May 21, 2007 - Dr. Nicolette Picerno's office to be among first in Denver to offer Perlane® filler to patients
FDA approval opens door for longer lasting, higher concentrated injectable
DENVER, CO - Dr. Nicolette Picerno’s office at Faces First in Denver and Lone Tree will be among the first in Denver to offer Perlane to patients. Double board-certified facial plastic surgeon Dr. Picerno ordered the newly approved product the day the FDA gave the nod to the injectable used in Europe for years.
Perlane, made from non-animal stabilized hyaluronic acid (NASHA) gel, a natural substance found in the skin, contains no animal product and thus doesn’t require allergy testing. The hyaluronic acid in Perlane supplements the body’s natural supply, which becomes depleted with age. Perlane is primarily the same product as Restylane®, but Perlane filler contains a larger concentration of hyaluronic acid. Additionally, Perlane is thicker than Juvederm™, another injectable filler that Dr. Picerno administers.
The higher concentration and larger particles in Perlane mean that it lasts longer than other fillers, up to a year, as the larger particles take longer to break down. Restylane is better suited for smaller wrinkles or to maintain the results of a previous Perlane injection. And because of the differing levels of hyaluronic acid, Restylane is less expensive than Perlane.
Because of its increased thickness, Perlane can be placed in deeper layers of the skin than prior injectables could, explains Dr. Picerno. However, she adds, the injections are no more uncomfortable than other injectable fillers. Prior to the injection, Dr. Picerno applies a numbing cream to the area to be treated. And she uses a local dental block (novacaine local anesthetic), the same used for dental fillings. That way, the patient doesn’t feel the Perlane injection at all.
Also because the particles are bigger in Perlane, it is used for deeper creases like those around the mouth and the corner than the mouth where the mouth can turn down forming a frown. Perlane is most popular as a filler for lip augmentation and moderate to severe facial folds and wrinkles, effectively reducing the visibility of these depressions.
Other uses for Perlane include:
- Smile lines, crow’s feet, marionette lines at corners of the mouth, and smoker’s lines
- The nasolabial folds, forehead frown lines and depressed cheeks
- Softening the appearance of jowls
- Redefining lip border
- Softening acne scars
Administered by a surgeon like Dr. Picerno, whose patients comment regularly that they like her injection technique, there is less swelling and bruising caused by the injection.
Dr. Nicolette Picerno is a practicing partner at Faces First Center for Cosmetic Surgery with offices in Denver at the Centura-Porter Adventist Campus and in Lone Tree, Colorado. As one of only three female facial cosmetic surgeons in Colorado to be double-board certified, Dr. Picerno is certified by both the American Board of Otolaryngology and the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Contact Dr. Picerno at 303-744-2300 or visit her website at www.nicolettepicernomd.com.