The Ultimate Guide To Dermal Fillers And Injectables

Non-invasive cosmetic procedures have become extremely popular over the last few years and have been altering the bad reputation it has gotten. It was never the norm to inject your face with any kind of treatment, even though face lifts were done numerously. Today, the world is curious and is aiming to stay young with dermal fillers, Botox, or any other injectable that will keep your skin looking youthful and radiant. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, there were nearly 2.5 million filler injections last year, making dermal fillers one of the most highly popular minimally invasive cosmetic procedures. Before you decide to meet the needle, keep in mind these factors below which will guide you on dermal filler types, why they’re used, and what you need to do before getting them.

Why dermal fillers and injectables are used

Signs of aging like wrinkled skin are due to the loss of volume and facial tissues that tend to become thinner. Collagen, the tissue responsible for keeping your skin firm, gets weaker as we age and causes the skin to sag and droop. Although dermal fillers are excellent at smoothing out wrinkles around the eyes, nose, and mouth, they’re also used to restore volume back in the cheeks, plump lips and enhance them, improve face symmetry as well as make the veins on the back of your hands become less visible.

What are dermal fillers and injectables?

Dermal fillers are a gel-like substance that is injected beneath your skin where there is a loss of volume with the aim of restoring it. They’re FDA-approved and are several different types with a variety of functions:

• Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is mainly found in many hydrating serums and they’re named Juvederm, Vollure, Volbella, Restylane, and Refyne. HA fillers are mixed with lidocaine to help reduce any pain after the procedure. HA is a substance that is already found in your skin. This soft, gel-like injectable is perfect for removing wrinkles and plumping your lips. Its effect usually lasts for a year or more.

• Botox is the most common and was FDA-approved in 2002. It’s used to soften frown lines and make the skin smooth by temporarily paralyzing the muscles. One Botox treatment lasts about three months.

• Polylactic acid, or Sculptra, is a biodegradable synthetic substance that has been used for years in the medical world as dissolvable stitches. Now, it can also be identified as a collagen stimulator for its ability to smooth deep wrinkles. This type of filler can last up to two years.  

• Calcium Hydroxylapatite, also known as Radiesse, is a natural substance found in our bones. This filler is made out of calcium microspheres that have the ability to add volume to cheeks and chins, and remove smile-induced wrinkles. It’s also fused with lidocaine to help with pain management.

Planning for a Dermal Filler

The first thing you need to do is to treat the process of getting a filler or like any other surgery or medical procedure. Although the process is non-surgical, it’s still a medical procedure and requires the provider to have training, knowledge, and skills to guarantee a safe and successful treatment experience. If you live in the US, finding the best Los Angeles aesthetic treatment center, in particular, won’t be a problem at all since LA is known to be prominent in this area. You’ll find well-known professional cosmetic surgeons skilled at giving dermal fillers.

The professional giving the injections is as important as the product itself; you need to choose one with a background in cosmetic medicine, understands facial anatomy, experience, and skill with injecting aesthetic injections, and one who has been tried and tested with successful results. You don’t want a botched result after all.

After you’ve decided on the provider, now is the time to choose which filler is best for you. There are many on the market with a different set of functions. Do your research on which type of filler is best for which part of your face you’d like to smooth out. You can also talk with your provider and listen to their recommendations upon several consultation visits before doing the procedure.

What to expect from the procedure

Manage your expectations by giving your provider an older picture of yourself as a reference to how wrinkle-free you were, instead of using a photo of a celebrity. Everyone has different facial anatomy and bone structure, the provider needs to work on your face and what it used to be, not the celebrity’s face. Even though prices range according to the product type, injectables are fairly expensive, ranging from the 100s to the 1000s of dollars. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the average cost of an HA filler is around $680 per syringe and Botox are around $400 per treatment. The idea of getting your face injected with needles can seem quite daunting to many and fear of pain might arise. However, most fillers are already infused with lidocaine to reduce any discomfort while you’re getting the injection and afterward. Many surgeons will offer to numb the area anyway beforehand and have claimed that it will feel as when you’re donating blood; just a pinch. Recovery time is probably one of the reasons many choose to have non-invasive cosmetic treatments; dermal fillers offer fast results and you immediately start to see a difference.

Watch out for possible side effects

After getting a filler treatment, you might notice pink dots or minor swelling and bruising. Do not worry, they’re temporary and will go away in 3-5 days. If the bruising gets darker and lasts for more than 10 days, it’s wise to consult your doctor to prevent any damage to your blood vessels. Keep your eye on an allergic reaction as well, as some bodies don’t handle a foreign substance all too well.

Turn back the time

In today’s world, you can easily turn back the clock by returning to your youthful self with just a few fillers. The goal of getting fillers is to receive optimum results, so a well-rounded research of which cosmetic surgeon to go to and which treatment will be suitable to you is highly needed before a treatment. Many men and women choose to have dermal fillers annually as it’s a cost-effective way to look like your younger self without going under the knife or long recovery time.