Collagen treatment effectively removes most signs of aging and brings back the youthful face once again.
Collagen Replacement Therapy is a proven, non-surgical treatment from which you can obtain immediate results. Collagen Replacement therapy replenishes the skin's natural collagen. The natural appearance of your skin may be enhanced as the contour of the support structure is restored. By supplementing your skin's own collagen, Collagen Replacement Therapy helps smooth facial lines, as well as some types of depressed scars. Depending on age, skin condition, and the amount of sun damage, your treatment program will be tailored to incorporate your individual needs. Dr. Rapaport's expertise in this field is well known, and you can expect excellent care.

MORE ON COLLAGEN: QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
The way your skin looks is directly related to the way your skin is supported.
Aging, disease, injury - these are some of the factors that can weaken the collagen fibers that give your skin its underlying strength. Until the 1970s, it was not possible for doctors to replace damaged collagen. Now, both Zyderm Collagen and Zyplast Collagen Implants are available. Made of purified bovine collagen, these materials can be injected into your skin to supplement your body's own collagen and actually fill certain lines and facial furrows.

What is collagen?
Collagen is a natural protein that provides structural support. It is found throughout the body - in skin, muscle, tendon, and bone. Fibers of collagen are woven together like threads in fabric to form a framework into which new cells can grow. In the skin, collagen provides texture, resiliency, and shape. Human beings are constantly producing collagen, but as we age, our collagen breaks down faster than it can be replaced.

The collagen in human skin is very similar to the collagen found in certain animals. As a result, animal collagen has had many medical applications. For example, animal collagen has been used in sutures for over a century. Heart valves used during surgery are also made of collagen. Injectable Zydermand Zyplast Collagen Implants are made of collagen from cow skin that has been purified.

How was injectable collagen developed?
In the early 1970s, a group of biochemists and physicians at Stanford University were researching alternatives to skin grafts. In the course of this work, they developed the concept of purifying animal collagen so thoroughly that it could be used to replace lost skin tissue. Further research by Collagen Corporation led to the development of Zyderm and Zyplast Collagen Implants.

How long has injectable collagen been used?
Injectable collagen was first used to treat patients in 1976.
Since then, over 500,000 people have been treated with either Zydermor ZyplastCollagen Implants. The procedure is administered routinely by over 3,500 physicians nationally, and in more than 20 other countries.

How do Zyderm Collagen and Zyplast Collagen work?
Both Zydermand ZyplastCollagen Implants lend additional support to the collagen network within the skin. When a physician injects small amounts of either material directly into areas where the body's own collagen has been weakened, depressions can be raised to the level of the surrounding skin. Thus, lines and scars can be minimized, texture is improved, and the skin has a softer and more even tone.

What kind of skin depressions cannot be helped by either material?
Depressions with sharp edges and narrow "ice pick" acne scars do not usually respond to these materials.
Should injectable collagen take the place of surgical procedures such as face-lifts and laser resurfacing?
No. Injectable collagen treatments are not meant for people who have excess facial skin or for those who want a major resurfacing of the skin. However, doctors often use Zyderm or ZyplastCollagen Implants in conjunction with surgery to fill in depressions not amenable to surgery. By using injectable collagen following a face-lift or laser resurfacing, surgical results can be enhanced.

Can anyone be treated with Zyderm Collagen or Zyplast Collagen Implants?
No. Your doctor will inquire about your medical history and administer a skin test to determine if you are an appropriate candidate for treatment. If you have a history of allergy to other bovine (cow) collagen products, severe allergies (indicated by a history of anaphylaxis [shock], or a history of presence of multiple severe allergies), if you are currently on corticosteroid or immunosuppressive therapy, e.g., prednisone, or are undergoing or planning to undergo desensitization injections to meat products, you cannot receive injectable collagen. Also, people who are sensitive to lidocaine cannot receive collagen implants, as a small amount of this anesthetic is contained in Zyderm and ZyplastCollagen Implants, and in the Collagen Test Implant. Furthermore, people who have had a previous allergic reaction to either Zyderm or ZyplastCollagen may not be re-treated. Neither Zyderm nor ZyplastCollagen Implant should be used for breast augmentation, and neither material should be injected into bone, tendon, ligament or muscle.

If you have a personal history of autoimmune disease which includes (but is not limited to) rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, scleroderma (including CREST syndrome), systemic or discoid lupus erythematosus, or polymyositis, a dietary allergy to beef, or if you have recently been on corticosteroid or immunosuppressive therapy, your physician may want to administer additional skin tests before deciding if you should be treated.

How does the skin test work?
To determine if you are eligible for treatment with either Zydermor ZyplastCollagen Implant, your doctor will inject a small amount of collagen into your forearm, just below the skin's surface. Both you and your doctor should watch the test site closely for four weeks for any signs of sensitivity to the material such as redness, swelling, or itching. Pay special attention to your test site during the first three days since the majority of test reactions occur durin2 this period. At the first sign of any of these problems, contact your doctor. Only about three out of every 100 tested patients show sensitivity to the test and cannot be treated with injectable collagen; 97 percent of all tested patients can be treated.

When does treatment start?
Treatment can begin after the four-week test observation period if you are not sensitive to the skin test. Treatment involves a series of office visits - usually two weeks apart. Most patients see considerable improvement in one to three treatment sessions depending on the size, shape, and texture of the area undergoing treatment.

Do the injections hurt?
You may find that the injections are somewhat uncomfortable particularly around the nose or lips. However, both Zydermand ZyplastCollagen Implants contain a small amount of lidocaine that helps numb the area temporarily, and most people report that the injections are relatively painless.

How will my skin look and feel immediately after treatment?
Most patients feel comfortable in resuming their normal activities following treatment. Temporary puffiness of the treated areas, however, should be expected, especially with ZydermCollagen Implant. With both Zyderm and ZyplastCollagen Implants, you may also notice temporary blushing, slight bruising, and tenderness around the treatment sites. Like the puffiness, these are normal occurrences and all should subside within a few days. Although the material is generally not visibly distinguishable from the surrounding skin, some patients have reported that they were initially able to feel the outline of the injected collagen.

However, as the new collagen is incorporated into your own skin, the treatment site takes on the natural look and feel of healthy skin. Any redness and/or visible swelling that persists for more than a few days may indicate a reaction to the material. Be sure to report this or any other questionable symptoms to your doctor.

How common are treatment reactions?
With more than 500,000 people treated to date, only a small number of patients (approximately 1-2 percent) have developed an allergic reaction after one or more treatment injections. These reactions may consist of prolonged redness, swelling, itching and/or firmness at some or all injection sites. Most have lasted between three and four months, but in some cases have exceeded one year.
In less than I% of treated patients, formation of a scab and sloughing (shedding) of the tissue at the treatment site have been noted, which can result in a shallow scar. On rare occasions, abscess formation has occurred at implantation sites. These reactions develop weeks to months following injections, and may result in scar formation.

Also, in fewer than 5 per 1000 treated patients, the following have been reported: systemic complaints such as flu-like symptoms (nausea, fever, dizziness, headache, malaise, joint aches), rash, blurred vision, tingling, numbness or difficulty in breathing.

Of the patients who have developed an allergic reaction after treatment, one-half had an unreported or unrecognized response to the skin test. With proper monitoring of the skin test, many of these reactions could have been prevented. The remaining one- half of this group developed allergic reactions despite a response- free skin test.

An additional one percent of individuals experience symptoms similar to those of an allergic reaction that may, however, occur periodically. Recent research has shown that some of these patients are allergic to bovine collagen. If you observe any symptoms such as redness and/or swelling, please inform your physician. He or she will determine if you should discontinue treatment. No further injectable collagen can be administered to anyone who has experienced an allergic reaction to the material.

Does the correction last forever?
No. Touch-up injections are usually needed to maintain maximum correction. Because both Zydermand ZyplastCollagen Implants are similar to your own skin, they will be altered by the same ongoing mechanical forces such as smiling or other muscle activity and biochemical processes - such as aging and active acne - that caused the original skin depressions. It has been reported that the body may deposit its own collagen at the site of collagen implantation. You should therefore be aware that part or all of the correction may last for 2 years or longer.

How often will I need a "touch-up" injection?
Most patients who choose to receive touch-ups for lines or furrows do so within 3 to 12 months of the original treatment series. For scars, and perhaps those depressions treated with ZyplastCollagen, the time between touch-ups may be longer. But keep in mind that the amount of collagen used to restore full correction will be considerably less than that used in the initial treatment series.
Use of Zyderm Collagen Implant in an individual patient should be limited to 30 cc over a one-year period. Use of Zyderm11 Collagen Implant in an individual patient should be limited to 15 cc over a one-year period. The combination of these products or of Zyderin in conjunction with Zyplastin an individual patient should be limited to 30 cc over a one-year period. The safety of injecting greater amounts on an annual basis has not been established.

Without touch-up injections, how will my skin look?
Correction may subside gradually until your skin looks like it did before treatment.
Touch-up injections will help you maintain your correction and can provide a long-ten-n solution to skin contour problems.