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What Are dermal fillers

“Oh, if only I looked ten years older.” “I hate that I look so well-rested. Even makeup can’t make me look tired.”

Those are a few phrases you’ll never hear anyone say.

We may all have our own ideas of beauty, but most everyone wants to look youthful and refreshed. That’s why dermal fillers are so popular. In fact, analysts expect the dermal filler market to grow over 12% between 2017 and 2023.

Fillers are also misunderstood, though. For answers to questions like “how do fillers work?” and “how long do fillers last?” here’s your guide.

What Are Dermal Fillers?

The short answer is that dermal fillers “fill in” wrinkles.

When we’re young, our skin is full of a natural protein called collagen. Collagen fibers make our skin smooth, thick, and wrinkle-resistant.

Like so many other types of tissue in our bodies, collagen naturally breaks down and our body replaces it with new collagen. The problem is that as we get older, our bodies produce less and less new collagen. The cycle continues, and as your skin has less collagen, it becomes thinner and thinner.

As a result of this process, your skin sags from the pressure of gravity because it doesn’t have enough collagen to support it. You develop wrinkles as well when the lack of collagen combines with repeated facial expressions.

Dermal fillers use one of several gel-like substances to replace some of the volume you’ve lost as your collagen has declined.

We deliver results

What Issues Do Dermal Fillers Treat?

Most people know that dermal fillers can make them look younger, but they don’t realize the specific problems that fillers address. If you have any of these cosmetic concerns, fillers could be the solution you’ve been looking for.

Wrinkles

As we explained above, your skin has less and less collagen as you get older. While there are many factors that break down collagen, movement is one of them.

When you make the same facial expressions and crease your skin in the same areas over and over, those areas can develop wrinkles and divots more quickly than other areas.

Dermal fillers offer a precise and quick way to treat wrinkles. Our skilled practitioners inject fillers into your skin in these areas. That volume pushes up the surface of your skin, smoothing away the wrinkle.

It’s important to recognize that fillers vary on a case by case basis. In some cases, wrinkles are too extensive for fillers to get rid of them entirely. In fact, it would look unnatural for some patients if we would eliminate their wrinkles altogether.

Facial Hollows

Wrinkles may be the most well-known sign of aging, but it’s far from the only one.

As your skin loses volume, your facial structure changes as well. In particular, you may develop hollows in areas like your cheeks or the tear troughs under your eyes.

When you see an aging person who looks sallow or gaunt, this is why.

Dermal fillers can address this problem as well. Certain fillers are built to fill in the large areas in these facial hollows, the same way they fill in wrinkles.

Lackluster Lips

It’s not the first thing people think of when they link of dermal fillers, but lip enhancement is a popular treatment.

People of all ages want their lips to be more pronounced. As people get older, though, their lips tend to shrink more. For this reason, lip filler injections are common in adults of all ages but they tend to increase as people age.

As with injecting fillers into your skin, the name of the game with lip enhancement is volume. Our practitioners inject fillers into your lips and give it the shape and curvature you want.

What Types of Dermal Fillers Are There?

The term “dermal fillers” is more of a category than a specific product. In fact, there are several types of dermal fillers that work in different ways.

Hyaluronic Acid Fillers

Hyaluronic acid is the most popular type of dermal filler. Well-known fillers Juvederm and Restylane both use hyaluronic acid.

In fact, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, plastic surgeons alone administered over 800,000 hyaluronic acid filler injections in 2018. Compare that to another type of filler that had 28,000 injections and a third type that had 31,000 injections.

In fillers that use hyaluronic acid or HA, the synthetic version of natural HA fills in volume within the skin. These fillers are temporary because your body processes and removes them over time.

Collagen Induction Fillers

HA fillers use a synthetic material to fill in the volume you lose from collagen. There are other fillers, however, that focus on making your body fill in the gaps with more of your own collagen. This category is called collagen induction fillers. One example on this type is Sculptra.

The procedure is similar to other fillers: a practitioner injects the filler into a precise area. The difference is that the particles in collagen induction fillers will stimulate your body’s collagen production process. Your body builds more collagen in this area, creating a younger look.

As you might expect, it takes time for your body to produce and place that new collagen. Instead of making you wait, collagen induction fillers typically use a material to give you temporary volume during that process. While the temporary filler fades, new collagen replaces it so you keep a youthful, natural look.

Collagen Fillers

In addition to fillers that activate your body’s natural collagen, there are fillers that are already made with existing collagen that a practitioner injects into your skin.

This fillers use bovine collagen. In a way, they combine advantages of both hyaluronic acid and collagen induction fillers. They give you volume right away, like HA, but they also give you the longer-lasting results of collagen induction fillers. One exmaple of this type of dermal fillers is Bellafill

How Long Do Fillers Last?

As quick and easy as a filler injection treatment is, you still want to know that your results will last.

There are several factors that impact how long your filler results will last. The most notable factor is the type of filler you choose.

How Long Hyaluronic Acid Fillers Last

Such as Juvederm. As we mentioned, hyaluronic acid fillers are temporary by design. Over time, your body metabolizes the HA and clears it out of your system.

That process’s timeline varies on which HA filler you choose, but it can be anywhere between six months to 18 months. Newer and higher-end fillers will last closer to 18 months thanks to advances in medical technology.

How Long Collagen Induction Fillers Last

Collagen induction fillers have more long-term results. When your body responds to them by filling in your lost volume with new collagen, that collagen is the same as any other collagen in your skin.

In other words, it will follow the same aging process as the other areas of your skin. Sun exposure and natural aging will break down your collagen over time, but your treatment area will always look younger than it would have if you had never received the injections.

For best results, we typically recommend that patients get new collagen induction injections every two years.

Collagen Fillers

Finally, there are collagen fillers. These fillers are uniquely permanent.

While the benefit is that you won’t need future treatments, the downside is that the procedure isn’t reversible. There are injections we can use to reduce other fillers if you want a milder result than you’re seeing, but these injections don’t work on collagen injections.

What to Expect During Dermal Filler Treatment

By far, our patients’ favorite aspect of dermal filler injections is the results they get. Their second favorite aspect is how easy the treatments are. Here’s a peek into what you can expect from the process.

Before Your Injections

In many cases, we start with a brief consultation. This is especially important if you’re new to our clinic or if you’re getting a treatment you’ve never had before.

During this consultation, we evaluate your skin and the issues you want to resolve. We determine whether you’re best suited to dermal fillers, another treatment, or a combination of a few options. We’ll also discuss the results you can expect and answer any questions you have.

During Your Injection Treatment

When your injection appointment arrives, we’ll begin by cleansing your skin to prepare it. Next, we can use ice or topical numbing cream to numb the surface of your skin.

This topical numbing is all the relief that most patients need. Our fillers contain lidocaine along with the filler itself, so you will have little or no pain when the injections begin.

Next, the injections begin. Depending on your consultation, we’ll select the filler that accomplishes the results you want and is the best fit for your needs.

Our experienced providers will inject the fillers in precise areas and amounts to sculpt the results you want. Along the way, we’ll apply pressure in different areas to shape your results.

The entire injection process typically takes a mere 15-30 minutes, depending on how many areas you would like to treat.

After Your Filler Injections

When we finish your injections, we’ll give you ice to minimize your swelling. In general, you can expect the area to be swollen and bruised for a few days, though some patients experience this more than others.

With hyaluronic acid and collagen fillers, you will see the volume you want as soon as your swelling goes down. With collagen induction fillers, it will take more time for the full results to appear.

Keep in mind that even with swelling and bruising, you won’t need any downtime to recover. You can get right back to your typical daily activities, including work as long as you don’t mind the mild side effects on your appearance. In fact, many people schedule their injections for their lunch break

How Do I Get the Best Results from My Dermal Filler Injections?

While this is true with any cosmetic treatment, it’s especially true with dermal fillers: your provider matters.

A large part of injecting fillers is visual and artistic. A practitioner needs to use their discretion to determine exactly where to place the fillers and how much to use.

In addition, your provider needs to have the expertise to determine if fillers are the best choice for you in the first place. There are dozens of treatments available to make you look younger, and it takes expertise to know which ones will get the results you want.

When you choose a provider you trust, the next step toward getting great results is following their instructions. We have extensive knowledge of skin aging and skincare. By evaluating your skin, we can counsel you about the best way to look younger today and for years to come.

Finally, you’ll be able to keep your results looking fresh if you keep up with maintenance treatments. As we explained above, the timeline for maintenance treatments will depend on the specific filler you have. It could be anywhere between six months and two years.

Taking the First Step Toward a Younger You

With everything you now know, it isn’t hard to see why dermal fillers are among the most popular cosmetic treatments. Answering questions like “am I a candidate for fillers” and “how long do fillers last” shows you exactly what you stand to gain.

If you’d like to give dermal fillers a try for yourself, get the ball rolling by scheduling a consultation. We’ll take as much time as you need to help you find the best way to get the youthful, natural appearance you want.

To schedule your consultation, call our skincare center today.

We offer all type of dermal fillers with different brands such as Juvederm, Restylane, Sculptra and Bellafill

Dr. Kamal Alhallak (Ph.D.) is a master injector and has one of the highest rate in Canada

Opening hours

We’ll be happy to accommodate your wishes. If you need further information, don’t hesitate to contact us for a free consultation.

Although most of our patients are satisfied with the treatment results, there are some patient-to-patient variation to consider

Best results are seen 8 -12 weeks after the treatment