Dermal Fillers

(Wrinkles and Facial Lines Treatments)

Temporary dermal fillers are often used to fill in fine facial lines and creases, smooth the lines around mouth and nose, enhance the size and shape of the lips, reduce crow’s feet, add volume to the cheeks.

There are several different kind of dermal fillers but the most used is Hyaluronic Acid (HA) because:

• Long history of safety and success
• No allergy testing necessary
• Long lasting but not permanent

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Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a polysaccharide that keeps your skin moisturised and gives it its elasticity. HA is present throughout our bodies.

HA is plentiful in our bodies when we are born, but its levels gradually decrease over time.

Injectable HA gel is a modified form of the HA that occurs naturally in our body.

As a naturally based biological material, hyaluronic acid is similar to our body’s natural HA.

In fact, it’s so similar you won’t need a skin test prior to treatment.

Dermal Fillers: The Consent

If you are happy to proceed with the treatment you will be asked to sign a consent form to confirm that you have given permission for the procedure to go ahead and that you know all the possible side-effects and complications of the procedure. You will be asked also to accept that photographs of your pre and post treatment will be taken.

About the Treatment with Dermal Fillers

After an adequate consultation with an exhaustive medical history, HA is injected directly into the skin in tiny amounts using an ultra fine needle. A dermal filler treatment is usually relatively painless or just slightly uncomfortable; if you are very sensitive a topical anesthetic cream can be used to minimise the discomfort. The procedure is convenient and results are instantaneous. Each procedure is geared to individual requirements.

Depending on the area treated a dermal filler treatment with Juvederm ® or Restylane ® usually takes approximately 30-45 minutes.

Side Effects of Dermal Fillers

Immediately after the dermal filler injection it’s perfectly normal to experience temporary minor:

• Stinging
• Discolouration
• Bruising
• Mild to moderate redness
• Swelling

Typically, these responses are temporary and, if they do occur, will usually go away within 2-4 days depending of the area, whereas lips, for example, tend to have a bigger swelling that lasts for a longer time than any other areas. Please note that if you suffer of cold sore it’s possible to have a period of active disease.

Complications

This is extremely rare with with Juvederm ® or Restylane ® and consists in an unexpected reaction to the product.

After Treatment with Dermal Fillers

After treatment, please avoid alcohol consumption and applying make up for 12 hours. Please do not massage the treated areas for 48 hours. Please avoid extreme sun exposure, UV light, freezing temperatures and sauna for 2 weeks after treatment.

After your initial dermal filler treatment your consultant may ask you to come back after about two weeks for a check-up to ensure you are happy with the results. Occasionally a little top-up is needed to ensure you are getting the look you desire.

The results will generally last for six-twelve months before you will then need a new treatment, but will vary depending on the condition of the skin, area treated, lifestyle factors such as sun exposure and smoking.

After the initial treatment, most patients choose to have a followup treatment between four and nine months, appropriate to have a lasting, steady result.