With hyaluronic acid – Get your glow on with hyaluronic acid

Hyaluronic acid is an oligosaccharide produced by the human body itself. It is found in larger quantities mainly in the skin, bones and intervertebral discs, in the joint fluid and in the vitreous of the eye. In the medical therapy field, hyaluronic acid is used to treat joint wear. In plastic surgery, injections with hyaluronic acid are also a very successful anti-aging method. Subcutaneous injections of hyaluronic acid are used mainly to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, facial folds, and to create structure, framework and volume to the face and lips.

An anti-aging injection with hyaluronic acid also includes small amounts of a viscous gel. This gel penetrates the skin, where it stores moisture and mixes with the hyaluronic acid that occurs naturally in the dermis. The volumizing effect of hyaluronic acid allows your skin to regain a firm, youthful appearance with significantly reduced wrinkles.

Hyaluronic acid biodegrades and is absorbed by the body over time. For the best result, injections must therefore be repeated at regular intervals.

The duration of the injection depends on the number of wrinkles to be treated. As a rule, one session lasts between 15 and 30 minutes.

Hyaluronic acid breaks down naturally in the body. How long the effect of the hyaluronic acid lasts is individual and depends on the following factors:

• Skin type
• Mass of the wrinkle to be corrected
• Filler material used
• Injection zone
• Injected quantity

As a rule, you will benefit from the positive effect of an injection for around eight to 12 months. If a denser hyaluronic acid is used, which gives more volume and is injected into certain zones of the face (dark circles, cheek, etc.), the result can last even longer.

Hyaluronic acid is a natural, mostly well-tolerated component of the skin. In certain cases, nonetheless, injections with hyaluronic acid can provoke skin reactions.

Possible skin reactions are redness, bruising, ecchymosis, edema and itching. In some cases, the injection may cause slight pain at the injection site. These effects usually subside after a few days. Rarely, induration or nodules may occur at the injection site between 15 days and three months after the injection. Temporary discoloration of the injection site may also occur. Such reactions occur extremely rarely and usually subside quickly.

Injections with hyaluronic acid are carried out using very fine needles of only a few millimeters in diameter, which makes the prick almost imperceptible. The pain will depend on the treated area and your individual sensitivity to pain. If you are very sensitive to pain, your attending physician may prescribe a lidocaine-based local anesthetic to be applied as a cream. For a pleasant, low-pain treatment, please apply it around 20 minutes before the injection.

You will see the positive effect of hyaluronic acid injections immediately after the treatment. Although your wrinkles have already been filled by the injection, the definitive result unfolds around ten days after the treatment. The body needs this time to fully absorb the hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid consists of an absorbable compound. Its effect is therefore limited to around eight to 12 months.

We do not recommend injections with hyaluronic acid in the following cases:

• Pregnancy and breastfeeding
• Antibiotic treatment with aminoglycosides (amikacin, gentamicin, streptomycin)
• Recent treatment with anticoagulants
• Recent treatment with anti-inflammatory agents
• Known hypersensitivity to botulinum toxin
• Severe myasthenia
• Lambert-Eaton syndrome

We ask you to inform us if you are taking any medication.

Please do not massage the treated area following a hyaluronic acid injection. We also recommend that you do not wear a tight-fitting hat/cap, that you avoid sauna and hammam visits and that you do not travel by air for the first 24 hours after the injection.

Hyaluronic acid is one of the safest injectable materials available on the market. Nevertheless, in rare cases inflammatory reactions can occur. This allergy risk is, however, extremely low: only one patient out of 2,000 has a hypersensitivity reaction.

For eight days before an injection with hyaluronic acid we ask you to refrain from taking any medications that contain acetylsalicylic acid or that have anti-inflammatory effects. Avoiding such medications will minimize the occurrence of minor edemas and hematomas.

If your skin reacts quickly by swelling and bruising, we recommend that you take arnica tablets, starting two to three days before the hyaluronic acid injection and continuing until the first day after the treatment. Doing this will reduce the risk of bruising to a minimum.