ALL ABOUT: DERMAL FILLERS
(Juvéderm, Belotero, Restylane, Teoxane)
Creating balance by adding lost volume, due to significant weight loss, to specific areas of the face. The goal was to enhance his natural features and to create desired facial contours for a full facial rejuvenation using multiple syringes of dermal filler. Neuromodulator was also used.
During the aging process, we all lose fat in our faces naturally, and thus, facial skin becomes stretched out and less firm, causing a loss of facial volume, sagging skin, and the occurrence of wrinkles and fine lines.
Dermal fillers are injected into the face to replenish the skin’s volume and fill in troublesome wrinkles as well as stimulating collagen growth. As soon as you start to notice any of these distracting signs of aging, using injectable dermal fillers will allow you to restore your face’s youthful appearance.
What are Dermal Fillers for?
Injectable dermal fillers are applied to reverse various facial concerns that are directly related to the aging process, including but not limited to:
Plumping up the areas underneath your eyes
Softening the appearance of facial scars
Restoring fullness to the cheek areas
Adding volume to thinner lips and the fine lines surrounding lips
Smoothing out the “laugh lines”
How Does the Treatment Work?
The substances known as dermal fillers are injected into the skin at the exact areas where depressions such as wrinkles, folds, and scars occur, adding fullness to the site, preserving a youthful and unblemished look. These results can last any amount of time between six months to two years, depending upon the actual filler used in the process.
PATIENT'S CONCERN: "I don't look how I feel. I look tired."
TREATMENT PLAN: Volume restoration with dermal fillers, muscle relaxation with a neuromodulator, skin & beauty boosters to improve skin health, and a skincare routine to treat rosacea.
Is This Treatment Similar to Botox (Xeomin, Dysport, Nuceiva)?
Dermal fillers are often confused with Botox (Xeomin, Dysport, Nuceiva), but they are not at all the same thing. Injectable dermal fillers add volume to the immediate area in which they are injected, while Botox (Xeomin, Dysport, Nuceiva) treats lines and wrinkles by relaxing the muscles, therefore decreasing the movements that cause facial creasing. While Botox (Xeomin, Dysport, Nuceiva) is also an effective means of decreasing depressions in the face temporarily, it is not meant to restore fullness and volume to the face. However, since both procedures work in unique ways, they may be used in conjunction with each other to restore youthfulness to the overall appearance of the facial area.
What is the Treatment Made From?
Hyaluronic Acid is a naturally-derived filler which provides results that are immediate. Hyaluronic Acid, lasts from approximately six to twenty-four months, then breaks down and is safely absorbed by the body. This means that to maintain results over a long period of time, you must get repeated injections. Examples of hyaluronic acid-based fillers include but not limited to: Juvéderm, Belotero, Restylane, Teoxane.
A BIOSTIMULATOR is also a dermal filler. It is an injectable cosmetic treatment that works by stimulating the body’s natural collagen and elastin production, leading to firmer, smoother, and more youthful-looking skin over time. Examples of biostimulators would be Sculptra: A poly-L-lactic acid-based injectable that stimulates collagen production. Radiesse: A calcium hydroxylapatite-based injectable that provides immediate volume while also stimulating collagen growth. Once either biostimulator is injected, it provides immediate volume and correction and continues to work by stimulating the body to produce its own natural collagen for a long-lasting effect.
However, using natural fillers lessens the risk of sustaining an allergic reaction.
TREATMENT JOURNEY:
1. Patient is open to recommendations. A tailored treatment plan is created. Dissolved previous lip filler to correct inversion. Fillers to cheeks and to tear troughs.
2. Fillers to temples. Full facial contouring with neuromodulation including brow lifting & shaping, and jaw slimming for cosmetic & therapeutic benefits.
3. Fillers to lips.
4. TRUE RESULTS ♡
Are There Any Risks?
Potential risks include acne-like skin eruptions; asymmetry; bruising, bleeding from the injection site, swelling; damage to the skin that results in a wound and possible scarring; infection at the injection site; lumps; palpability of the filler under the surface of the skin; skin rash with itching; skin redness; under- or over- correction of wrinkles.
There is also a rare risk factor of natural fillers bunching up and migrating to other facial areas. While unwanted, these results are actually temporary and can be corrected due to the fact they are designed to break down over a minimal period of time.
In very rare cases, fillers can cause scarring, blurred vision, partial vision loss, and blindness if a medical provider mistakenly injects dermal filler into a blood vessel. Skin necrosis (ulceration or loss of skin from disruption of blood flow). Only a Cosmetic Practitioner expert would have the necessary knowledge and experience to ascertain how particular substances can affect your skin.
Choosing a healthcare provider is an important decision that affects your health, safety, and peace of mind. Here are practical steps to help you pick wisely:
Verify credentials and licensure: Confirm the provider’s training, board certification, and license. These are basic indicators of competence.
Check experience and specialization: Find a provider experienced in treating your specific condition or population (age group, chronic illness, etc.).
Review outcomes and quality measures: Look for published patient outcomes, and quality metrics when available.
Read patient reviews cautiously: Patient feedback can reveal communication style and office processes, but take individual reviews with context.
Assess communication and empathy: Choose a provider who listens, explains options clearly, and involves you in decisions.
Understand costs: Verifies treatment costs with patient before proceeding.
Evaluate the care team and facility: Quality of nursing staff, specialists, and the facility’s accreditation matter for coordinated care.
Ask about care coordination: Especially for complex conditions, ensure the provider communicates well with other clinicians and manages referrals.
Trust your judgment: If something feels off, seek a second opinion.
What is the Difference Between the Different Brands of Fillers?
All dermal fillers are designed to work in the same way, but different brands are formulated differently. This means that products with certain cross-links are made to work in particular facial areas. For example, Teoxane Teosyal Redensity II and Juvederm Voluma may both be formulated with hyaluronic acid, but the former fills in hollowness to the tear troughs (under eyes), while the latter adds cheek volume. Just keep in mind that the best filler for you is also dependent on your desired outcome. Your provider must be the one to choose the appropriate filler for your treatment.