Dermal Fillers and Injectables in Colorado Springs

We charge a premium because of our expertise at providing safe, consistent, and reliable results in line with other respectable plastic surgery offices and medical spas. We are not the cheapest location for these services, and we unapologetically charge a premium because most of our most patients and those seeking quality results value a premium result. Do you really wish to subject your face to a “discounted” result? We see patients every week that chose the cheap route elsewhere then come to Springs Aesthetics for better results and experience. An analogy is you can’t get a Mercedes at an expected Dodge price. Our pricing also includes complimentary bruise treatments for those that need it with IPL, which is not available by most injectors.

They work very well in the hand of well trained and experienced injectors.  Dr. Burroughs has been injecting botulinums for over 20 years.  Depending upon the location of injection and dosing they can last up to 6 months or longer.  Typically and in most areas of the face they last 3-4 months.  Men need larger doses and oftentimes more injection sites.

Yes and no.  They all have the same mechanism of action to reduce acetylcholine effect in the nerve muscle junctions.  This is a temporary effect that takes months to be restored.  Dysport generally has a faster onset with a wider zone of effect, but may not last as long in some patients.  It can be advantageous because of its wider effect in the upper forehead and crows feet areas.  Xeomin and Botox are dosed the same with multi-study demonstration of equal effect and duration.  Interestingly, Dysport take about 3 times the number of units as compared to the others, but also comes with 300 units per bottle as compared to the others usually in 100 unit bottles.  Wrinkle blockers start to show effect within 2-3 days, and peak at about 2-3 weeks following injection.

Typically no.  Dr. Burroughs has never seen an allergic reaction.  The albumin in these products carries an extremely remote risk of infection.  Injectors should only use what’s called luer-lock syringes that will, when properly placed, prevent a needle expulsion injury.  Needles accidentally shooting off a syringe has happened and even caused serious eye injury and vision loss.  The biggest risk outside of a bruise with wrinkle blocker injections is unwanted sagging of tissues or asymmetrical result.

No.  Regular activities and use of the muscles injected helps uptake.  Surgery or other invasive procedures of the face should not be performed right before or right after to minimize the risk of unwanted dissemination of the botulinum to areas that could cause eyelid drooping (ptosis) or a stroke appearance.

The best and safest injectors have received professional training.  They also should work under the medical supervision of an appropriate aesthetic physician (e.g., plastic surgeon, dermatologist).  Completely unsupervised injections should never occur.  Dr. Burroughs has performed cosmetic botulinum injections for 20 years, and has taught best practices to other physicians, at cosmetic symposia, and published these techniques.   At Springs Aesthetics your injections will be either with Dr. Burroughs or a nurse that he has ensured has had professional training and additional training by Dr. Burroughs. Before getting cosmetic injections, you should always check the credentials of the injector, their local reputation, that they use only legal botulinums, practice blood safety precautions, and use fresh/undiluted botulinum wrinkle blockers.  Your results and safety should not be dictated by price.  Having cosmetic injections of the face should not be left to poorly trained, poorly supervised, and low-volume injectors.  Seeking the best price from those that must heavily advertise on social media, Groupon, Living Local, or in other media to garner patients should be a warning sign.  Springs Aesthetics and Dr. Burroughs in particular have many injection patients that come from other injectors and practices because of unwanted or displeasing results.  You shouldn’t pursue beauty by trying to save money.

All botulinums have to be reconstituted with solution to take the processed botulinum that looks like a fine to fluffy powder to an injectable solution form.  The use of preserved saline offers better patient comfort.  Sometimes and only rarely, injectable botulinum will be diluted to spread the effect with the same number of units.  This can sometimes be helpful in the forehead to improve the forehead lines without over paralyzing them and causing the brows to fall.

Yes and yes.  Over time a patient may require less units than before because of consistent and continual treatment over time that helps weaken the wrinkling muscles.  Other patients may over time require more injections and at higher doses to get the same effect because of a resistance build up.  In these circumstances sometimes switching to a different brand botulinum can help, and many patients find switching to Xeomin, which is a more “pure” form with less attached protein.  You can’t compare the number units you need from a family member or friend.  There are too many variables from the strength of the muscles, to the anatomic width or height of the muscles, and even of the skin thickness.

Yes.  A colleague and friend of Dr. Burroughs developed an over-the-counter product that can boost the effect and in some patients improve longevity.  This oral supplement is called Zytase, which contains an optimal ratio of phytase (enzyme that boosts zinc uptake by the gut) and Zinc.  The Zinc has been beneficial to the efficacy of wrinkle blocker and functional botulinum neuromodulators.  Zytase can be purchased online from the ocusoft website.  Only Zytase contains the precisely studied optimal ratio and amounts for this beneficial improvement as compared to going to the health store and buying them on your own.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) dermal fillers have replaced collagen as the “go to” option for facial fillers at Dr. John Burroughs’ practice in Colorado Springs. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance in the body and is essential for the appearance of plump, youthful looking skin. Because the body produces HA naturally, it is unlikely to cause an allergic reaction, and it gives a smoother, more natural appearance to the skin than collagen. In addition to looking and feeling more natural, hyaluronic acid fillers last longer than collagen fillers. HA fillers have been shown to last anywhere from six to 12 months (possibly longer, depending on the metabolism of the patient). Another advantage of HA fillers is that they are reversible. Though rarely needed, there is an enzyme called hyaluronidase that can be injected to reverse any unwanted cosmetic results within 24 hours.

Fillers are synthetic materials that are injected into the face to increase lip, cheek or chin volume. Fillers can also be used to reduce the nasolabial fold and to fill skin creases. In some cases, filler can be used to treat the hollows beneath the eyes. Filler treatments are no-recovery treatments that can be performed over the lunch hour.

The primary fillers Dr. Burroughs uses are Restylane , Radiesse , and Belotero. Each patient is an individual, so each situation is ideally treated with an individualized approach.

Dermal filler injections typically cause a consistent subtle and sometime dramatic improvement in facial appearances that can be seen immediately after the injection yet with little or no recovery.

They can be.  Injections have been traditionally performed through relatively small needles.  Complications from fillers being injected into a blood vessel include skin necrosis to blindness.  This risk is reduced by many factors to include detailed anatomic awareness, the facial danger zones, use of slow injection in a retrograde fashion.  Injections done through a large-bore cannula improve safety by lessening the chance the filler could be injected into a blood vessel.  Smaller cannulas act like needles and are more risky.  Higher risk areas include the periorbital area as well as the are between the brows and upper nasolabial folds.  These areas can still be injected, but need to be done very carefully by an experienced injector through a larger sized cannula.  Digital compression of the blood vessels can improve safety in the higher risk areas.   If you ask an injector how they inject technique-wise and they can’t answer then you should seek care elsewhere.

With the passage of time, we lose volume in the face. Loss of volume results in deflation of the face. Our face is much like a round, inflatable ball. If the ball is fully inflated, there are no wrinkles on the surface. If we let some air out of the ball, wrinkles form on the surface. If more air is let out of the ball, it no longer maintains a round shape. Areas of facial volume loss also cause reduced support for the overlying skin tissues and displeasing contour features. Dermal filler essentially re-inflates the face by volumizing needed areas.

Dr. Burroughs and our highly trained nurse injectors inject the dermal fillers.

Dr. Burroughs is very experienced, and has published and taught both cosmetic and reconstructive uses for dermal fillers. He travels around the world, teaching injection best practices, safety, and techniques.  Dr. Burroughs has been injecting fillers for 15 years, and is also called upon to manage complications or displeasing results.  The other injectors at Dr. Burroughs’ office at Springs Aesthetics have been professionally trained, certified, and also trained/supervised by Dr. Burroughs.

Dermal fillers are used most frequently in the nasolabial folds (the fold between the cheek and mouth) and the lips. More and more fillers are being used to accomplish changes that formerly required face lift surgery or surgery to place cheek or chin implants. In these cases filler is injected beneath in the cheeks or chin to replace lost facial volume changes.

They both can make one look younger and more rested, but do so in different ways and in different parts of the face. Wrinkle Blocker reduces wrinkles caused by contraction of muscles by relaxing those muscles. It works best in the forehead, between the eyebrows, and in the area just lateral to the eyelids (crow’s feet wrinkles). Filler adds volume to the face and works best in the areas of the face below the eyes.

Yes. Dermal filler and Wrinkle Blocker are often used simultaneously to treat different areas of the face, resulting in a synergistic effect. Rarely, people will have very deep wrinkles in the area between the brows, crow’s feet, and forehead that do not resolve completely even when the muscle is relaxed with Wrinkle Blocker. In these situations, filler can be used in combination with Wrinkle Blocker to improve the deep wrinkle appearances.  Filler results can last longer when used in conjunction with botulinum wrinkle blocker neuromodulators.

Yes. In some cases, dermal filler injections can delay or even alleviate the problems formerly treated with cosmetic surgery. However, some issues, such as excess skin in the upper eyelids and sagging skin in the neck, cannot be improved with dermal filler. Dr. Burroughs often uses dermal filler at the time of cosmetic surgery to enhance the results of surgery.  Sometimes the dermal filler is injected in the early postoperative period to allow swelling to be reduced and to avoid the masking of features caused by swelling.

Some young people simply like having full lips. Adding filler can give one fuller lips. In middle age, there are some aging changes that alter the appearance of the lips. The upper lip gets longer which allows some of the red part of the lip to roll under, resulting in the appearance of less redness in the upper lip relative to the lower lip. There is also a loss of elasticity and volume in the skin. This allows vertical wrinkles to form in the upper and lower lips. Injecting filler into the lip can roll out the upper lip, exposing more of the red portion of the lip. Injecting filler on the edge of the red part of the lip and into the vertical wrinkles can reduce these wrinkles (“smoker lines”). These changes can be accomplished without markedly increasing the size of the lips or giving one an unnatural appearance. Restylane is a commonly used filler in the lips. These injections are typically repeated once every 6-9 months.

Some of the aging changes in the lower eyelid are caused by separation of the cheek fat from the lower eyelid fat. This leaves a depression or valley at the intersection of the lower eyelid with the cheek. Many people refer to this as a dark circle or under eye hollow “tear trough deformity.” Adding filler to this valley or depression can cause the dark circle to resolve and restoratively smooth this area to a more ideal beauty contour. Many different fillers, such as Belotero and Restylane, are commonly used to fill in the lower eyelids. These injections can last up to 2 years or longer.

No. It works better if the skin is pigmented or thicker. In lightly pigmented female patients, the skin tends to be translucent, allowing the filler to be visualized beneath the skin. This technique works better in patients of pigment and in male patients as men tend to have thicker skin in the lower eyelid. This is mainly a concern for the lower eyelids because this skin is so much thinner than the skin on rest of the face.  Belotero carries a very low risk of causing blue-gray skin color dyschromia and is ideal and very useful in more pale patients.

No. Allergic reaction to Restylane, Belotero, and Radiesse is so rare that skin testing is not recommended by the manufacturers.  There are no longer animal-based products.  The FDA-approved dermal fillers are synthetically made with low skin reactivity or allergic reactions.

It depends on the patient and the problem that is being treated. If you are not sure about the use of filler but would like to try it out, you may want to use Restylane because, if you do not like the appearance, it can reversed with an injection of a second medication. The answer to this question is best answered by consultation with Dr. Burroughs.

Very little needs to done. Some medications such as NSAIDS (e.g., Motrin), omega oils (e.g., fish oil, flax), aspirin, vitamin E, gingko, and glucosamine thin the blood and promote bruising with filler injections. If these have been prescribed by a doctor or to treat a specific medical problem such as cardiac disease, you should continue to take the medication. Otherwise, temporary discontinuation of these medications and supplements may reduce potential bruising.

Most patients experience only a temporary and minor discomfort. Dr. Burroughs is interested in making filler injections as comfortable as possible. The smallest effective needle possible is used, and some patients benefit with numbing cream to reduce the sensation of the skin. Radiesse is now mixed with a small amount of numbing medication.  Cannulas can also improve injection discomfort, reduce bruising, and are best suited in the facial high risk vascular zones.  “Distractesia” is also used very frequently whereby tapping or vibrating areas of the skin overwhelm nerve sensation lessening injection discomfort.  Cooling of the skin can also help discomfort and lessen bruising risks.  Lastly, Dr. Burroughs was one of the first to bring Pro-Nox (nitrous oxide, laughing gas) to improve comfort for injections.

One of the great things about filler injections is that it requires little or no recovery. Most patients treated with filler get little or no bruising. The exception to this is the lower eyelids where patients will often get some bruising. The face does develop some small bumps from swelling adjacent to the injection sites. These are typically resolved in about an hour. Patients often apply a cold compress over the treated portions of the face to reduce the swelling. There may be some areas that feel but do not look lumpy. This typically resolves in a week or less.  If bruising does occur then IPL treatments may be employed and are complimentary to your injection fee at Springs Aesthetics.

Yes. The United States has one of the safest drug selections of any country in the world because of safeguards put in place by the FDA. Dr. Burroughs only uses genuine FDA-approved dermal fillers procured from legal sources.  However, most injectors inject fillers in off-label locations as they were only FDA-approved for specific sites to expedite approval.  It is very common practice to inject fillers into non-approved sites because of this reason.

Yes. When a drug is approved by the FDA, it is typically approved for a very narrow indication. It is common in the practice of medicine to use medications for indications other than the one it is approved for. For instance, minoxidil was once an FDA-approved blood pressure lowering medication that was noted to have hair growth properties.  Botulinum use was pioneered by ophthalmologists for treating involuntary spams of the eyelids and ocular deviation.  They began to be used off-label for wrinkle blocker, which later gained FDA approval for cosmetic uses.  Botox “Wrinkle Blocker” was initially only approved to treat wrinkles between the eyebrows. Dr. Burroughs uses botulinum neuromodulatory “wrinkle blockers” on the forehead and in the crow’s feet area. He only uses fillers that are approved by the FDA but often uses fillers and other medications on a calculably safe but off-label basis.