Kathleen Behr, M.D.

Collagen and Fat Replacement Therapy

What is Collagen?

The skin is your body’s largest organ.  It is also the most viable.  And, as you may know it consists of two layers.  The uppermost layer, called the epidermis, serves to control loss of water in cells and tissue.  Without this protective barrier, the body would quickly dehydrate.

Just below the epidermis lies the second layer, the dermis.  The dermis is primarily made up of a protein called “collagen”.  This forms a network of fibers that provides a framework for the growth of cells and blood vessels.  Because it is the primary component of the dermis, collagen acts as the support structure for the skin.

 

Why do lines appear?

In young skin, the collagen framework is intact and the skin remains moisturized and elastic.  It’s resilient to the many facial expressions we adept as well as everyday wear and tear.  But over time the support structure weakens and the skin begins to lose its tone as the collagen support wears down.  Every time you smile, frown or squint, you put stress on the collagen in your skin.  The effect of these facial expressions cumulative and facial lines begin to appear.

 

How does Collagen Replacement Therapy work?

Collagen Replacement Therapy replenishes the skin’s natural collagen.  The natural appearance of your skin may be enhanced as the contour of the support structure is restored.  Zyderm and Zyplast are natural substances that replace the collagen skin losses over time.  Zyderm and Zyplast are derived from purified bovine (cow) collagen.  Cosmoderm and Cosmoplast are human collagen.  These products are placed just beneath the skin where the body commonly accepts them as its own.

Collagen is available only through trained health care professionals.  By supplementing your skin’s own collagen, Collagen Replacement Therapy helps smooth facial lines as well as most types of scars.

CosmoDerm and CosmoPlast are the first FDA-approved dermal fillers that do not require a pre-treatment skin test prior to treatment, making them the first same-day single-visit dermal fillers commercially available in the United States.

 

What can I expect from Collagen Replacement Therapy?

From this proven, non-surgical treatment, you may obtain immediate results.  You can have your Collagen Replacement Therapy during a lunch hour.  It’s that easy.

Dr. Behr will be happy to discuss exactly what you can expect from each treatment.  Together, we can help you prioritize which areas are most important to you, and discuss how many treatments you may need and the estimated cost.  It is important to know that one treatment may not fully correct every line on your face.  Full correction requires continued treatments.

 

Collagen products are injected into the collagen layer just below the surface of the skin, and are used to fill in unwanted lines and wrinkles and restore the border of the lip.  Treatment results are immediate and may last anywhere from three to six months, depending on the area being treated and the amount of collagen used to achieve optimal correction.  Without ongoing treatments, the injected collagen in gradually absorbed by the body and your face returns to its original appearance of the skin surface.

 

How many treatments will I need?

Just like your natural collagen, injectable collagen begins to lose its form and will eventually wear down.  Full correction occurs and is maintained only with a series of treatments.

Depending on age, skin condition and amount of sun damage, your treatment will be tailored to incorporate your individual needs.

 

Where do these products come from?

Tissue engineering has been used to grow components of living human dermal (skin) tissue for the treatment of serious burns and other skin wounds for nearly a decade.  Recently, scientists developed the ability to isolate and purify collagen, a natural protein that is abundant in skin, from this laboratory-grown skin.  Both CosmoDerm and CosmoPlast are made from this highly purified human collagen.

 

How are these product made?

CosmoDerm and Cosmoplast are manufactured using the same technology that has been used to grow living human tissues in the lab for over a decade.  Various forms of these human tissues have been used for years in the treatment of burns and other skin wounds.

 

The process begins with human dermal fibroblasts, which are the cells in the lower layer of skin that are responsible for making collagen.  The cells are cultured in a controlled laboratory environment, enabling them to grow as if they were in the body.  As the cells grow, they produce natural collagen, which provides tissue with its strength and structure.  When the growth process is complete, the natural collagen in isolated from the tissue and purified for injection.

 

Frequently Asked Questions