Dr. Buckingham’s Q&A

Question:
What type of facial wrinkling does Perlane most benefit?

Answer:
Perlane is a slightly thicker version of Restylane. Depending on the injector they prefer one over the other, but in our practice we usually will use Perlane for filling in the nasolabial folds, marionette lines or adding generalized volume to the face. We use Restylane for the fine lines around the mouth, lips, tear troughs and other areas.

Posted by Dr. Buckingham

I’m 52, male, and I’m prone to cold sores. I want to get Perlane injections for my nasolabial folds, but I was wondering: Can Perlane make cold sores recur more often than usual?

Any trauma in the perioral area in someone prone to cold sores can cause an outbreak.  Perlane injections can certainly do this.  It is not that common when the injection is in the nasolabial folds and therefore we do not recommend prophylactic treatment.  For patients with a history of cold sores receiving lip injections, we pre-treat with an anti-viral medication.

. I’d like to get Perlane so that my face looks somewhat youthful for my daughter’s graduation. We’re getting pictures taken as a family, and I don’t want to look the part of an old woman (I’m 50). Does Perlane take any recovery time?

Perlane injections do have some recovery time associated with them.  Usually there is a little bruising at the injection site, but it depends on what area you are having injected.  For wedding photos, as they are important and last a lifetime, I would tell you to be cautious.  While you will normally be looking normal, but improved, within a week, for wedding photos I would allow a month, just to be extra safe.