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As a Plastic Surgeon at Los Angeles Plastic Surgery who practices with considerable emphasis on facial rejuvenation, I find that most patients have a lot of misconceptions and fears about non-surgical treatments such as injectable dermal fillers and potential side effects and allergies. This newsletter is a public service to elucidate and clarify some important therapeutic aspects of the popular injectable fillers.

Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring sugar found in all mammals. It is a material contained in various tissues. The role of hyaluronic acid in the skin is to deliver nutrients, hydrate the skin by holding water, and to act as cushioning agent.

Injectable hyaluronic acid will be dissolved over time by the action of an enzyme called hyaluronidase. However, the body fills in the space where filler got dissolved with newly formed collagen. This new collagen acts as a permanent filler. Therefore, the beauty of hyaluronic acid fillers is that they create a very long-lasting effect aided by new collagen formation.

The main types of injectable dermal fillers that I use are:

  • Hylaform (Made by Allergan)
  • Juvederm Ultra, Juvedem Ultra Plus, Juvderm Voluma, Juvederm Volux, Juvederm Volbella, Juvederm Vollure (Made by Allergan)
  • Restylane, Restylane Lyft, Restylane Silk, Restylane Defyne, Restylane Refyne, Restylane Skin Boosters, Restylane Perlane, Restylane Macrolane (Made Galdema). Macrolane exists in Europe and Asia for breast augmentation and buttock augmentation
  • Prevelle Silk (Made by Mentor)
  • Anika (Made by Anika Therapeutics)
  • Radiesse (made by Merz Aestheics)
  • Sculptra (Made by Galderma)
  • Hyacorp HA German filler used for non-surgical buttock augmentation.

Out of all the injectable fillers mentioned above I use predominately all Juvederm and Restylane products for the face and neck.

I use Radiesse for the cheek augmentation where I find it most volumizing. The other great filler for the cheek is Juvederm Voluma.

I also use Radiesse for hand rejuvenation and jawline augmentation. Juvederm Voluma and Juvederm Volux are also good injectable fillers for jawline augmentation and chin augmentation.
Sculptra is good for facial volume augmentation and is also used for gluteal augmentation. The German hyaluronic acid filler Hyacorp HA is much more effective and cost-effective for non-surgical gluteal augmentation.

Hyaluronic acid can be synthetically produced from animal tissues, chemically stabilized and then purified to be used as injectable gel. Hylaform is an animal-origin stabilized hyaluronic acid.

I use almost exclusively Juvederm, Juvederm Voluma, Restylane, and Perlane products. These products are the result of bacterial fermentation. They are synthetic products and non-animal derived.

If the hyaluronic acid is non-animal derived it theoretically has lesser chance of causing an allergic reaction or elicit any immune or auto-immune response.

True auto-immune responses against these products have not been supported by the medical literature. What is known is that these products should be avoided by people who have a known history of multiple and severe allergies. However, even in such patients it is not known if synthetic hyaluronic acid products could elicit or contribute to an allergy.

If certain patients have a known allergy to the gram positive bacterial proteins used in the synthesis of hyaluronic acid, then we avoid injecting those rare patients with hyaluronic acid materials.

Antibodies do form against hyaluronic acid synthetic material. These antibodies may reduce the effectiveness of hyaluronic acid injections, especially after repeat treatments. The health significance of these antibodies has not been determined yet. In such cases, micro fat transfer procedure is a good alternative.

The longevity of Hyaluronic acid fillers varies based on location, type, and use. Juvederm Voluma is one of the newest fillers in the US market and the manufacturer claims it may last up to 2 years. My experience is it does so for about 18 months. I love using Voluma for cheek augmentation and lifting. The result is immediate and it effectively accentuates cheek bone prominence which is a sign of extreme beauty.

Non-Surgical Treatments

The realm of non-surgical cosmetic treatments has changed drastically in the last few decades. Incredible advancements have been made in anti-aging treatments and non-invasive procedures to improve the appearance of the face and body. From Botox® and facial fillers to skin treatments and fat-dissolving injections, cosmetic non-surgical treatments can provide phenomenal results with or without plastic surgery. Dr. John Anastasatos and our team at Los Angeles Plastic Surgery are happy to offer a wide variety of non-surgical treatments at our clinic in Beverly Hills.

Most people know that cosmetic treatments can be used to smooth away wrinkles and lines on the face. However, they can do much more than just fill a wrinkle or relax frown lines. Non-surgical cosmetic treatments can slow the aging process and improve or extend the results of surgical procedures, like facelifts. Skin elasticity and health can be improved, and some lifting and definition can be temporarily obtained with certain non-surgical treatments.

Cosmetic Injections and Skin Treatments

Want to shrink a double chin without surgery or repair sun damage on the skin? Cosmetic injections and skin treatments can be a non-invasive way to improve your appearance. Whether or not you choose to have plastic surgery, non-surgical treatments can help you improve your appearance. Some of the treatments we offer include:


Cosmetic treatments can give you a chance to achieve quick changes to your appearance without surgery. Many types of cosmetic injections can be performed on a lunch break without any downtime, offering a fast, discreet option to give your appearance a boost.

Are you interested in learning how you can improve your appearance with non-surgical cosmetic treatments? Contact our team at Los Angeles Plastic Surgery to schedule a consultation with Dr. Anastasatos to learn more about the benefits of our non-surgical treatments.

Offices in California and Greece Schedule Your Consultation Now!

Beverly Hills Location

WhatsApp/Viber: +1 949 584 2860
436 North Bedford Drive Suite 215
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Greece Location

Palas Kefalari
Kolokotroni 23
Kifisia, 145 62
Athens, Greece
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Beverly Hills Location

436 North Bedford Drive Suite 215
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
WhatsApp/Viber: +1 949 584 2860

Greece Location

Palas Kefalari
Kolokotroni 23
Kifisia, 145 62
Athens, Greece