Will fillers make me look overdone?!

11 Apr Will fillers make me look overdone?!

To fill or not to fill, that is the question!

Sometimes known as the ‘liquid facelift’ it seems that people just can’t get enough of dermal fillers!!! If you are thinking about getting them, or have heard them talked about and want to know more – read on, and we shall enlighten you as to the do’s and don’ts, good and bad about dermal fillers!

What are dermal fillers?

Dermal filler is a sterile gel, most usually made of a substance called hyaluronic acid. In nature Hyaluronic acid (HA) is found in our skin and works to attract and hold water keeping skin hydrated and plump. The HA within our bodies holds a thousand times its weight in water!  

With a dermal filler treatment, HA gel is injected into different areas of your face to replace lost volume, smooth out wrinkles or enhance what nature has already given you. It comes in different thicknesses depending on the area to be treated.

Why would I need them and how do they work?

Unfortunately as we age not only does our skin suffer through collagen and elastin loss but the underlying fat pads that give our face it’s volume, shape and definition also deflate and descend – great!!

It might just be worth noting here that dermal fillers are not at all the same as having anti-wrinkle injections. Anti-wrinkle injections stop the muscles in your face from making the movements that cause wrinkles.  Dermal fillers are injected deeper into the skin below the wrinkles, helping to restore lost volume to your face and plump and hydrate areas. Deep lines are smoothed and areas that have lost volume with age are re-volumised giving us back a more youthful look.  

Areas commonly treated with dermal filler are cheeks, jawline, chin, lips, nose to mouth lines and marionette lines.

As we said before fillers come in different thickness for different areas of the face and the thickness of them tends to dictate how long they will last.  In general they will last from 6 – 18 months with 6 months being for the thinner gels (ie used for tear trough area) and 18 months for the thicker gels used for example in cheeks.

So sign me up!

Before you take the leap there are things you need to consider.  Whilst dermal fillers are safe, that does not mean they are risk free.  These procedures are very popular but they are still a ‘want’ not a ‘need’ so do your research and be aware of the potential pitfalls.

Firstly make sure your clinician is using a brand that has CE approval. The market has been swamped of recent with many different cheap fillers – just remember cheap does not mean safe!!  You should ask for a reputable brand with a proven track record. In clinic our preferred brand is Belotero.  

During the procedure itself, there can be slight discomfort or ‘pressure’ as the product is injected.  However nowadays most dermal fillers have a local anaesthetic mixed in with them and numbing the area with anaesthetic cream beforehand also helps.

You can expect some common reactions after facial injections such as swelling, redness, tenderness and perhaps some bruising – but these should be temporary and resolve within a few days.

More serious potential risks should be discussed with your Clinician but include lumps forming, blocking off a blood vessel and infection.  Faces are a complex map of nerves and blood vessels and damage to these can lead to long term complications which leads us onto our next point….

Where should you go to get dermal fillers?

Unfortunately injecting faces is not yet regulated in the UK!! Whilst in practice this means that any old person can stick needles in you, we strongly advise that you choose your practitioner with care!  We are registered with SaveFace and the BACN (British Association of Cosmetic Nurses) who have lists of practitioners approved as being trained, and safe to carry out these treatments.

So love ‘em or leave ‘em the choice is yours – but in our current society dermal fillers are definitely here to stay!