How to look better using cosmetic fillers

What are fillers?

If you do not know much about fillers, you may think of hollywood stars or socialites you have seen in magazines who look too full or ‘too done’, and be put off. Yet fillers when used with a soft and gentle approach, can be used to minimize the effects of aging and enhance your natural beauty, achieving a naturally fresh look, without long periods of swelling and bruising.

What are they used for?

• Fillers can reduce lines and wrinkles on the face, most commonly in the nasolabial (nose to mouth) folds, and marionette (mouth to chin) lines, forehead and frown lines.
• They can be strategically and subtly placed in areas like hollows under the eyes (to smoothen bags and reduce dark circles).
• They can be used to enhance your lips, cheeks and chin.
• They can be used for replacing fat loss and increase the volume of your face. This is especially useful as you get older and lose fat in the face.
• Fillers are also increasingly used for hydrobalance – this means hydrating the skin so it looks youthful and supple. This effect tightens the skin peripherally. Due to the hydration effect, the face looks lifted. This can be used in the mid face, neck, decolletage and hands.

Types of fillers

We recommend fillers from the popular hyaluronic acid-based and collagen-based injections, to longer-lasting injectables that stimulate collagen deeper in the skin. Although all fillers work toward the same goal of smoothing lines and adding back lost volume, some offer immediate results that are temporary while others have delayed yet long-term results.

As our skin ages, the dermis gradually loses its major constituents causing sagging and loss of volume.

Collagen is an abundant natural protein found in the body that provides structural support to skin, muscle, tendons and bone. In the skin, fibers of collagen are woven together to provide texture, resiliency and shape. Collagen is one of the substances lost during the normal aging process.

Collagen

Collagen injections can help to maintain the skin’s natural collagen and keep the skin subtle and elastic. Collagen is injected into the skin.

Perlane®

Perlane® is made from non-animal stabilized hyaluronic acid gel. As hyaluronic acid is naturally present in our skin and tissue a skin test is not needed. As Perlane® is biodegradable the effects are not permanent, but can last from 6 months to up to to a year, which is longer than most collagen injections.

Restylane®

Restylane® is a clear gel that contains hyaluronic acid. As hyaluronic acid naturally occurs in humans, there is little chance for an allergic reaction. It is biodegradable, so your body reabsorbs it within about six months of the injection.

What is the exact procedure?

After evaluation of your skin, the doctor will mark strategic points on your face for the injections. The injection sites will be cleaned and numbing cream is applied to make the injections more comfortable. The semi-liquid material is then injected using a small fine needle under the skin to fill the target area which will only take a few minutes. After that the markings will be cleansed and makeup can be (carefully) reapplied.

Risks and side effects

The risks associated with these selected groups of temporary biodegradable fillers are extremely minimal but some patients may experience bruising, skin redness or skin sensitivity. The under eye area has the least discomfort with minimal downtime from this treatment, and with an immediate transformation to looking fresh! It’s almost like needle air-brushing. The results are subtle, yet visible.

How often does it need to be done?

Results are immediate after one treatment. Treatments every 6 to 12 months are recommended to maintain the results.