What is a liquid facelift?

What is a Liquid Facelift?

The most immediate procedures we may think of when it comes to facelifts might include surgical implants and threading. However, the thought of surgery or inserting a barbed thread through your facial skin might not appeal to the ears or be the way you want to start off an anti-aging regimen. A more appealing procedure, liquid injections, either plump up the skin with filler or stimulate your own collagen regeneration and could be a less-invasive way to retain a younger appearance. Collagen fillers have been a standard for years already but there are also newer fillers that include hyaluronic acid, calcium hydroxylapatite and lactic acid that tend to increase the moisture level of the skin, too.[1] Out of all the above-mentioned options, however, and well-known in the cosmetic industry for its long-lasting results out of a list of competing liquid injection brand names comes from a company called Ellansé.

Ellansé offers collagen-stimulating, liquid filler facelift injections that stimulate the body’s own collagen reformation. Within the Ellansé product profile, four subtypes exist that last visibly anywhere between a year to four years:

• S – 12 months

• M – 24 months

• L – 36 months

• E – 48 months [2]

What happens to our face as we age?

Aging skin loses its structural proteins over the years, becoming pruny, saggy and less elastic than it once felt. The lack of structure unfortunately stems from subsiding levels of collagen and elastin in your skin, but this is of course a natural process we cannot entirely avoid. As we age these particular scenarios occur:

• Collagen levels decrease

• Collagen fibers develop new histological characteristics; i.e., redistribution, density, volume and angle changes

• Ultrastructural collagen network disorganization

• Fragmentation of fibrils and reduced fibroblast strength leads to higher oxidant levels in the skin and further degeneration, delayed wound healing, reduced blood flow, propensity to bruise, and thin skin

• Facial muscles become tense and atrophic

• Facial features sag and droop

• Fat pads drift apart

• Fat pads lose density and contribute to an unflattering contour

• Fat accumulation may lead to permanent puffiness [3][4]

What are the main components to the Ellansé filler?

Ellansé contains microspheres suspended in a sterile, vegan, carrier gel of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). The microspheres are made from polycaprolactone (PCL), which is a dense, round, biocompatible and biodegradable polymer particle. This ingredient has been safely used in the biomedical field for more than 70 years and has been a useful substance in the making of sutures, even 3D printing of tissue and organ replacements, and now for collagen stimulation as well.[5][6]

Procedure and aftercare

A typical Ellansé treatment is minimally invasive by nature and speedy, with approximately only 30 minutes needed to complete the procedure. Certain factors may decrease or increase the total time required, like the identified areas of focus, amount of filler needed and personal technique of the physician. Many people leaving reviews swear by the results, claim it was nearly painless and that puffiness subsided quickly. For general precautionary measures, it is recommended to avoid makeup, heat exposure, facial massaging and vigorous exercise for at least 24 hours and refrain from over-exposing the facial skin to sunlight and UV light for 1 week after treatment.[7]

For such a good market reputation and with long-lasting results, our clinic stands by Ellansé Liquid Facelift as a quality anti-aging treatment. Read through our clinic’s full list of procedures and prices to learn more. 

Sources:

[1] Cole, Gary W. “Wrinkles: Facts on Treatments and Cosmetic Procedures.” Edited by William C. Shiel, MedicineNet, WebMD LLC, 23 Oct. 2018, www.medicinenet.com/wrinkles/article.htm#what_treatments_and_procedures_....

[2] “Introducing ELLANSÉ.” Ellansé, W321.01 Ellansé, 22 May 2020, ellanse.com/introducing-ellanse/.

[3] Fisher, Gary J., et al. “Collagen Fragmentation Promotes Oxidative Stress and Elevates Matrix Metalloproteinase-1 in Fibroblasts in Aged Human Skin.” The American Journal of Pathology, vol. 174, no. 1, Jan. 2009, pp. 101–114., doi:10.2353/ajpath.2009.080599.

[4] Sifaki, Maria, et al. “A Novel Approach Regarding the Anti-Aging of Facial Skin through Collagen Reorganization.” Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, vol. 19, no. 1, 27 Nov. 2019, pp. 717–721., doi:10.3892/etm.2019.8254.

[5] “Introducing ELLANSÉ”, Ibid.

[6] Christen, Marie-Odile, and Franco Vercesi. “Polycaprolactone: How a Well-Known and Futuristic Polymer Has Become an Innovative Collagen-Stimulator in Esthetics.” Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, vol. 13, Jan. 2020, pp. 31–48., doi:10.2147/ccid.s229054.

[7] “Aftercare.” Ellansé, W321.01 Ellansé, 27 Apr. 2020, ellanse.com/your-treatment/#aftercare.