Interesting article posted on www. Forbes.com

Cosmetic injections can put off the signs of aging for years. But with so many available, which one should you use?

Twenty years ago, if you wanted to get rid of wrinkly, sagging skin, there was basically one way to do it–going under the knife for a face-lift. But today, a range of dermal fillers can be injected into those crow’s feet, marionette lines, thinning lips and furrows between the brows, taking years off the face–and all can be done during your lunch hour, with no invasive surgery and little recovery time.

“Fillers have dramatically changed the game,” says Dr. Ariel Ostad, a New York dermatologist.

Doctors say patients who regularly urestse fillers can put off a face-lift for at least a decade. “In 20 years, I may not be doing face-lifts at all,” says plastic surgeon Dr. Kevin Tehrani, also based in New York.

Of course, there’s always a downside. Fillers are temporary (lasting anywhere from a few months to a year), bruising and swelling is common and some patients can have allergic reactions. And then there’s backlash from plastic surgeons like Dr. Sherrell Aston, who says, “Does it seem logical that one can repetitively put foreign substances in the delicate facial tissues and not have problems later?”

Nor are they miracle-workers. “If there’s too much sagging, fillers won’t work,” says Beverly Hills, Calif., plastic surgeon Dr. Garth Fisher, noting that sometimes only a face-lift or eye lift will get the job done. Fillers work under the skin to replace elasticity and plump up sagging skin, as opposed to the old techniques, which tended to tighten and flatten the appearance of the face. The look, when done right, is more youthful and natural than what was previously attainable; done wrong, though, faces look out of proportion and contour problems like lumps become noticeable.

Still, professional women (and men) are increasingly seeking newfound youthfulness–and market competitiveness in a youth-oriented culture–with today’s popular dermal fillers. In other words, the question is rarely “Should I?” but rather “Which one?”

Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm and Prevelle Silk are made of hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring substance essential to plump and youthful-looking skin. Non animal-based hyaluronic acid dermal fillers came on the world market with the introduction of Restylane in 1996.