Facial fillers have become increasingly popular among young professionals looking for a quick way to get rejuvenated with little or no downtime. Whether you want to build up your cheekbones, decrease your wrinkles or plump up your lips, fillers can help.
There are a wide variety of facial fillers available on the market, as well as a broad range of injectors to choose from. Board certified plastics surgeon Dr. Anup Patel illuminates three tips that will help minimize the potential risks involved while maximizing the end results.
# 1: Choose the Right Injector
While facial fillers are now offered in many public settings – ranging from the dentist’s office to a primary care physician – the safest and most most successful results are obtained in the hands of an experienced, board certified plastic surgeon.
Why are plastic surgeons so knowledgeable when it comes to a non-surgical facial rejuvenation technique? They understand anatomy. They know the face from the inside out. They have studied the progression of aging and they understand what looks natural. There is no one better suited to help you achieve natural looking facial rejuvenation surgically or non-surgically than a plastic surgeon.
“By going to a board certified plastic surgeon, you enhance your results,” emphasizes Orlando-based Dr. Anup Patel. “There is an underlying knowledge of anatomy that has to be respected, and this is particularly important when you’re using fillers.”
#2 Choose the Right Filler for the Targeted Treatment Area
Choosing a facial filler can be overwhelming with so many different options available. The most widely used and popular injectable fillers are made of a gel-like substance called hyaluronic acid. Since hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance in the human body, it carries very little risk of being rejected or causing an allergic reaction.
Hyaluronic acid fillers are divided into different categories based on their density. The thickness, or cohesiveness, of the gel determine which parts of the face they are most suited for. Areas of the face with extremely thin skin, such as the lips and the skin under the eyes, require very soft, less dense fillers. Other areas, such as the cheekbones or the smile lines, are better suited for a denser, firmer filler.
“A knowledge of what each filler is comprised of in terms of its density helps a doctor and a patient find out which one is best used for their face,” explains Dr. Patel. “The cheek area requires a heavy filler, such as Juvederm Voluma. The lips could be treated by a less dense filler, Restylane Silk or Juvederm Vollure.”
Injectable Filler by Treatment Area:
- LIPS: Juvederm Vollure, Restylane Silk
- CHEEKS: Juvederm Voluma, Restylane Lyft
- SMILE LINES (Nasolabial Folds): Juvederm Ultra, Restylane Defyne
#3 Combine Filler Treatments with Neuromodulators
Often lumped together in the same category of injectables, injectable neuromodulator treatments, like Botox and Dysport, do two very different things. While neuromodulators are not fillers, they can be a great way to enhance the results of your non-surgical facial rejuvenation.
Facial fillers treat lost volume and what Dr. Patel refers to as “static” wrinkles – wrinkles that exist when the face is completely still. Neuromodulators, on the other hand, treat and prevent what he refers to as “dynamic” wrinkles. When the face becomes animated, muscle movement causes the skin to wrinkle.
Take for example a frown or scowl. The lines that show up between the brows when you frown, sometimes called “the elevens”, are dynamic wrinkles. Squinting creates crow’s feet, another type of dynamic wrinkle.When neuromodulators such as Botox or Dysport are injected, they paralyze the muscles of the face that create these dynamic wrinkles. When the muscles can’t move, the creases can’t form, and as a result the wrinkles are “erased” or diminished.
Injectables 101: Fillers vs. Neuromodulators
- Fillers treat static wrinkles and replace lost volume
- Neuromodulators weaken or paralyze muscles to prevent dynamic wrinkles
Over time, long-term muscle movement may cause dynamic wrinkles to become static wrinkles. Crow’s feet that were only visible when a person in their twenties squinted may become permanently visible as they enter their forties. A combination treatment of neuromodulators to weaken the muscles and facial fillesr to fill out the static wrinkles provides a comprehensive approach to facial rejuvenation.