What are Dermal Fillers?
Unlike botulinum toxin, which cause muscles to relax, dermal fillers are used to fill deep lines or add volume to areas of the face that have lost volume or simply did not have enough mass in the beginning.
Twenty years ago, if you wanted to get rid of wrinkly, sagging skin, there was basically one way to do it--going under the knife for a face-lift. But today, a range of dermal fillers can be injected into various areas of the face, taking years off your appearance. Treatment take less than an hour, with no invasive surgery and little recovery time.
The most popular dermal fillers are comprised of hyaluronic acid (JUVEDERM®) or calcium microspheres suspended in a water-based gel (RADIESSE®). As your skin ages, the dermis gradually loses collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. Collagen acts as the major support protein for our skin, elastin allows our skin to stay firm and resist wrinkles, and hyaluronic acid helps to trap water and add volume and shape to our skin.
Are They Safe?
- Dermal fillers are generally very safe. The complications that may occur usually happen because the provider injects the filler in an area that it was not meant to be placed or uses poor injection techniques, both of which can be avoided by choosing an experienced, qualified specialist.
- Side effects are uncommon but can include limited allergic reactions (hypersensitivity), reactivation of an existing herpes infection, localized bruising, redness or swelling at the injection site, and in very rare instances, vascular occlusion and ulceration/necrosis. If hypersensitivity is a concern, a hyluronic acid based filler may be a better choice, since these can be enzymatically reversed with hyluronidase in the event of a bad result or hypersensitivity reaction.
Choosing a Filler
Researching the best filler for you is important, but experts agree that good results depend more on injection technique than the type of filler being used.
We tend to use hyaluronic acid fillers in patients wanting to plump the lips, in delicate areas like the lower eyelids, or in younger patients wanting to fill the naso-labial folds. We prefer calcium based fillers for cheek lifts and patients who have more volume loss, especially in the naso-labial folds. RADIESSE® comes in a volume-advantage syringe which allows you to get twice the product without paying twice the price. It also claims to stimulate your own collagen production which remains after the product is resorbed. Both products claim to last for 1 year.
Cost per syringe (0.8cc) = $500
Volume-Advantage (1.5 cc) = $650
*Injections performed by Dr. Jones, a board-certified eye surgeon. We never shuffle you off to the doctor's assistant!
**some may need more filler than others, servere signs of aging may only be helped by surgery
Uses for the Face
- In general, fillers are best used in the mid and lower face
- Tear troughs/lower eyelids
- Cheek Lift
- Naso-labial folds
- Peri-oral area
- Marionette lines
- Lips
- Jowls
- Chin
