Various treatments can help improve your skin after weight loss, and the right approach for you depends on your needs.
Dermal Fillers
Juvéderm and Restylane Dermal filler is one of the most effective and instant fixes for loss of volume as a result of facial weight loss, Shafer says. Of those, hyaluronic acid fillers, including Juvéderm and Restylane, are the most popular. There are a few different types of dermal filler.
“While these are not permanent fixes, the dermal fillers, when injected by experienced injectors, can give very nice and natural results,” Shafer says.
Results from these types of fillers can last between six months and two years, “but ‘lasting’ does not mean the full effect is present for the entire time,” Shafer notes. “If a filler is said to last two years, I suggest topping up after one year. So, if you did two syringes to reach your full effect during your initial treatment, then you may need one syringe annually to maintain the results. Everyone’s body metabolizes differently, so patients need to understand that a filler may last longer or shorter in different people.”
Calcium Hydroxylapatite (Radiesse) and Poly-L-Lactic Acid (Sculptra) These are two other dermal fillers. Per Shafer, Radiesse and Sculptra differ from the more popular hyaluronic acid fillers Juvéderm and Restylane.
“Radiesse has gel microspheres, which add volume but also stimulate natural collagen,” he says. It is most similar to hyaluronic acid fillers in that dermatologists can use it for pinpoint injections and definition. The effects last one to two years.
Sculptra, which can take several sessions to see final results, “also works by stimulating natural collagen production under the skin,” he says. Sculptra can last two to three years once you meet your goals and is better for generalized filling than Radiesse.
“The cost will depend on how much you do and how many treatment sessions you need to obtain your ideal results,” says Saedi. These typically are about $1,000 per syringe, and patients will need multiple syringes each visit.
Lasers and Energy Based Devices
Here’s how radiofrequency microneedling works: “Small needles pierce the skin and send energy below the surface to stimulate collagen and tighten the skin,” he says. “The microneedles penetrate and reach the deeper levels that lasers can’t treat.”
While one treatment usually produces the desired results, two to three treatments may be necessary. Prices typically start at $3,500 but vary by treatment area and often have discounts as part of a package.
Prices start at $3,500 and vary depending on body area and skin laxity; most people need one treatment per year. “Also, patients need to be prepared for longer recovery time than technologies that focus the energy deeper,” he says, adding that combining treatment modalities can yield better results than just one type of treatment. “It is also important to note that energy-based skin tightening, including CO2 lasers, is not equivalent to surgical skin tightening. Energy treatments cannot match the degree of tightening achievable with surgical excision.”
Shafer says microfocused ultrasound treatments like these use ultrasound energy to stimulate the formation of collagen below the skin’s surface. Producing collagen takes time, so results can become more apparent over two to three months or sometimes up to six months.
The procedure takes about 30 to 90 minutes, depending on the area treated, and there is no downtime afterward. Treatments start at $2,000 but vary by body area. “The majority of patients only need one treatment. However, some may benefit from more than one treatment, depending on how much skin laxity they have and their body’s own biological response to the ultrasound and the collagen-building process,” he says.
Follow-up Ultherapy or Sofwave treatments each year may help maintain results.
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