WHILE DERMAL FILLERS ARE CASUALLY KNOWN AS “WRINKLE FILLERS,” THEY CAN DO MUCH MORE THAN JUST SMOOTH OUT WRINKLES, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE EXCELLENT AT THIS TOO! HERE ARE A FEW OF THE COMMON ISSUES DERMAL FILLERS CAN HELP ADDRESS: SMOOTH OUT LINES AROUND NOSE AND MOUTH (A.K.A. MARIONETTE LINES, SMILE LINES, AND PARENTHESES) ENHANCE & RESTORE VOLUME TO SUNKEN CHEEKS OR TEMPLES DIMINISH VERTICAL LIP LINES PLUMP & ENHANCE THE LIPS SMOOTH OUT A CHIN CREASE IMPROVE SYMMETRY AMONG FACIAL FEATURES

HYALURONIC ACID (HA) CALCIUM HYDROXYLAPATITE (CAHA) POLY-L-LACTIC ACID POLYMETHYLMETHACRYLATE (PMMA) AUTOLOGOUS FAT INJECTIONS

NON-SURGICAL FILLER TREATMENT IS STILL A MEDICAL PROCEDURE THAT REQUIRES SPECIFIC TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL TO ENSURE SAFE TREATMENT AND NATURAL-LOOKING RESULTS. CHOOSE A PROVIDER WITH AN EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF FACIAL ANATOMY, A WELL-DEVELOPED AESTHETIC EYE, AND A SURGEON’S SKILL AND PRECISION. WHOMEVER YOU CHOOSE, MAKE SURE YOUR PROVIDER HAS A PROVEN BACKGROUND IN COSMETIC MEDICINE AS WELL AS TRAINING AND SUBSTANTIAL EXPERIENCE PERFORMING FILLER INJECTIONS.

WITH SO MANY DERMAL FILLER PRODUCTS ON THE MARKET, IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO KNOW WHICH OPTION IS BEST FOR YOU WITHOUT AN EXPERIENCED COSMETIC SURGEON’S GUIDANCE. EACH PRODUCT IS UNIQUELY FORMULATED TO HAVE A CERTAIN TEXTURE, DENSITY, AND INJECTION DEPTH, WHICH MEANS THAT CERTAIN FILLERS WORK BETTER FOR CERTAIN AREAS OF CONCERN. WHILE YOUR PROVIDER WILL DETERMINE WHAT PRODUCT IS BEST FOR YOU, THE FOLLOWING DIAGRAM ILLUSTRATES IN GENERAL WHERE COSMETIC SURGEONS TEND TO APPLY CERTAIN PRODUCTS:

DERMAL FILLER INJECTIONS ARE NON-SURGICAL AND TYPICALLY COMPLETED DURING AN OFFICE VISIT. YOUR INITIAL TREATMENT WILL BEGIN WITH A CONSULTATION, DURING WHICH YOU WILL MEET WITH YOUR DOCTOR TO DISCUSS YOUR CONCERNS AND GOALS.

DURING YOUR CONSULTATION, YOUR COSMETIC SURGEON WILL EVALUATE YOUR AREA OF CONCERN AND REVIEW YOUR MEDICAL HISTORY. WHILE THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH DERMAL FILLERS ARE MINIMAL, YOU NEED TO FULLY DISCLOSE YOUR MEDICAL HISTORY PRIOR TO TREATMENT, AS CERTAIN ALLERGIES, SKIN AND NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, OR MEDICATIONS CAN JEOPARDIZE YOUR SAFETY OR RESULTS. FOR INSTANCE, YOU NEED TO TELL YOUR COSMETIC SURGEON IF YOU HAVE BEEN TAKING NSAIDS (E.G., ASPIRIN, IBUPROFEN, NAPROXEN) OR BLOOD THINNERS, AS THESE INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF BRUSING.

JUST BEFORE THE ACTUAL TREATMENT, THE AREA WILL BE CLEANED, AND YOU MAY BE GIVEN A TOPICAL ANESTHETIC TO NUMB THE AREA PRIOR TO INJECTION. MANY FILLER PRODUCTS ALSO CONTAIN LIDOCAINE, A MILD ANESTHETIC, WHICH IS INTENDED TO HELP MINIMIZE DISCOMFORT DURING AND AFTER YOUR TREATMENT. YOUR PROVIDER WILL THEN INJECT A PRECISE AMOUNT OF FILLER STRATEGICALLY BENEATH THE SKIN. DEPENDING ON THE PRODUCT AND THE AREAS TREATED, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO NOTICE RESULTS IMMEDIATELY AFTER RECEIVING FILLER INJECTIONS. SOME PATIENTS EXPERIENCE MILD BRUISING AND SWELLING, BUT THESE ARE TEMPORARY AND SHOULD SUBSIDE OVER THE DAYS FOLLOWING TREATMENT. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO GO BACK TO YOUR NORMAL ACTIVITIES RIGHT AFTER TREATMENT, BUT YOUR COSMETIC SURGEON MAY ASK YOU TO TAKE THE DAY OFF FROM EXERCISE OR OTHER STRENUOUS ACTIVITY

HOW LONG THE EFFECTS OF DERMAL FILLERS WILL LAST DEPENDS ON THE PRODUCT, THE AREA OF TREATMENT, AND THE PATIENT. GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE DENSER THE PRODUCT IS AND THE MORE DEEPLY IT IS INJECTED, THE LONGER IT WILL LAST, ALTHOUGH THIS IS NOT A HARD AND FAST RULE. TO MAINTAIN YOUR RESULTS, YOUR COSMETIC SURGEON WILL SIMPLY REPEAT TREATMENT, ADJUSTING THE AMOUNT AND TECHNIQUES AS NECESSARY TO ENSURE OPTIMAL RESULTS. HYALURONIC ACID FILLERS TEND TO BE THE MOST TEMPORARY OPTION, AND THEREFORE ARE OFTEN RECOMMENDED FOR FIRST-TIME FILLER PATIENTS. THESE WILL TYPICALLY LAST FROM 6 TO 18 MONTHS. INJECTIONS TO THE LIPS WILL WEAR OUT A LITTLE FASTER THAN THOSE TO THE NASOLABIAL FOLDS. CERTAIN HA FILLERS, SUCH AS VOLUMA, ARE FORMULATED TO LAST LONGER, BUT ARE USUALLY LIMITED TO CERTAIN AREAS, SUCH AS THE CHEEKS.

FILLERS ARE USUALLY SAFE WHEN DONE WITH EXPERIENCED & SKILLED DOCTORS. MILD BRUISING, SWELLING CAN OCCUR THAT WILL SUBSIDE IN 3-4 DAYS BUT THERE ARE NO LONG TERM DAMAGE OR SIDE EFFECTS.