When we talk about the definition of a youthful skin, one may instantly think of a skin being free from wrinkles, free from pigmentations, well hydrated, with no signs of laxity. But have we ever thought about how a youthful skin should feel? We touch our skin much more frequently than we look at it every day. Of course, elasticity is what we are always taught to treat, but it is just a part of it. One essential element of a youthful skin is the ability for the skin to rebound. To truly restore the skin’s rebound ability, we need to improve both dermal elasticity and supporting subdermal layer. The application of TEOSYAL REDENSITY® [I] (made of a mixture of non-crosslinked Hyaluronic Acid (HA), oligonutrients, antioxidants and a vitamin) has been well acknowledged and practiced for dermal rejuvenation.
However, how are we going to further improve an ageing skin to regain its rebound ability? As mentioned, we also need to improve the supporting subdermal layer. Injecting a conventional HA gel into this extremely dynamic region would often cause the gel to overstretch and break apart resulting in multiple subdermal nodules. The revolutionary dynamic rheology from TEOSYAL® RHA (RHA) offers effective solutions. Placing a highly stretchable HA gel like TEOSYAL® RHA 1 (RHA 1, made of a mix of non-crosslinked and crosslinked HA with a modification degree of 1.9%) into the subdermal layer** will instantly restore its rebound ability. The integration of RHA 1 into the existing TEOSYAL REDENSITY® [I] protocol (Fig.1) not only enables us to re-densify the skin, but also truly helps patients to regain their youthful skin.
Figure 1
In practice, I choose to place a thin layer of RHA 1 using the fanning technique (fig.2) into the subdermal layer, with a 25G 50mm cannula for better coverage.** More than 0.5mL of RHA 1 per side is not advised as we do not want a volumetric change to the facial contours. Then I continue with the intradermal TEOSYAL REDENSITY® [I]. This “RHA 1 – REDENSITY® [I]” protocol can be effectively used to treat the neck as well. Very commonly, doctors treat horizontal neck lines by tracing it with an HA filler. But the results are often suboptimal and short lasting. First, we must understand that the presence of horizontal neck lines is not necessarily a sign of ageing. But the worsening is. So, we really need to rejuvenate the skin of the whole neck. Practically, I apply the same technique I use on the face (fig.2), except for a 27G cannula** which is easier to manoeuver in such a fibrotic region.
Figure 2
The introduction of these two protocols not only allows me to achieve truly unique results that patients can feel, but also opens up new possibilities on neck rejuvenation. Once my patients feel what RHA can achieve on their face, they have no hesitations following the neck protocol when I recommend it. Patients are much more willing to come back for repeated treatments and also have higher referral rate.
