You can put alternative content here.
Dermal Fillers
What are dermal fillers?
Dermal fillers are injectable treatments to reduce the appearance of
lines and wrinkles by plumping out the lines.
Collagen was first used in 1976, but there has been demand for non
animal sourced and longer lasting products as collagen is derived
from the skin of cattle. Over the last 5-6 years, products
containing hyaluronic acid (eg Juvederm) have become available and
proving to be more popular.
What is Hyaluronic acid?
Hyaluronic acid is a natural polysaccharide that exists in all living organisms. The hyaluronic acid in dermal fillers is produced biosynthetically through bacterial fermentation, so it is biocompatible and there is no risk of transmitting disease. The gel is able to integrate with adjacent tissues, allowing passage of oxygen and nutrients. Juverderm’s hyaluronic acid molecules are cross linked which make it longer lasting, but not permanent. The gel particles are absorbed slowly and water tasks its place. When totally absorbed, the gel disappears unnoticed from the body.
Which areas can be treated?
The cosmetic ‘pollyfiller’ has a range of uses, including lip sculpture, filling lines and folds.
• Deep smile lines which run from the side of the nose to the corners of the mouth (the nasolabial lines)
• Crows feet at the corner of the eyes
• Frown lines between the eyebrows
• Smokers’ lines which are vertical lines on the top lip
• Marionette lines at the corners of the mouth
• ‘worry lines’ which run across the forehead
• The definition of the lip border
They can also be used to improve
• Acne scars
• Depressions or pockmarks in the skin due to injury or disease e.g. chicken pox marks
• Unevenness in the skin after surgery or skin grafting.
How is it given?
Dermal fillers must be administered only by doctors and nurses. A combination of numbing creams and or local anaesthetic injections are used to make the procedure as comfortable as possible, and treatment time can take an average of 45 minutes, depends on which areas are treated, but the results are instantaneous.
How long does it last?
Trials indicate that Juvaderm can be effective for 9 months to a year for the treatment of wrinkles and for around 6 months for lip augmentation.
Are there any downsides?
• Mild bruising – may take 2-3 days to vanish.
• Transient redness, swelling, itching or discomfort. In the case of lip augmentation, the swelling can be considerable for a few days
• Discolouration at the implant site – this usually resolves spontaneously within 1-2 days, within a week after lip augmentation
• Palpable lumpiness at the implant site – temporary
What can go wrong?
• Infection
• Blistering
• Cold sores – filler injection may cause a break out of cold sores if you are known to suffer from these, and so some antiviral tablets can be taken prior to injections that will minimise the risk of this occurring
• Allergic reactiono Immediately – prolonged redness, swelling, itching or hard lumps at the points of injection. Sometimes they can last for several months, but this is extremely unusual
o Delayed reaction – this could happen with a reported incidence of 1 in every 8000 patients treated. Red lumps may appear underneath the skin and last many months, but in a small number of cases are permanent.
Are there any contraindications to this treatment?
• Active infection of the skin eg acne or cellulitis
• Known allergy to hyaluronic acid
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding
What product is used?
We use Juvaderm® ULTRA range of dermal fillers from ALLERGAN, a
world leader in surgical and no-surgical aesthetic products. Unlike
other dermal fillers the Juvaderm ® ULTRA range includes a mild
anaesthetic for a more comfortable injection experience.
Its comes in 3 formulations for more natural looking customisable
results.
Juvederm ®ULTRA 2 – treats moderate lines, especially those around
the lips and corners of the eye and those very close to the surface
of the skin
Juvederm ®ULTRA 3 – smoothes wrinkles between the nose and the
corner of the mouth as well as around the lips. It can be used very
subtly to plump out the lips to maintain the smile
Juvederm ®ULTRA 4 – works on the most noticeable folds and lines,
and improves the contour of the face
How much does it cost?
Cost will depend on the number of syringes needed to create the desired effect and the formulation used. Prices start at £200 per 0.5ml syringe of Juvederm ®ULTRA 2. One syringe is usually sufficient for mild ‘deep smile’ lines.