My hyaluronic acid story
Written and reviewed by Dr Bernard Hayot, ophthalmologist, RPPS 10003926226.
In 1986 I learned of the work of the optician Waldemar Kita, who had just set up Cornéal, a company specialising in the design and manufacture of intraocular lenses for this delicate surgery.
Alongside ophthalmology, Cornéal gradually made its mark in aesthetic medicine with the production of high-quality hyaluronic acid: Juvéderm® and Surgiderm®.
As my interest in aesthetic medicine and anti-ageing treatments grew, so did my interest in using hyaluronic acid-based products in place of collagen. The risk of allergy was considerably reduced, as the product proved far better tolerated by the body. Being resorbable and biodegradable, it also had the advantage of preventing any long-lasting, irreversible mishap.
In 2006, Allergan, a pharmaceutical company whose flagship product was Botox, acquired the Cornéal laboratory, which specialised in injectable products for aesthetic medicine. Manufacturing and marketing took off in the 2000s.
As an Allergan reference physician myself, I was asked to test the product in the first cases of wrinkle treatment.
Our first applications were in the treatment of deep breaks in the skin, such as the nasolabial folds. Over time, the laboratories developed more highly cross-linked acids, such as Voluma®, to restore facial volumes.
Hyaluronic acid soon emerged as the treatment of choice for its durability. Injected into a particularly muscular, mobile area such as the nasolabial fold, the product lasts 6 to 8 months. Injected directly against the bone, in the cheekbone or under the eye for example, where there is less movement, the result lasts 4 to 5 years, and may even be long-lasting.
With the development of hyaluronidase, which acts as an antidote, it has at last become possible to change one’s mind or to correct over-injection. No more anxiety, regret or unpleasant surprises. Today we work with a pencil and correct with an eraser.
Every year Allergan® continues to bring aesthetic physicians its latest innovations: volumising gels are less and less hydrophilic. Water retention caused by the acid is greatly reduced and results last longer. Gone, too, is the risk of the Tyndall effect, the bluish discolouration of the injected area caused by poor placement of the product.
For the past 20 years I have worked exclusively with the following acids: Juvéderm® ULTRA 2, ULTRA 3, Voluma® and Volbella®, as well as all the products in the Surgiderm® range.
Over the years I have refined my injection technique, combining dermal filler to restore soft-tissue volume with Botox to rest the muscle responsible for the wrinkle.
This combination of products provides a tailor-made solution for all my patients who wish to look younger in the most natural way possible.
This page is for information. It does not replace a consultation: every situation is judged on examination.