What are Dermal Fillers?

What Are Dermal Fillers Used For?

Dermal fillers are injected into the face and can correct fine lines, creases, and folds, scars and loss of volume. They are also used to enhance lips, reconstruct noses and chins, and jawline sculpting. Dermal fillers allow you to take years off your appearance without having to go under the knife, and with little to no downtime. While the results are temporary, they are easy to maintain with regular or yearly treatments.

When You Should Get Dermal Fillers

Great skincare can make a big difference in the appearance of your skin as you age, but inevitably things like muscle movement, fat loss, sun damage, and gravity begin to take their toll over time. Dermal fillers are a great option to correct signs of aging that are beyond what skincare products can do, and they can definitely help improve the appearance of deep lines and give skin a more supple, youthful appearance in ways that skincare alone simply cannot. Also, treatments with neuromodulators, like Botox, can help with wrinkles that you see from movement, but not those that you see when you are static, or not moving your face.

If you have static wrinkles or a loss of volume that is affecting how you feel about your appearance, or simply want to enhance what you already have, dermal fillers may be a good option for you.

What is the Best Dermal Filler?

There are many options when it comes to dermal fillers, but how do you know which one to choose? The truth is that there really isn’t a dermal filler that is the “best,” because they all have different benefits and uses. The best filler for you will depend on the doctor’s experience, training, technique, skill, your facial needs, and risk tolerance. It has nothing to do with what you see online or in advertisements.

If you’re thinking about getting dermal fillers, you should consult with your doctor about which filler is the best option for the area that you want to treat and for the final result that you are looking for.

Popular dermal fillers include:

• Juvederm XC
• Juvederm Ultra XC
• Juvederm Ultra Plus XC
• Juvederm Voluma XC
• Juvederm Volbella XC
• Juvederm Vollure XC
• Restylane
• Restylane Refyne
• Restylane Defyne
• Restylane Lyft
• Restylane Silk
• Radiesse
• Belotero

Types of Dermal Fillers

Juvederm

The two main ingredients found in all of the Juvederm XC fillers are hyaluronic acid and lidocaine. Hyaluronic acid is a type of sugar that is naturally produced by the body. HA can hydrate the skin because it attracts/holds water, creating a kind of natural cushion that plumps and increases the volume where it is injected. The second ingredient, lidocaine, is a mild local anesthetic that helps to reduce discomfort when the product is injected into the skin.

Juvederm XC – used to smooth moderate to severe parentheses lines and other wrinkles around the nose and mouth.

Juvederm Ultra XC – plumps and adds fullness to lips, and also smooths and corrects moderate to severe parentheses lines.

Juvederm Ultra Plus XC – used to correct more severe facial wrinkles, deep nasolabial folds and marionette lines, as well as to add more volume to lips.

Juvederm Voluma XC – used to correct age-related volume loss in the cheek area. Also can be used in the chin and jawline, and for liquid rhinoplasty.

Juvederm Volbella XC – adds subtle volume to lips and softens the appearance of vertical lip lines.

Juvederm Vollure XC – used to soften moderate to severe parentheses lines and wrinkles by adding subtle volume around the nose and mouth.

Restylane

Restylane is another family of products that are hyaluronic acid dermal fillers. They include Restylane, Restylane Lyft, Restylane Silk, Restylane Defyne and Restylane Refyne. All of the products are a gel formulation of hyaluronic acid that has been formulated to behave like your body’s own naturally occurring hyaluronic acid. Also, each of the Restylane products is designed for a specific area/purpose.

Restylane – is used to add volume and fullness to the skin to correct moderate to severe facial folds and wrinkles, Like the nasolabial folds, or the lines from your nose to the corners of your mouth. It can also be used for lip augmentations.

Restylane Refyne – helps smooth out lines like the nasolabial folds and marionette lines that run alongside the corners of your mouth by integrating with your skin to and maintaining the flexibility you need for natural-looking expressions and movement.

Restylane Defyne – is used to help smooth out deeper lines around your mouth, while still allowing you to look more natural through a range of facial expressions.

Restylane Lyft – is used to correct age-related cheek and midface contour deficiencies, as well as to treat moderate to severe facial folds, such as the nasolabial folds (smile lines). This is the only filler that is FDA-approved to provide fullness to the cheeks, as well as restore lost volume in the midface area.

Restylane Silk- product specifically designed for subtle lip augmentation and the smoothing of wrinkles around the mouth. It is composed of a gel that is smaller and smoother than other Restylane products, resulting in a softer, more precise result — ideal for restoring and enhancing the lips. Additionally, Silk is administered via an ultrafine needle, which is designed for improved accuracy and precision.

Belotero

Belotero is a hyaluronic acid injectable filler that has been designed to integrate into the facial skin tissue. Belotero has a unique manufacturing process called the Cohesive Polydensified Matrix (CPM) that creates a soft and cohesive gel that instantly fills the skin once it is injected to help smooth moderate-to-severe etched-in lines and wrinkles^. This product is versatile enough to handle moderate nasolabial folds and is also an ideal option for treating more delicate areas such as vertical lip lines (thin lines above and around lips), etched-in smile lines and the tear through the area (under the eyes). Because Belotero is designed to act like your body’s own hyaluronic acid, it is able to smooth out deeper lines around your mouth (nasolabial folds, marionette lines) while still feeling natural to the touch and allowing you to maintain a range of facial expressions.

Each individual’s results will vary, but Belotero has been shown to last about 6 months or more. The amount of product used, as well as the area it is injected into are some of the factors that can affect how long it lasts. It may not last as long in areas like around the mouth or lips that experience a lot of movement due to things like talking, eating and smiling when compared to less active areas.

Radiesse

Radiesse is another dermal filler that is used to plump the skin. Like other fillers, Radiesse is injected through a small needle and placed under the skin. Unlike many other dermal fillers, Radiesse is not made of Hyaluronic Acid (HA), and is instead made up of Calcium Hydroxylapatite (CaHA) microspheres that are suspended in an aqueous gel carrier.

Radiesse works immediately to add volume under the skin, and then over time, the benefits of Radiesse continue by stimulating your body’s own natural collagen production. Once the gel is absorbed by your body and it metabolizes the CaHA microspheres, only your own collagen is left behind. The natural results have been shown to last a year or more in many patients, making the treatment results both immediate and long-lasting. Radiesse has been proven to last a year or more in many patients.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you are thinking about getting dermal fillers, especially for the first time, you probably have a lot of questions before you get started. To help answer those questions we offer free consultations at our center, and below you can find some of our most frequently asked questions from our patients.

Does the treatment hurt?
For all our dermal filler treatments, Dr. Okwuje uses a topical cream to numb the area first, and he can also offer a local anesthetic so you do not feel any discomfort during the treatment. Icing the area regularly after treatment will help reduce any soreness and/or swelling.

Will I be sore and/or bruised after?
It is common to experience some swelling and possibly bruising after treatment with dermal fillers, but this varies from patient to patient. You may find that you do not get any swelling or bruising at all, but either way, you should not need to take any time off work, and if you do have some bruising then it can be covered by make-up starting the day after your treatment.

Will I look unnatural or frozen?
Definitely not! At RevitalizeMaui we strive to provide all of our patients with a natural, fresher appearance. There are many celebrities, or even regular people on the street, who have a frozen, expressionless or overfilled look which tends to give dermal fillers and other aesthetic treatments a negative reputation, but it is important to remember that it is usually their desire to achieve that look. Ensuring that you have a highly trained injector is another way to avoid getting an undesirable result from your treatment.

Will I end up with “duck lips” or a “trout pout?”
Again, there are many celebrities as well as everyday people whose lips have certainly not done the world of facial aesthetics any favors! In most of these cases, these people have chosen to have a lot of product injected in order to achieve the overfilled look they are wanting. At RevitalizeMaui we listen to your concerns and tailor your treatment to you as an individual. You can be assured that you will receive natural, fuller, more defined lips to the degree you desire without looking like a duck or a fish.

How long will my results last?
Treatment with dermal fillers generally takes around 30 minutes, depending on the area(s) being treated, and the results are immediate. These results typically last between 6-18 months on average, and after that begin to wear off gradually with a return to your original appearance and no lasting effect once the treatment has worn off.

Will people be able to tell what I had done?
This mostly depends on the result you are looking for, as well as the area being treated. Most patients tell us that because their results are so natural people usually do notice something different, but they can’t quite figure out what it is. Often patients are told that they look refreshed, like they have had a long vacation or gotten a lot of rest. Some patients choose to add more dermal fillers gradually over time so that the end result is more dramatic, but less noticeable to people who see them frequently. It is up to you if you decide that you want more of a “wow factor” and a stronger result so that people instantly notice, or you can keep it your secret – we won’t tell!

What will happen if I stop receiving treatments?
Because dermal fillers are temporary, the results will gradually begin to wear off if you do not continue getting treatments. You will simply return to your normal appearance without any lasting effects or visible changes. At that point you can then decide if you would like to continue with dermal filler treatments, or maybe have get them for a special occasion in the future.

How safe are dermal fillers? Are there any side effects?
Dermal filler treatments are very safe when administered by qualified, highly trained professionals such as our Medical Director, Dr. Emeka Okwuje MD. At RevitalizeMaui we only use FDA approved products, so the risk of having any complications is very low. We fully discuss any possible side effects with you prior to treatment, as well as provide you with post-operative care instructions. We encourage our patients to reach out to us if they have any concerns after their treatment, or want any further advice. We also see all of our patients back for follow up appointment 1 week after every treatment to check the results and take post-treatment photographs (we can send you copies of your before and after photos!)

Why should I come to RevitalizeMaui for my dermal filler treatment?
If you have ever visited our center or are a patient here already, then you know that we have a caring and professional medical team. Our Medical Director, Dr. Emeka Okwuje MD has been extensively trained and his knowledge of facial anatomy and nerves helps him to be able to provide an even safer service to our patients, which is a big factor to consider when choosing a suitable practitioner. He also prides himself on his gentle treatment technique, and is able to provide you with local anesthetic for more sensitive areas so that you have a completely pain-free experience.