Basic Guide to Dermal Fillers

There are some really lucky people out there who naturally have smooth skin, plump lips and full cheeks. We all envy them and wish we could have what they have. Well we can, we just have to find the right professionals and pay for it. 

Welcome to the wonderful world of dermal fillers! The latest advancement in injectable treatments has made them more accessible, subtle (that’s a big plus), and longer lasting. As long as you do your research and go to a reputable, trust-worthy doctor, you should be perfectly safe. All the treatments we’re going to be discussing in this article are FDA approved. 

We’re also going to focus more on dermal fillers based on hyaluronic acid since these are the most popular ones right now and we aim to please. 

What Are Dermal Fillers?

Dermal fillers, also referred to as facial fillers can be used to smooth wrinkles, give thinning lips a plumper look, lift eyebrows, enhance your cheekbone and reduce the appearance of dark circles under the eyes. All this makes you look more rested and yes, more youthful. 

One of the reasons why dermal fillers are in such high demand is the fact that the procedure takes a relatively short time – they can be injected in less than an hour – and the recovery time is very brief. After you leave the clinic you can pretty much go about your day as usual. There are some things you need to avoid like strenuous activity, going to the dentist and some medications like Aspirin but you will be given detailed recommendations during the initial consultation. 

There can be some temporary side-effects like swelling, minor bruising and redness – this will clear up in a few days so don’t do it before you have to attend a big event. 

Since we’re on temporary, another aspect you should keep in mind is that the effects are also temporary. They won’t last forever but depending on the filler and technique you can expect 6 to 18 months of looking gorgeous. 

Considering they cost a fraction of what you would pay for a face-lift, how quickly they’re done and the short recovery time, they’re a really good alternative. 

Sometimes dermal fillers get confused with other injectables like Botox. They work in completely different ways. Botox temporarily paralyzes the muscles in your face that cause wrinkles on your forehead, between your eyebrows and around the eyes. Dermal fillers, as the name indicates, work by “filling” in areas of your face, adding volume which makes the skin smoother. They can be used alongside Botox but they don’t do the same things. 

Types of Dermal Fillers

Nowadays there are many options on the market and choosing the right one for you will depend on your individual skin needs (degree of sun damage, elasticity of your skin) and budget. An important point to consider is that what worked well for your friend may not be appropriate for you. 

Collagen Injections

This procedure has been on the market for quite a while and it involves injecting collagen under the skin to improve shape and texture. Collagen is a natural protein which accounts for about a third of the total protein in the human body. It is essential to the structure of our various connective tissues so it’s found in bones, muscles, tendons, blood vessels and skin. 

The collagen used in injections is mostly of bovine or human origin as these types were found to be the most beneficial to skin treatments. 

Hyaluronic Acid

This type includes Restylane, Juvederm, Bolotero and Elevess. Hyaluronic acid is likewise naturally found in the skin’s structure and it serves to give it that aspect of fullness. As you age, the levels of HA begin to dwindle so the injections replenish it. We’ll go into more detail in the next section. 

Poly-L-lactic Acid

This procedure uses a synthetic polymer to cause irritation in the skin which increases fibroblastic activity – it basically stimulates the fibroblasts (these are cells) in your dermis (middle layer of your skin) to synthesize more collagen. Since this reverses the aging process the effect lasts longer, up to two years after a course of about three session over a time frame of three or four months.  

Calcium Hydroxyapatite

Similar to poly-L-lactic acid, it works by stimulating collagen production yielding longer lasting results. The difference is that this type of dermal filler is easier to mould as to improve the contour of particular areas of the face and therefore it’s popular for changing the shape of the chin, jaw line and even the nose. 

Fat Injections

Fat extracted from your thighs or abdomen can also be used as a dermal filler but it requires a more extensive procedure and the results are less predictable because the fat used has to redevelop a blood supply or it gets reabsorbed. You’ll also have to consider that it takes an extra step – the liposuction. The fat cells are extracted with a syringe or a cannula (this is a thin tube) and then need to be processed and purified. 

Results last from a few weeks up to one years. It’s hard to determine how many fat cells will survive but it’s usually about 50%. After three or four days the ones that didn’t redevelop a blood supply will die off and get reabsorbed so some areas may look overfilled while others underfilled.  

What Is Hyaluronic Acid?

As we mentioned earlier, hyaluronic acid is found naturally in the body with higher concentration in the skin and in the fluids located in the eyes and joints.

The average person (154 lb or 70 kg) will have about 15 grams of hyaluronan and a third of this amount degrades and is synthesized every 24 hours. 

The HA in the skin attracts water so it’s used to minimize that saggy, sunken appearance our faces get as we age. It also has an important role in tissue regeneration because it’s one of the main components of the extracellular matrix. Excessive exposure to UVB rays, for example, leads to lower levels of hyaluronan and increases the rate of its degradation.

Medical research on hyaluronic acid injections has shown that they’re safe and very effective in skin treatments with results usually lasting 6 to 12 months.