In recent years, dermal fillers have been an incredibly popular skin treatment among our clients. Due to their increased popularity, we here at Viva Skin want to take a minute to talk more about the process and effects of the treatment to help you gain a better understanding of its benefits.
What are Injectable Dermal Fillers?
Dermal fillers are used to remodel the face, lips, or areas within the body that have lost collagen or elastin due to aging, medical conditions, or traumatic injury. Dermal fillers are commonly used in clinical dermatology for this purpose by a variety of clientele.
The treatment is performed by injecting dermal fillers deep in the dermis, a special layer of your skin. The general dermal fillers used for facial injections are completely safe, and are hyaluronic acid-based. They start to work immediately and their effect lasts several months, sometimes even up to a year and a half depending on your circumstances. Hyaluronic acid dermal fillers (HA dermal filler) contain molecules of sodium hyaluronate, a naturally occurring substance found in the body that gives volume to the skin and provides lubrication between tissues. These dermal filler treatments usually require more application sessions, as compared to dermal fillers that are not HA-based.
Additionally, there are other types of dermal fillers which contain biodegradable scaffold materials such as collagen and polylactic acid. These dermal filler treatments may be a good choice if the patient seeks long term dermal filler results, however these dermal fillers can take longer to work.
What can they treat?
Dermal fillers are injected into the skin to help smooth out fine lines and wrinkles, reduce pitted scars left behind by acne lesions, and even improve acne scarring itself.
Dermal fillers are also used to treat shallow contours, such as those caused by facial scarring or loss of facial volume, which can result from the aging process. Injectable dermal fillers have been shown to be extremely effective in restoring volume and shape to the skin, furthermore dermal fillers can restore volume where fat has been transplanted from one part of the body to another.
Dermatologists use dermal fillers for different treatments such as correcting nasolabial folds (parentheses around mouth), cheeks augmentation, lip augmentation and chin augmentation. The effects of dermal fillers last about six months before dermal filler needs to be reapplied.
Since dermal fillers can add volume and correct age-related changes such as wrinkles and loss of elasticity, dermal filler injections may also provide an alternative or companion procedure to surgical procedures such as facelifts, browlifts, rhinoplasty, and liposuction.
What can I expect from the treatment process?
The injection process takes approximately 30 minutes on average. Here’s an overview of how this treatment works:
The area where dermal filler will be injected is cleaned with antiseptic solution and local anaesthetic is applied to the site. While the antiseptic prevents bacteria from forming at the procedure site, the anaesthetic numbs the skin, ensuring you are comfortable for your procedure. It can take up to 10 minutes for the anaesthetic to take effect.
A dermal filler solution is then prepared in a medical setting and injected by a professional into the dermis. During injection, patients may feel only minor discomfort or even no pain at all. Afterward, patients can return to their normal routine immediately, now with fresh and renewed skin.
We hope this article can help you learn more about dermal fillers, and we also invite you to book a free consultation with us to create a customized skin care plan unique to you. See you soon!