As men and women age, they lose youthful volume in their skin. In fact, with age, dermal thickness decreases by approximately 20%. But there’s great news – today’s great dermal fillers can swoop in and save the day.
Dermal fillers have become a standard and popular procedure for facial rejuvenation, due to their ability to help turn back the aging clock. These fillers are soft tissue injectables that restore lost volume and address many other age-related skin issues.
Since many different types of facial fillers are available on the market, it can be tricky to figure out which one is right for you, which is where a guide to dermal fillers can come in handy. And while it’s nearly impossible to cover every single dermal filler available, here’s a helpful run-down that can help you determine the filler type that would best suit your face.
How Can Dermal Fillers Help You?
Aging causes your skin to lose collagen, which allows wrinkles, lines and creases to form. Although you cannot pause time or stop aging, you can reverse the signs and feel younger, with a little help. In fact, dermal fillers can improve your skin’s appearance in numerous ways. In addition to smoothing out wrinkles, dermal fillers can help other aspects of the face, depending on the filler type. Some of the many skin issues fillers can address are:
- Restore cheek volume
- Reduce vertical lip lines, such as smoker’s lines
- Enhance and plump lips
- Smooth outlines around the mouth and nose
- Diminish the appearance of scars
Different Types of Fillers
Each filler serves a distinct purpose, allowing you to achieve youthful skin in different ways. The significant difference between the different types of facial fillers is the substances inside each of them. Here’s a sample of some different types of fillers that are available.
Juvederm Volift
Juvederm Volift is from the Juvederm collection, and is based on hyaluronic acid (HA) as it’s key ingredient. HA is derived from a naturally-occurring sugar in the body, and it helps skin keep its elasticity while providing volume.
Smiling is great for the human body and mind, but over the years it can take a toll on the face. Believe it or not, you can get lines on your face from smiling, known as nasolabial folds or smile lines. Volift works best on solving lines from the bottom of the nose to the corners of the mouth. The result? Your newly-smoothened skin can last up to a year and help you smile without stress again.
Juvederm Volbella
If you’re tired of using Snapchat filters to give your lips a nice pout, it might be time to embrace this hyaluronic acid-based gel filler, enhanced with painkilling lidocaine. Juvederm Volbella is a softer and smoother gel, allowing for easier injection in the lips – in fact, its specifically designed for treating delicate lips.
Volbella helps the lips look plumper, reducing the appearance of flat and uninspired lips. You can flaunt your perfect pout and receive the pain-free injection thanks to the integrated painkilling lidocaine. In addition, the lower HA concentration in Volbella means that the formula is less likely to absorb water, resulting in only minor swelling and a more natural appearance – ideal for natural looking, beautiful lips.
Resytlane
If wrinkles are a significant concern for you, Resytlane could just be your safest bet. It is used in more than 15 million treatments worldwide, and delivers long-lasting solutions for wrinkles and fine lines. There are quite a few different Resytlane fillers to choose from, so your doctor can select which precise injectable best suits your skincare needs.
Resytlane treatment can provide numerous advantages after use, such as accentuating eyebrows, smoothening under-eye hollows, enhancing lips, increasing volume in the cheeks and nasolabial lines, while also defining contours of your cheek and chin, and jawline. In addition, people can also use it to treat acne scars, tighten the jowls, and even address facial symmetry issues. In fact, one of the reasons the Resytlane collection is so popular is due to the wide variety of solutions that it provides.
Sculptra Poly-L-lactic Acid
The other fillers covered so far are based on hyaluronic acid – but now we diverge. Sculptra injectables use poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) microparticles to fill areas in the face where people lose volume. However, you can use it in many other areas where you are suffering volume loss. This includes the buttocks – check out our article The Sculptra Butt Lift Procedure to learn more about this unique application. Sculptra treatments generally have no side effects, allowing you to achieve younger-looking skin without worry.
So how does it work? Sculptra stimulates new collagen growth in hollow areas and can last up to two years. If you’re developing jowls or marionette lines, it might be time to embrace Sculptra treatment and reduce volume loss. Sculptra can also address issues like sunken cheeks, allowing you to feel like a brand-new person – growing younger instead of older, as the Sculptra gradually encourages your body to produce more rejuvenating collagen.
Revanesse
Revanesse is another effective line of cross-linked hyaluronic acid dermal fillers. As mentioned above, our bodies include naturally-occurring hyaluronic acid (HA), contained throughout our skin. However, as we age, the HA decreases in quantity, causing the skin to lose volume and develop fine lines and wrinkles.
The Revanesse collection is made with the highest quality HA, allowing treatments to last 6-12 months. The substance restores volume loss in the skin and helps the face look more youthful, restoring a rejuvenated look that was lost to the harsh effects of aging.
Which Filler Should I Get?
As we reviewed above, there are many different brands of dermal fillers available, and for the optimum outcome, you want to use the best filler for the issues you are looking to address. While ultimately, a consultation with your aesthetic physician is perhaps the most important element of research to perform, it can also be very helpful for you to do your own research. Bottom line, the filler(s) you choose should depend on the skin condition(s) you want to address. Here’s some sample conditions, and some recommended fillers for those situations.
Reduce Appearance of Wrinkles
If you aim to reduce wrinkles, you could consider Resytlane or Revanesse, and choose the number of injections based on your personal skin goals. Minimizing the appearance of wrinkles can take years off your face – and restore your confidence.
Plump up Thinning Lips
If your lips feel thinned out and drab, you can try Volbella or Resytlane to restore their volume and achieve natural-looking, not overdone plumpness. Thinning lips are difficult to hide – as hard as you may try with lip-liner and lipstick. A solid lip treatment can almost rejuvenate your entire look, as the lips are such a central part of our facial aesthetic.
Improve Smile Lines
Smile lines, also known as nasolabial folds, can make a face look much older. Volift treatment is tailored to treat smile lines and smoothen the skin around the bottom of the nose to the corners of the mouth. Softening the smile line creases can create an immediate rejuvenation effect, and let you smile and laugh with confidence once again.
Diminish Acne Scars
Acne scars are a significant issue that occur at many ages and isn’t limited to young adults. Acne scars can adversely affect the quality of life for those who feel stuck with these unsightly facial depressions. Resytlane fillers are a great option to fill in acne scars and reduce their appearance.
Treat Hollowed Areas
Hollowed areas on the face, such as the cheeks, can look unappealing and impact one’s confidence. Luckily, some selected types of fillers, such as Sculptra and Resytlane, address hollowed facial areas, such as the cheeks. They can add back the lost volume that is key to a youthful look.
How Long Do Dermal Fillers Last?
The exact duration of injected dermal fillers depends on the type of filler you get, and where it’s being injected. Some fillers will last 6-12 months, while others may last up to 2 years.
- Juvederm Volift: 6-12 months
- Juvederm Volbella: 6-12 months
- Sculptra: Up to 2 years (three initial injection sessions required)
- Resytlane: 6-18 months
- Revanesse: 10-14 months
The hyaluronic acid filler treatments start working right away, with the full effect being visible in 2 weeks. However, the hydrating and plumping effects will fade over time, at which time it’s likely that the wrinkles will start to reemerge. When you notice your fillers fading, that’s a great time to go back for another appointment.
Are Dermal Fillers Painful?
Although dermal filler treatments might appear intimidating, they are not that painful. You will likely feel some minor discomfort, described usually as a pinching sensation. The level of discomfort usually depends on the application technique. But rest assured – a skilled and experienced injector are well aware of the best techniques to make the experience comfortable.
Patients may experience mild swelling and bruising after receiving injections, and the area may feel tender to the touch for a few days. However, the side effects are similar to a standard injection and generally fade on their own within 7-14 days.
Post-Treatment Care
Your specific post-treatment care routine will depend on the type(s) of dermal fillers you get. However, it is essential to maintain your results by taking good care of your skin at all times. Using high-grade topical skin care products and makeup is a great step to ensure that your skin receives the love it deserves – and will remain as healthy on the outside as it is, on the inside.
One often-overlooked yet significant aspect of skincare is prioritizing sun protection. Unfortunately, the main culprit of premature ageing is photo-aging, which damages the skin due to too much sunlight and ultraviolet (UV) light exposure. It is crucial to protect your skin from the sun by applying high SPF sunscreen before and after your treatment. Make this a lifelong habit – your skin will thank you for it!
Conclusion
For many first time patients, the most challenging part of dermal filler treatment is figuring out which fillers you should try out. Consultation with an experienced aesthetic physician is a great step, in addition to doing your own research. Although most fillers don’t have excessive side effects, some treatments can cause slight discomfort and a higher risk of reactions, which you need to know more about before finalizing your treatment plan. And perhaps most importantly – make sure to have a clear vision in your mind about the exact issues you would like addressed, and the look you are hoping to achieve. With this research and planning, you are more likely to have a great experience – and great results – with dermal filler treatment. Licensed medical practitioners can buy dermal fillers online at Health Supplies Plus, at low wholesale prices and available free shipping options.