Collagen Injections
Zyderm/Zyplast™
Of the many injectable materials that Dr. Maas offers, Bovine (derived from cow skin) collagen, called Zyderm™ and Zyplast™, have the longest history of use in the treatment of facial aging. For over twenty years, the collagen injections Zyderm™ and Zyplast™ have been injected in wrinkles and scars, softening their appearance. A skin test is initially performed to insure the patient is not allergic to the material. For those patients who are not allergic (about 97% of the population), periodic injection treatments may be performed in the office with these material in and around the borders of the lips, the nasolabial folds (smile lines), oral commissures (marionette lines), and glabellar (frown) lines. The results give well-defined, fuller-looking lips and a softening of the wrinkles treated. The procedure is simple and, although their will be a moderate amount of swelling, most patients with makeup, will look presentable the same day.
The difference between Zyderm™ and Zyplast™ is the “cross linking” of the molecules in Zyplast™, which results in a longer lasting, more robust product, better suited for deeper, more pronounced lines and folds, whereas Zyderm™ is more suited for the smoothing of finer facial lines and wrinkles.
Cosmoderm/Cosmoplast
Cosmoderm and Cosmoplast are newer products manufactured by the same company that manufactures Zyderm™ and Zyplast™. The products are similar in nature. They are used to treat the same areas and the performance of the product is the same. The difference is Cosmoderm and Cosmoplast are derived from human tissues, and therefore offer bovine sensitive patients a non-allergenic alternative to Zyderm™ and Zyplast™. The difference between Cosmoderm and Cosmoplast is similar to the difference between Zyderm™ and Zyplast™, in that the cross-linking process that Cosmoplast undergoes results in a longer lasting, more robust product type, better suited for deeper, more pronounced facial folds, whereas Cosmoderm is more suited for the smoothing of finer lines and wrinkles.
Persistence
Although the Collagen injection family of products has a long track record established, the products have been somewhat eclipsed in recent years by newer products designed to retain more constancy in volume and greater resistance to degradation, thereby leading to a longer lasting result for the patient.
Excerpts from Dr. Maas’ most recent research and clinical papers:
Zyderm™ collagen is derived from cowhide and is a purified suspension of bovine dermal collagen. The processing of this material includes purification enzymatic degradation, and sterilization. During this process, the majority of antigenic potential is removed from the telopeptide regions of the molecule without disruption of the natural helical structure, making it more immunologically compatible to human tissue.
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