Facial Filler – FAQ

What is a facial filler?

The quantity of moisture in the dermis gradually decreases with age. As a result, the skin dries out and becomes fragile, and the first wrinkles appear. The tissues progressively sag and the face becomes hollow.

Dermal fillers (also known as wrinkle fillers or collagen fillers) are products injected directly into the wrinkles to immediately remove them giving the face or upper lip a return to former smoothness. The product we use to fill these wrinkles is hyaluronic acid which is naturally present in the skin. It preserves moisturising levels in the skin and boosts tone.

How do dermal fillers work?

Your skin is made of two layers, with supporting columns holding them apart. The area in-between includes the clear-jelly like substance called hyaluronic acid. While young, the hyaluronic acid is in abundance. As you grow older, the acid between these layers diminishes, and the skin somewhat sags, causing a wrinkle. The wrinkle would be gone if you filled that area back up with the hyaluronic acid jelly-like substance. That’s where filler comes in.

The filler is injected directly into the wrinkle: it lifts and instantly fills the lines by virtue of the volume thus created. Right from the first injection, the wrinkle is markedly and visibly reduced.

The filler is injected into the skin with a very thin needle. It’s injected into this area, and restores the natural volume underneath the wrinkle so that it’s lifted up and smoothed out. All of this takes less than an hour, leaves no marks or scars, and the result can be seen immediately.

What kind of dermal fillers are used by Laser Skin Technologies?

Laser Skin Technologies uses fillers, which are non animal hyaluronic acid, manufactured by a unique method in Geneva, Switzerland. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance in the body so it naturally dissipates into the body with time.

All living organisms have hyaluronic acid in their bodies. In humans this is the substance that creates volume in ones face, giving it a healthy, young, appearance. You can imagine what hyaluronic acid does for a face when you consider the rounded face of a child, which forms into adulthood, and eventually recedes towards furrow lines. When these are augmented by filler, this crystal clear hyaluronic acid combines with your own to revitalise the face.

How many treatments will I need? Are dermal fillers permanent?

Depending on your age and the structure of your face, one to three initial sessions will be needed in order to achieve the desired effect, which is evident right from the first treatment session.
With filler, the injection sessions have a real, cumulative effect. Between one and two maintenance sessions will suffice in order to maintain the result.

Filler is usually repeated at six to 12 month intervals.

Would you like a free, no-obligation consultation? Please Contact Us to make an appointment.

 

Do dermal filler treatments hurt?

Discomfort is minimal and brief – most patients describe it as a mosquito bite sting for a few seconds. Sometimes a local or topical anaesthetic is required, although your consultant may use ice before injecting. The treatment takes around one hour. A tiny amount of filler is placed in selected facial areas via tiny injections using a very fine needle.

 

Are dermal filler treatments safe?

While more severe reactions occur in only one of 2,000 patients on average, some have experienced localised swelling at the injection point, thought to be brought on by hypersensitivity. Tenderness, redness, and vary rarely acne-like formations have appeared. Reactions can typically occur only a few days after the injection, or as long as four weeks. When a reaction does occur, its average lifespan is only a few weeks, and is typically described as moderate and mild.

Because the dermal filler used by Laser Skin Technologies isn’t an animal product, there’s no risk of an allergic reaction.

 

What are the potential complications of dermal fillers?

While filler enjoys a low number of side effects, these are some of the more common side effects that might occur with a relatively small number of patients. Pain, redness, swelling, itching, discolouration and tenderness at the point of injection. These side effects typically subside within two to three days of the filler injection procedure.

 

What preparations are required for dermal filler treatments?

Schedule a consultation with us

• Your medical history will be reviewed for any history of skin problems, medications, etc.
• Dermal filler treatments will be explained fully and all of your questions answered.
• Your consultant will determine exactly where to use dermal fillers to achieve the best results.

Other information

• We usually take photos before a treatment so that we can compare the result with the original.

 

What happens after the treatment?

After the treatment you’ll be given a short list of instructions to follow.Most people go back to work that day or the next day depending on the amount of swelling. Ice on the filled area helps to keep swelling down and some people don’t have any swelling at all.

 

How much do dermal filler treatments cost?

This depends on the extent of the work involved, and we’ll be able to give you an estimate at the consultation.