Non-surgical Enhancements > Dermal Fillers
Rejuvenate
Dermal Fillers
If you'd like to restore youthful fullness to your face, enjoy plump lips, enhance shallow contours or soften your facial creases, wrinkles, or recessed scars, injectable fillers may be the answer. Fillers have been called "liquid facelifts" because they offer many of the benefits of a surgical facelift without the downtime.
What are Fillers?
The visible signs of facial aging occur over time as a result of sun exposure, heredity and lifestyle.
One of the earliest signs of aging is a loss of facial fullness and the development of wrinkles. Softening of these facial lines and the restoration of volume and fullness in the face often can be achieved non-surgically with injectable fillers.
If you would like to restore facial contours, or reduce the appearance of lines and creases, injection therapy with soft tissue fillers may be right for you. Although they can't help with excess sagging skin, these soft tissue fillers can add more volume and provide immediate results at a lower cost compared to surgery. But these treatments aren't permanent; they must be repeated and maintained.
Injectable fillers can:
Plump thin lips
Enhance shallow contours
Soften facial creases and wrinkles
Improve the appearance of recessed scars
Some fillers are used in conjunction with other skin rejuvenation treatments such as injections of botulinum toxin. Dr. Abedi or our Nurse injector, Kristy Jones, will assess your needs and recommend one or a combination of treatments to achieve your desired results.
What it won't do:
Soft tissue augmentation does not stop the aging process. If you wish to change the elements of your face, surgery such as a facelift, brow lift or eye lift may be the answer.
Non-surgical rejuvenation treatments such as injectable fillers cannot achieve the same results, but may help delay the time at which a facelift becomes appropriate.
Is it right for me?
While not as involved as surgical cosmetic procedures, soft tissue augmentation is a medical procedure. It is best to have our team assess you in person to see if you are a candidate for injectable fillers.
Types of Fillers
Hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid is also a natural substance found in your body. High concentrations are found in soft connective tissue and in the fluid surrounding your eyes. It's also in some cartilage and joint fluids, as well as skin tissue. It is extracted and reformulated and now has become one of the most popular kinds of injectable fillers. When this gel is injected, it acts like an inflated cushion to support facial structures and tissues that may have lost volume or elasticity due to normal aging. It also brings water to the surface of skin to keep it looking fresh and supple. Hyaluronic acid is not derived from animal sources. Brand names include: Juvéderm™, Teosyl™, and Restylane™.
Calcium Hydroxylapatite
Calcium hydroxylapatite, the heaviest of facial fillers, is found naturally in human bones. This mineral-like compound is reserved to fill the deepest creases such as nasolabial folds, marionette lines and frown lines. It's also used to enhance fullness of the cheeks and other facial contours. Calcium-based microspheres are suspended in a water-based gel. Brand names include: Radiesse, Radiance.
Polylactic Acid
Polylactic acid is a synthetic material. When it is injected, it stimulates the body's own production of collagen. This substance is known to work particularly well in the lower half of your face, to fill the lines caused by laughing, to augment thin lips and fill out deep nasolabial folds. This substance is unlike other dermal fillers because it doesn't produce immediate results. Instead, it stimulates collagen production, so results appear gradually over a period of a few months. Brand names include: Sculptra
The Procedure
Tiny amounts of filler hyaluronic acid are injected into your face through very fine needles or cannulas. The treatments typically take less than 30 minutes, depending how many areas are treated. You can expect very little discomfort.
STEP 1: Assess
First, Dr. Abedi or our nurse Kristy Jones will listen to your desired results and then evaluate your facial appearance and skin tone, examining the areas of your face to be augmented with hyaluronic acid as a filler.
Step 2: Map a strategy
Next, Dr. Abedi or our nurse Kristy Jones will mark strategic points on your face as guides to the appropriate injection sites for the filler as part of your facial rejuvenation treatment.
STEP 3: Clean the area
Your injection sites will be cleansed with an antibacterial agent. Then a topical anesthetic will be used to numb the area, particularly if you are sensitive to injections. But in some cases, the hyaluronic acid includes an anesthetic in the mixture.
STEP 4: Inject
The actual injections will take just a few minutes total, and just seconds per site.
STEP 5: Clean up and ice
The marks will be washed away and you will be offered an ice pack to reduce any minor and temporary discomfort. Be careful not to apply pressure to the treated areas. Doing so may result in movement of the hyaluronic acid.
Line Filling
Nasolabial Folds
Lip Augmentation
Soft tissue augmentation of the lips requires multiple injections to distribute the filler for enhanced lip fullness and to raise or define a cupid’s bow or vermillion border.
An improved appearance is visible almost immediately, although minor swelling or bruising may appear at the injection sites.
With some fillers, a slightly “overfilled” appearance may be initially present. These conditions will resolve within a few hours, or at most a few days.
Special Considerations, Risks and Recovery
There is no real downtime with dermal fillers. However, we recommend not to exercise or expose the treatment area to heat to minimize risk of swelling and bruising. You should also not rub the treated area or sleep on the treated side for the first night so that the filler material remains undisturbed. You'll likely experience swelling or a bit of bruising, which should fade within a few days.
Complications from fillers are uncommon.
The risks include:
Acne
Antibodies, or rejection of filler material, may reduce the effectiveness of future injections.
Asymmetry
Bleeding
Bruising
Lumps or nodules
Infection at the injection site
Itching
Migration of filler material away from the original site.
Skin Necrosis, if the filler is injected into a vessel
Blindness - very rare but a risk for injections around the eye
Redness
Skin rash
Skin sensitivity
Swelling - which can be recurring in certain areas
Temporary numbness
Temporary paralysis of facial muscles
Under- or over-correction of wrinkles
In the long term
It's important to realize that dermal fillers are not permanent. The way your face continues to age and how your body absorbs fillers will determine the timing of repeat treatments. Furthermore, depending on your aging process and facial structure, you might not achieve the results you want in just one treatment. Most people need a few visits before their desired results are seen.
get in touch with us
Your vision,
our expertise.
Discover your Beauty.
Contact us today to schedule your consultation.