Fillers are commonly used to smooth out wrinkles in the skin. Before we discuss what dermal fillers can do, it is important to note that they are different from Botox. Botox is an injectable that smoothens out fine lines and wrinkles by relaxing the underlying muscle. Fillers insert volume to achieve the same outcome.
That being said, the following are some facts you may not know about fillers:
* They plump up the skin just like collagen does.
Collagen is the natural protein that gives your skin the radiant, youthful appearance that you seek. Though it is naturally synthesised in the skin, its proportion begins to decrease by the time the 30s roll around. This is the time when the first signs of aging begin to appear on the skin in the form of fine lines, which later deepen into wrinkles. Aging is also accelerated by other factors like exposure to the strong sunlight in Dubai, environmental pollution, stress, smoking or exposure to environments where others smoke, etc.
This is where dermal fillers fill a huge need – they can act like collagen when the proportion of the latter decreases in the skin. The filler is made of a material such as hyaluronic acid gel that functions like collagen to fill in the wrinkles. It imparts volume to the treated area and fills out the fine line and wrinkle, thus obliterating them. This restores the skin’s youthful look. The surgeon chooses a thinner filler for the face and a thicker one for other areas such as the neck, shoulders, upper arms, etc. However, a repeat procedure may be required periodically to retain the same effect.
* Fillers offer longer lasting results than Botox.
On the subject of Botox, we have already mentioned in the introduction that it is an injectable that relaxes the tissues and muscles under the fine line or wrinkle, thereby relaxing the fold of skin itself. It is a minimally invasive procedure that shows results for at least six months. After this, another series of Botox injections must be taken to continue the result. Meanwhile, fillers offer a longer lasting solution to the same problem. They may be effective for up to one year from the date of the procedure. But like we mentioned in the earlier point, you might need follow-up filler sessions to touch up the treated area around the one-year mark, depending on how your skin has reacted to the procedure. Doctors normally advise that the repeat procedure must be scheduled before the results of the earlier one have faded, to maintain continuity.
* Fillers are fast, painless and without down time.
Those who have already undergone dermal filler procedures report little to no discomfort during the process. The doctor injects the skin with a numbing substance like lidocaine before injecting the filler, so you won’t feel a thing during the procedure. Most filler treatments are administered quickly and there is hardly any downtime once it is completed. Procedures like lip fillers, for example, are so quick and painless that you can schedule one during your lunch break and return to work in an hour. Though there may be multiple areas to ‘fill’, the procedure hardly ever takes more than an hour to complete. Though the result is immediate in most cases, you must give the filler some time to settle into the skin and tissues before it shows the most desirable outcome. Wrinkle relaxing fillers may take up to a week to fully settle and show unlined skin. You may experience some soreness and redness in the treated area, but these symptoms go away in a few days.
Besides, dermal fillers look absolutely natural and do not feel different from what you are accustomed to, if the procedure has been performed by a skilled doctor. There are cases where the filler might ‘shift’ or migrate into surrounding tissues, in which case a corrective procedure may be required.
* Fillers are absolutely safe.
Most people who have never undergone a skin filler treatment worry about the safety of the procedure. But dermal fillers are absolutely safe. The material is always FDA-approved and is subjected to testing and licensing laws in other countries that import the fillers for their procedures. The most common fillers are hyaluronic acid, Poly-L lactic acid and Calcium Hydroxylapatite. These are all safe and FDA-approved substances that suit almost everybody.
Dermal fillers are most effective on the lips, out of all the areas of the face. They offer an instant plumping effect that changes the facial geometry quite pleasingly, by offering you a perfect pout. They also smoothen out the lines on the lips brought on by age and dryness.
* But there is a possibility of the skin looking ‘overdone’.
Though dermal fillers look completely natural, repeated procedures that are ill-timed, or the filler itself not settling properly in the skin, can result in the face looking puffy and overdone. At this stage, it becomes obvious to the casual eye that you have had some sort of lift or procedure done to yourself. But do note that this effect is seen only with repeat procedures.
IF you opt for a corrective procedure to reduce the puffiness, the doctor may advise you to wait for the filler to dissolve naturally. Or if you want an immediate correction, the doctor can inject the area with an enzyme that dissolves the earlier filler.