Currently, there are six main categories of fillers on the market in Taiwan: collagen, hyaluronic acid, polyacryamide, calcium hydroxylapatite, poly-L-lactic acid, and polycaprolactone. (Table 2) Although hyaluronic acid is still the most popular fillers in Taiwan, others are gaining more attention through recent years.

 

Among them, the collagen implant “Sunmax” is a sterile injectable filler composed of highly purified cross-linked SPF (Specific pathogen free) porcine dermal collagen made in Taiwan. Another hyaluronic acid filler well made in Taiwan is the “Hya-Dermis” series, including Blink, Kiss, Smile, and Chic, made by SciVision Biotech Inc.

 

It is very hard to judge which fillers fit best to different patients with various skin folds conditions, therefore we can expect various fillers combination therapies will be more and more popular because they offer a more customized treatment with maximum results.

 

Table 2: The different characteristics of six categories of fillers in Taiwan.

 

 

 

The Role of the Cosmetics

Other than toxins or fillers, many anti-aging cosmetics products claimed to be able to correct fine lines and wrinkles. However, well-known anti-aging ingredients such as retinoids and ascorbic acid are somewhat irritating to the skin and can be unstable in many cosmetic formulations. Few have been examined in an evidence-based setting. The cutaneous efficacy of these cosmetics from Western countries on Asian skin has not been examined in detail, either.

 

Among them, the combination of kinetin 0.03% plus niacinamide 4% was proved to exert a synergistic anti-aging effect, including wrinkles reduction, on Asian skin through measurements using VISIA Complexion Analysis System by Dr. Pin-Chi Chiu et al. from Taiwan. They reported that facial wrinkle counts were significantly decreased by 59.1 % and 41.0% after application of 0.4 ml (four drops) of serum evenly to the face daily in the morning and before bedtime for 8 and 12 weeks, respectively.

 

Although the mechanisms underlying the cutaneous anti-aging effects of kinetin and niacinamide were not fully understood, they suggested that both molecules have the capacity to modulate various cellular functions. Dr. Chiu speculated kinetin was not only an antioxidant but also an intracellular oxidative metabolite with possible feedback mechanisms of delaying cellular aging and increasing metabolic capacity.

 

[Advertisement] PICOCARE - Manufacturer: WONTECH(www.wtlaser.com)

 

The Futures

We see a lot of patients complaining about facial lines and folds, forgetting the most important things of beauty, which is the harmony of the facial expression. As an expert seeing aesthetics as both a science and an art, it is the responsibility for the physicians to read the messages of the face and deliver the best possible treatment for each individual. It is believed that these various combinations of cosmetics, neurotoxins, and fillers will help both the patients and physicians to create better results and achieve their goals.

 

-To be continued