Collagen
Collagen is a natural protein that occurs in everyone. When you’re young, you’ve got plenty of collagen, which provides a natural structural support to our skin. As we age, the collagen breaks down and is ineffective, so replacing it is necessary to keep a youthful look to your skin.
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The use of collagen in plastic surgery is great way to help strengthen and replace damaged collagen in the skin. This type of therapy is a good alternative to a facelift and looks very natural, while still bringing a very youthful look to the face.
Collagen fibers are woven together like loom threads, creating a frame for new cells to use as they grow. This collagen gives the skin good texture, makes it resilient, and gives it shape. Disease, aging and injury cause collagen damage, leading to skin that looks wrinkled and unhealthy.
Cosmetic use of collagen reverses this damage. By replacing the damaged collagen in your skin with pure, bovine collagen, the collagen network in the skin is strengthened with extra support. The areas where your skin’s collagen has weakened turn into visible wrinkles or depressions. This animal collagen that is injected into the skin lifts the skin in those depressions and wrinkles to the height of the surrounding skin.
This routine plastic surgery procedure restores texture and tone to the skin, while minimizing lines and wrinkles and giving the skin a softer feel.
The use of injectable animal collagen in humans has been used routinely since the 1970s. The first research into the topic was in response to a desire to find an alternative to skin grafts. The Stanford researchers working on this problem began to use animal collagen in increasingly purified forms to replace the tissue lost in the skin.
As the research continued past the use in skin grafts, theses researchers developed Zyderm Collagen and Zyplast Collagen for cosmetic use.
Many people find that they feel better about themselves and really enjoy the pampering that comes from using these safe and effective injections.
There are other injectable procedures as well, such as lip fillers, Botox, and Juvaderm. Any of these injectable substances will add fullness and texture to your skin, and make you look years younger instantly.
Your self worth and physical appearance will both benefit greatly from the smoother texture and younger look of your skin after a collagen injection.
Not everyone is a great candidate for collagen, although there are many people who truly benefit from the procedure. Before scheduling the treatment, your doctor will review your medical history, and will perform a simple skin test to see if you are a good risk.
There are some indicators that collagen may not be the right answer, like severe allergies to any cow related products, severe allergic reactions in general, the use of coricosteroid or immunisuppressive drugs, or a sensitivity to lidocaine.
The simple skin test involves the doctor injecting a small amount of college just below the surface of the skin on the forearm. The doctor and patient both watch the arm for 4 weeks to be sure there is no reaction to the test.
