Dr. Cassel is the only physician in the mid Atlantic states to have researched all of the available (and unavailable) fillers—publishing the most comprehensive review article to date with Dr. Emmy Fernandez in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology on facial fillers—“Soft Tissue Augmentation: a review”. This is the article to which other physicians commonly refer and it is available for your review in our waiting room.
Dr. Cassel only uses filling products in which she would place in family members or herself—thus, she will not use products with questionable safety data or potential for long term side effects.
Products which Dr. Cassel trusts include:
- Hyaluronic acid products—Restylane®, Juvederm®, Voluma®—these are made of the same substance which helps to lubricate our joints. Hyaluronic acid is a sticky, jelly like substance with soft turgor, or substance. It is very unlikely to cause allergic reactions (whereas in the past many patients would develop allergies to collagen products). This is a great option for patients who would like to try a filler but are scared of potential side effects. It lasts for 6 months in the skin and helps to fill in lines such as those under the nose/lips. It may also be used to augment the lips.
- Calcium hydroxyapetite—Radiesse®– Made of calcium-based microspheres suspended in a water-based gel, Radiesse is injected into the skin through a simple and minimally invasive procedure giving you immediate, visible improvement of folds and wrinkles, and providing long-lasting (12 months) results. Offering clinically proven safety and longevity, Radiesse is a convenient treatment that stimulates the body to produce new collagen — often with just one or two office visits.
- Poly-L-lactic acid—Sculptra®– poly-l-lactic acid has been successfully used in surgical operations for more than 25 years. If you have had a surgery, likely you had deep biodegradable sutures made of this material. Sculptra™ was specially developed to repair facial scars and contour defects, and more than 150,000 patients have been treated worldwide since 1999. It is used to correct: deep folds between the nose and the mouth, folds around the corners of the mouth, sunken cheeks, wrinkles and lines in the cheeks or chin, and deep scars. Sculptra is similar to a seed, it is injected into the area under the dermis and results in stimulation of your body to produce collagen. Thus, results are not immediate but are dramatic over time. Benefits become noticeable within 6 weeks. Many patients require a series of 3 treatments for full improvement, but the improvement is significant which is why in Europe this is called the “liquid facelift”. Clinical studies have shown that the results of Sculptra™ can last for more than three years. Biopsies performed at the end of the first year demonstrate almost no remaining product at the site of injection—only new collagen—produced by the patient’s own fibroblasts.