Smooth, flawless skin, youthful cheeks and lips –some people already have them naturally, but others will need some cosmetic help in the form of fillers to get the desired contour and shape. Facial or dermal fillers in San Diego offer a safe and easy non-surgical procedure, to help you achieve a more rested appearance with youthful contours to the face. If you’re curious about fillers, we’ve answered the most important questions our patients ask when inquiring about injectables.
Common Dermal Filler Questions:
While collagen used to be the commonly administered filler, hyaluronic acid fillers are the new injectables of choice.
Hyaluronic acid is a natural skin substance that stores moisture in the skin. By replenishing it, skin will have more volume and the appearance of lines and wrinkles become diminished, giving patient’s natural-looking results.
Botox and alternatives like Jeuveau, Xeomin and Dysport are not fillers, but neuromodulators used to treat wrinkles that naturally occur around the eyes, mouth and in between your eyebrows. As these lines become more pronounced with age, Botox can be used to relax the muscles that cause them. Since the injected muscle can no longer tighten and contract after treatment, wrinkles will then relax and soften.
Dermal fillers, on the other hand, add volume to the depressions around the corners of the mouth, lips, temples, chin and cheekbones, while enhancing facial features. Once injected, it will replenish your natural hyaluronic acid, which diminishes as you age. Fillers will give your skin a plump, smooth, hydrated look and can work in tandem with Botox to rejuvenate the face.
Popular fillers include:
Galderma fillers: Restylane, Restylane Silk, Restylane Lyft, Restylane Refyne, and Restylane Defyne
Allergan fillers: Juvéderm, Juvéderm XC, Voluma, Volbella, Vollure
Merz filler: Belotero and Radiesse (a non-hyaluronic acid filler composed of collagen and calcium hydroxyapatite)
Suneva filler: Bellafill
Each product is formulated to create a certain texture, depth and density –meaning, certain fillers will work better for certain areas you want to enhance. Your doctor should be able to determine what product is best for your needs.
A dermal filler procedure will include the following steps:
Step 1 – Pre-Treatment Consultation and Facial Assessment
Aside from evaluating your area(s) of concern, your doctor will review your medical history since skin conditions, allergies and medications can impact your safety as well as the results. For instance, NSAIDS such as ibuprofen and aspirin, as well as blood thinners, can increase the risk of bruising.
Your doctor, sometimes accompanied by a specially-trained nurse, will then evaluate your face in order to examine the specific areas to be injected. Strategic points may be used in order to mark injection sites. Cosmetic Laser Dermatology is one of the few practices in San Diego in which the doctors perform all injections themselves.
Step 2 – Anesthetizing
The marked injection sites will be cleaned using an antibacterial solution.
A cold instrument can be applied to the skin in order to numb it. Anesthetic ointment or local anesthesia, while rarely necessary, may be administered as well. Most filler products, however, contain the anesthetic lidocaine that can help minimize discomfort.
Step 3 – Injection
Injection of fillers will only take a few seconds per site. The doctor will inject a precise amount of filler beneath the skin, massage it, evaluate the results and may use additional fillers as needed.
Mild discomfort can be expected. And depending on the number of areas to be treated, the entire procedure can last between 5-30 minutes. You will be able to go back to your normal activities after the procedure.
The effect of most fillers are immediate but it can take up to 2 weeks for final results to appear as some filler cause a bit of temporary swelling. You can see Volbella before and after photos on our in-depth post regarding this popular dermal filler. Depending on the type of filler used and the area, results can last between six to 18 months or longer. How long a filler lasts is also dependent on the type of filler used, amount of product used, the location the filler is placed and your metabolism. Fillers also tend to last longer on areas that move the least. For instance, injected cheeks will likely last longer than enhanced lips.
While severe side effects, such as injection into an artery causing a skin ulcer or blandness are exceedingly rare, most minor side effects will usually go away within a few hours to weeks. Some minor side effects include redness, numbness, bruising, allergic reaction, itching, scarring and sores. Ice packs can be used to help relieve swelling and numbness.
Hyaluronic acid is actually a “water-loving” molecule found naturally within the body. Dermal products containing HA provide safe and natural-looking results.
According to a report published on the National Center for Biotechnology Information website, “HA fillers last longer and require less product to achieve the same cosmetic effect as collagen in the treatment of nasolabial folds, likely leading to them gaining preference among providers and patients.” The most popular areas for dermal fillers are:
Lips
Cheeks
Chin
Temples
Hands
Nasolabial folds
Earlobes
Questions To Ask Before Choosing a Provider:
Dermal filler treatments should be done by a qualified and registered medical doctor or a nurse under the supervision of a doctor. Here at Cosmetic Laser Dermatology in San Diego, board-certified dermatologists always perform the injections. Some of our physicians have been performing filler injections for over 35 years without any significant complications!
When selecting a doctor for your injectable treatment, give your decision-making process the same level of review you would for a surgical procedure. Although it is non-surgical, dermal filler treatment is a medical procedure that requires knowledge, skill, and training in order to ensure safe and positive results. Choose a board-certified dermatologist with extensive knowledge of facial anatomy and aesthetics. He or she must have a background in cosmetic medicine, as well as substantial experience in performing dermal filler injections. At Cosmetic Laser Dermatology, we can help you achieve perfect lips.
Yes, there are loyalty programs available with certain fillers. For example, there is the Galderma Aspire and Allergan Brilliant Distinctions loyalty rewards programs available which allow patients to earn points to use towards future treatments, bonuses and more.
Enhance Your Appearance with Fillers Today
With the help of a qualified provider, dermal fillers can produce natural-looking results that will help you look younger and feel more confident. If you’d like to explore your options, or learn more about injectables, contact our board-certified dermatologists at Cosmetic Laser Dermatology, San Diego. Schedule a consultation by contacting us online or give us a call today at 858.943.2113.
Next learn about some of the most popular myths about injectables.
So, you’ve decided you want to get Botox or dermal fillers, but this is something you’ve never done before. Although the process can seem intimidating, if you follow these simple questions when going for a consultation, you will be able to set your mind at ease and enjoy the benefits of the treatment you decide upon.
Understanding what it is you want from the treatment and being realistic about the results is an essential part of the relationship with your aesthetician. If you are open and honest with what you hope to achieve from the first consultation, then your practitioner will be able to advise you in the best way possible on how to proceed.
You should always check that your aesthetician is an accredited member of a professional body and that they have been trained and qualified in the relevant areas, such as Botox and dermal fillers. The Care Quality Commission and Save Face are two major ones.
There are a variety of different types of dermal fillers, and your aesthetician should make you aware of the different options available. Dermal fillers are available in a wide array of different strengths with different levels of firmness and softness. Not one filler does everything, some may emphasize the chin or raise cheekbones, for example. A variety of treatments will be necessary for the most natural look, and your aesthetician will be able to advise you on which are appropriate.
This is likely one of the first questions you will discuss with your aesthetician and is an important part of the process. To ensure your relationship is effective you should establish early on why you want treatments, and what specific areas you are looking to treat.
We may not like to admit it, but aging is inevitable, and the effect this has on your face is, too. The signs of ageing continually present themselves, in different ways, such as pigmentation changes, wrinkles, thinning of tissues (fat, skin, muscle, and bone), and loss of elasticity. Each treatment can only address one such aspect and so it is common that you may feel that you want further treatments, to address other concerns.
When choosing which aesthetician to have treatments with you should make sure you either have a recommendation or that you can see you are happy with their previous work. Aestheticians should have testimonials available from previous patients that should let you get a feel for how the treatment went. You should make sure that the aesthetician is a registered aesthetics aesthetician and is fully qualified to deliver any treatments you want. You should also always have a consultation before any procedure, which will give you a chance to visit the aesthetician and decide whether they are right for you.
Side effects of both botox and filler treatments are uncommon, but you should still ask your aesthetician to warn you of any that may occur. With botox, the most common side effect is bruising, which is caused by the injection itself, rather than the toxin. This is more likely to happen around the eyes, where there are a high number of blood vessels. The bruising should last no more than a week. If you are having treatment of fillers bruising is also possible, as is a pain at the injection site, or redness at the point of injection. Again, these should not last longer than a few days, to a week.
It’s possible if you’re suffering from low self-esteem or depression that your desire for treatment is not coming from a healthy place. You may imagine that the treatment will solve all of your problems, but this isn’t the case. Therefore, the decision to have treatment should come from the right place and you should be sure it’s what you want, Am I sure what treatments I want? You may have seen the sorts of changes you want whilst browsing the internet or flicking through a magazine, but it’s important you consider if the treatments are right for you. Your aesthetician will be able to give you some honest advice about what the best options are for you, and this is an important part of the conversation you have at your consultation.