Collagen

Injectable collagen (Cosmoderm, Cosmoplast, Zyderm, Zyplast) is like the natural supporting protein found in humans, but is made from purified cow or human collagen. It is used to treat wrinkles, facial lines, and scarring. Collagen is injected beneath the surface of the skin where it corrects the wrinkle or scar by temporarily plumping or filling out the skin depression. Conditions that respond well to collagen treatment include frown lines, lines around the mouth, worry lines, crows feet, smile lines, and facial scarring from acne or injury. Collagen has been used in millions of people since 1981. Its chief risk is an allergic reaction to the injected collagen when bovine collagen is used. This risk is minimized by giving two skin tests a few weeks apart to tell if you have an existing allergy to the collagen. If the skin tests are negative (and 97% are negative) treatment can proceed. With the use of human collagen (Cosmoderm, Cosmoplast), no skin test is necessary. Most patients prefer the convenience and lower risk of human compared to bovine collagen. In the office, we inject the collagen just below the surface of the skin with a very fine needle. A topical anesthetic cream may be used beforehand to minimize discomfort. During a series of treatment sessions, a person receives the amount of collagen necessary to "fill out" the lines and wrinkles or raise the scar depression up to the level of the surrounding skin. There may be some swelling or minor bruising, which usually fades in a matter of hours to days. The length of time the correction lasts depends on many factors. Typically, 4 to 8 months may go by before touch-up or maintenance treatments are required.