables are delivered through injections, and this can cause some mild discomfort. Botox® and Dysport® are delivered with very tiny needles and they are not injected to great depth, so most of our patients don’t feel the need for any topical numbing cream beforehand.

Dermal fillers can be injected to a greater depth to return the volume to an area. For that reason, we apply topical numbing anesthetic prior to your session to keep you comfortable. Many of the fillers we offer also have some Lidocaine in the formula to help keep you comfortable. Kybella® is injected in a series of injections across the jowls. Most people don’t feel the need for topical numbing.

Are Injectables Safe?

All of these products have been extensively tested and have been approved by the FDA. They are safe and effective. The injector plays an important role in your results. At North Scottsdale Med Spa, Karen Minow-Tavary RN, CLT, Aesthetic Nurse Injector, has received extensive training with all of the injectables we offer, so you’ll be sure to get the results you seek.

What Are The Side Effects Of Injectables?

After these injections, the sites can be slightly red and may have slight swelling. With Botox® and Dysport®, patients can develop a mild headache for a few hours after their injections. With these neuromodulators, it’s important for the patient to not rub the injection sites for 24 hours, as this can make the neuromodulator migrate to an unwanted muscle and create a problem such as a drooping eyelid. Kybella® usually involves more swelling, especially following the first injection session (the FDA has cleared Kybella® for up to six injection sessions).

Could There Be Any Complications When Using Injectables?

We will discuss possible complications with you prior to your injections with all of the injectables we offer at North Scottsdale Med Spa.

How Much Do Injectables Cost?

Injectables are priced by the unit. This varies with the individual product. Plus, different patients need more or less of certain products just based on their own unique situation. Prior to your session, we can usually give you a good idea of how much product you’ll need and the corresponding cost.