As we age, our face naturally loses some of its youthful fullness, from fat pad loss and sometimes even receding bone lines. The loss of volume leads to facial shadowing, deeper skin folds, and the appearance of lines and wrinkles. But no worries – a skilled aesthetic physician can skillfully identify the exact parts of your face suffering from volume loss. They can then recreate that structure with dermal filler injections, leading to smoother skin and improved wrinkles and sagging skin.
Dermal fillers can be used to restore volume in areas around the face such as the cheeks, nasolabial folds, marionette lines and, of course, the lips. Fillers can effectively create a healthy, more refined facial contour and youthful appearance. Let’s review some of the most common facial zones that can be improved will fillers.
Cheeks
Research shows that a face featuring prominent cheekbones is widely regarded as a sign of youth and beauty. But as we age, volume diminishes in the face and cheeks begin to flatten and sag. This leads to the appearance of a flat face, with less prominent cheekbones, lines around the mouth, shadows under the eyes, and sagging skin along the jawline. Try this – take your hands and pinch the skin covering your cheekbones. Notice how this pulls up the skin on your lower face while also helping improve undereye sagging.
Dermal fillers can be used to restore volume in the cheeks and recreate the underlying structure that has been lost. The result is a subtle, yet remarkable smoothing of facial wrinkles and return of youthful contours.
Well-defined cheeks create facial balance, improve the profile, and are a classic symbol of youth – they never go out of style. Whether you have experienced volume loss in the cheek area, or have never had defined cheekbones in your life before, dermal fillers can be used for cheek augmentation to create classic contours, improve under eye appearance, and enhance the overall facial shape.
Nasolabial Folds
This is one of the most common facial concerns as women age. Nasolabial folds are the creases that run from the base of your nose to the corner of your mouth. Treatment of nasolabial folds involves a full-face assessment to determine the cause and choose the most appropriate filler to help reduce their appearance. A skilled injector can work with your current facial structure and create a softening of these lines to maintain a youthful, healthy appearance.
Lips
Full, plump lips are an attractive and hard-to-miss sign of youth and beauty. There are a multitude of natural lip shapes and sizes, each unique to a person’s individual facial anatomy. This is truly an area where changes really enhance the entire facial perception – the lips could be considered the central feature of the face.
The choice of lip filler may be different for someone wanting more height and a well-defined border versus someone who is trying to fill wrinkles in the lip and get a more hydrated look. Each lip is different and thankfully, there are many lip fillers from different manufacturers that are specifically-designed for lip treatment.
Lip Hydration Vs Augmentation
Lip treatment with fillers is a highly skilled craft, due to the complexity of the lips, mouth and surrounding area. Fillers can be used in the lips for either hydration or augmentation. Lip hydration places small amounts of dermal filler within the “pillows” of the lip to help smooth lines and add plumpness, resulting in a naturally hydrated look.
Contrast that with augmentation treatment, which may involve defining the border, correcting asymmetry, and increasing the overall fullness of the lip.
Now let’s have a look at some filler FAQs.
Dermal Filler Frequently Asked Questions
What are dermal fillers made of?
Dermal fillers are made of a soft gel consisting of hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a naturally occurring sugar molecule in the body, and found in our skin. HA attracts water, which helps to hydrate and add volume to the skin. It is naturally broken down by our bodies over time – it is not permanent.
How long will dermal fillers last?
The duration of dermal fillers depends on the area injected, type of filler, injection technique and each patient’s unique lifestyle and metabolism. Most dermal fillers last between 6-18 months.
Are dermal filler injections painful?
For fillers, most injectors will use a very small needle, and the quick injection usually feels only like a small pinch. The injection may also sting a bit, but our most fillers come pre-mixed with lidocaine, so most patients find the treatment very tolerable. Most are surprised at how pain free it is. Clinics often provide a cold compress to patients for increased comfort and reduced swelling after their injections.
Is there downtime after dermal fillers?
Not at all. You can go right back to work after your injection appointment. However, it is common to have some minor swelling and bruising, so it’s best not to schedule your appointment before an important event, in case you experience these minor symptoms.
Wrapping Up
There’s no shortage of areas on our faces that show our age. Creases deepen, lips grow thin, and our cheekbones can seem to melt away into our face. But the good news is, there’s a wide variety of dermal fillers that are available – each formulated to address specific aesthetic challenges. In that hands of a skilled aesthetic physician, and your own future vision of personal beauty, you can roll-back the clock on the signs of aging and put your best face forward.