ls Topical Hyaluronic Acid Equal to Injectable Fillers?

We came across Barbara Sturm’s products which seemed like a great non-invasive way to expose our skin to hyaluronic acid without any needles. Her products were receiving a lot of rave reviews from GOOP (Gwyneth Paltrow) and the likes of social media influencers.

However, recently we noticed Barbara Sturm is now offering non-surgical facelifts, in other words Botox and filler treatments. This suggests topical hyaluronic acid is not solely enough or adequate to prevent wrinkles.  Her practice located in Dusseldorf, Germany provides a wide variety of treatments including the following for which she uses Juvederm and Restylane:

• Botox for forehead wrinkles and frown lines
• Rhinoplasty (Non-surgical nose lift)
• Smoker's Lines
• Lip fillers
• Lip augmentation
• Lip rejuvenation with Juvederm Volbella
• Marionette Lines
• Nasolabial folds
• Cheek volume fillers
• Crow's Feet and Dark Circles
• Hand rejuvenation
• Earlobe filling
• Liquid face lift using Juvederm Volift or Juvederm Voluma
• Lipotherapy (fat dissolving) in the hips, chin, saddle bags and stomach

Radiesse

Dr Barbara stürm also uses Radiesse as an integral part of her therapy program. Radiesse is a dermal filler that she believes has extremely satisfying results for cheek volume correction, jaw and chin contouring, nasolabial folds, marionette lines and the back of the hands.

Radiesse consists of synthetic calcium hydroxyapatite microspheres in a carrier gel. Calcium hydroxylapatite is a natural component of human cell tissue and occurs in teeth and bones. It is 100% bio-compatible and naturally metabolized by the body over a period of 1 to 2 years. Collagen growth is stimulated and the filling effects are visible immediately. 

Going back to Dr Sturm’s skin care line which uses Hyaluronic Acid as the core key ingredient for a range of face creams, eye serums and drops, she is adamant that there are no chemicals in her products. Chemicals, she believes are the cause of inflammation, unhealthy skin and aging wrinkles. So, if we eliminate the use of toxic ingredient in topical products, we are on the right track to slow down aging and if your sunscreen contains chemicals, then this could also be contributing to the aging process, when you think it's actually doing the reverse.

The hyaluronic acid in Sturm’s own skincare range, as well as in the products she uses in her clinic, have excellent water-binding capabilities. Her serum has been designed with different molecular weights of hyaluronic acid to ensure that skin hydration is optimized fully.

How does Dr Sturm view topical skincare hyaluronic acid with injectable fillers?

For deeper layers of skin, she believes injecting high molecular weight hyaluronic acid to reshape the appearance of the face after structure has been lost due to gravity and aging.

For a deep moisturizing effect, she injects hyaluronic acid with a smaller molecular weight.

She uses her serums and day creams to stimulate fresh, clean, nourished and glowing skin, in combination with internal filling. For this reason, we would never conclude that topical serums containing hyaluronic acid are equal to dermal fillers. If Dr Barbara Sturm is providing aesthetic services at her clinics whilst promoting her topical skincare brand, it underlines the fact that the serums and face creams are not enough on their own to achieve deep filling, volumizing effects and anti-aging results. The short and long chain hyaluronic acid molecules are just touching the surface of the skin and penetrating to the top of the epidermis and not beyond.