Dermal Fillers : Restylane, Juvederm, Sculptra, and Others

Dermal fillers are a cornerstone of facial rejuvenation. They are used to decrease and minimize wrinkles and folds on the face. They are also used to enhance, enlarge, and rejuvenate lips and cheeks. This educational writing will help you understand and learn the essential features and the important facts about dermal fillers. At Rejuvenate Med Spa we use almost all commercially available fillers from shorter lasting ones to longer lasting fillers. Click here to view a patient video.

Before and After Lip filler

According to statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, over 2.5 million people received dermal fillers in 2018. It is one of the most commonly performed procedures in the cosmetic surgery world. The safety and success of these products are without question. This includes an extremely high level of safety and a long track record of proven results.

Before and After Lip filler to folds

The most common uses for these products are to improve wrinkles around the mouth, face, and nose. The nasolabial fold is the wrinkle that runs from the edge of your nose to the mouth. As we get older, this fold gets deeper; and fillers are excellent to help improve and lessen this fold. Other wrinkles improved and treated are crows feet, glabellar lines, and wrinkles around the lips, such as smoker lines. Fillers are also used to enlarge and beautify the lips and the cheeks. To see an actual patient getting fillers, please click here.

What are fillers?

The most common product is hyaluronic acid. This chemical is a basic building block of the skin. Think of it like a modern day collagen. It is totally natural and is part of the essential chemicals of our skin. I often describe fillers as being like high-tech human spackle or putty. Putty is used to fill in cracks in your home’s walls or ceiling. Human fillers are used to improve the cracks or wrinkles that we get in our skin.

Cost

The products in general are sold by the cc or ml. The national average for hyaluronic acid fillers is $700 per syringe. In our office, we frequently have specials that can get the price down significantly lower. If you need more than one syringe, the price of the second and third syringes is discounted. Please make sure you are on our email list. This way you will receive the best price and lowest cost.

What’s involved in treatment?

Once you have decided on the locations you wish treated, the procedure is performed you an injection specialist. It is an office based treatment. Some people will have local numbing ointment applied before the treatment to minimize pain. Almost all the products or fillers are mixed with lidocaine. This is a local anesthetic. It really helps diminish pain for the injections. The treatment takes about 15 minutes.

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Expectations and recovery

It is common after fillers to have some minor bruising and swelling. This in minimal for most patients doing the fillers. People can resume normal activity, work, and showers the next day. Some people will get unlucky and have more than a little bruising. A tiny percentage will get a lot of bruising. Ice application for up to 72 hours can decrease bruising. You can not ice the area too much. If you get extra bruising, the good news is that it doesn’t effect the result. The bruising will resolve, and you can expect to have normal results. Recovery is usually complete after several days, but some will need longer to resolve the swelling.

Results

Results from filler treatment tend to be excellent for most. Satisfaction is usually good to excellent. The results can last up to a year and longer with some products. The most common hyaluronic acid fillers Restylane and Juvederm last about 7-12 months. It is commonly marketed as lasting a year, but it can be metabolized quicker and go away faster. Sculptra can last years. It is a filler that requires multiple doses however. Typically this is 3-4 times spaced a month or two apart.

Risks

Risks will be reviewed with you in detail during your consultation. Risks include (but are not limited to) bruising, swelling, lumpy application, infection, and rare allergic reactions. In my practice, I have found these risks to be really low. The biggest risk is having realistic expectation. Fillers don’t get rid of jowls or bags. They don’t help with turkey neck or loose skin. These conditions are treated with surgery, such as a facelift, blepharoplasty, or eye tuck. Understanding realistic expectations is critical. These products tend to improve wrinkles not get rid of them. If you don’t get enough benefit, the answer is often that you didn’t use enough and you need to buy another syringe. If it doesn’t last long enough, more product is again the answer typically. I believe the main risks center around having realistic expectations about results. It is essential to understand that the treatment improves problems or wrinkles. It does not completely get rid of the them.

Please come in for a consultation. It is thorough and complete. We will help you learn about the treatments and help you decide what is best for your facial rejuvenation.

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