Dermal Fillers: Who Should Consider this Procedure

Dermal Fillers. Are They for You?

In 2023, more than 25 million noninvasive and minimally invasive treatments to augment facial features and other body areas were performed in the United States. Of those procedures, dermal filler treatments were the second most popular, with only Botox injections surpassing them. Dermal fillers involve injecting a product, typically hyaluronic acid, into the face to restore or enhance the facial features. Injectable fillers comprised over six million treatments in the United States.

Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, minimally invasive cosmetic treatments have skyrocketed in popularity, driven by technological advancements and patient preferences for less downtime. Dermal filler injections have become essential in aesthetic maintenance, producing almost immediate results with little recovery time.

What Dermal Fillers Address

As people age, they slowly experience volume loss in their faces. People have volume loss in the face’s bony structural support and fatty compartments. Dermal fillers directly address this issue with products that can build facial structure and restore desired volume. One of the significant advantages of dermal filler treatments is the minimal downtime, allowing patients to return to their daily activities quickly.

Facial rejuvenation is an art form, with aestheticians relying on various products to achieve a patient’s desired look. This practice also extends to differing products for filler injections, with thicker products providing the most support for facial structures in the cheeks, forehead and temples. Medical providers often perform filler treatment injections deeply atop your bone to achieve the maximum effects. Deeper injections are frequently less painful, cause less bruising, and last longer than other types of injections.

To smooth fine lines and wrinkles closer to the skin’s surface, your provider may choose a thinner product to fill in contours. The body may metabolize these products more quickly. In facial areas such as the lips that have constant movement, muscles break down and dissolve dermal fillers faster, so filler treatment tends not to last as long in these treatment areas.

Filler Longevity vs. Results Longevity

When patients ask how long do dermal fillers last, what they want to know is how long their filler lasts and how long their results will last. Understanding the distinction between the two is essential. When the FDA approves facial fillers, it indicates how long that material is expected to last. Actual longevity depends on various factors. However, the FDA guidelines provide a benchmark for providers when creating patient treatment plans. Each dermal filler treatment has a different expectation.

Factors Affecting Filler Longevity

Many factors affect how long fillers last, although the time differs from person to person. Patients can benefit from facial rejuvenation or contouring even after their body absorbs the dermal filler treatment.

Factors influencing how long dermal fillers last after injection include:

• Filler material
• Filler consistency
• Treatment area
• How the body metabolizes the substance

For instance, a hyaluronic acid-based filler like Restylane can provide long-lasting results, especially in areas with less movement.

The reason for these differences involves how different fillers stimulate collagen production. That means your body produces this essential substance that restores volume loss in needed treatment areas.

Lifestyle Affects Dermal Filler Longevity

Some lifestyle habits can affect how dermal fillers work. Smoking can impact longevity due to the frequent muscle contraction and pursing of the lips. Individuals with a higher metabolic rate, especially those who exercise regularly, will metabolize the material fast, which affects how long dermal fillers last. Other factors include the location of injection sites and the amount injected. IN the first months after dermal filler injections, visible results will remain the same, even though the material slowly degrades because fillers absorb water. In some instances, filler migration can occur, also affecting patient results.

Types of Dermal Fillers

Understanding the types of dermal fillers available to patients and their placement can help you determine how long each kind will last after a treatment session. We will cover the different types of injectable fillers based on the material used and the area treated. Hyaluronic acid fillers are particularly effective in non-surgical procedures like rhinoplasty and cheek enhancement, providing youthful and fuller skin.

Hyaluronic Acid Based Fillers

Hyaluronic acid is the most popular material used in dermal fillers. The substance occurs naturally in your skin structure, where it boosts hydration. The gel-like fillers also smooth wrinkles and creases. Juvederm® is one of the most common brands, addressing checks, nasolabial folds and lips. Some Juvederm® formulas last six to 12 months, but the brand's Voluma and Volux treatments for cheeks and jawline can last up to two years.

Restylane®

has some of the longest-lasting formulas, including Lyft, Refye, Defyne, and Silk. These formulas can last between six and 18 months.

Only recently available in the United States, RHA® Collection dermal fillers more closely mimic natural hyaluronic acid in your skin. These formulas last at least one year and blend seamlessly with your features to provide a natural look.

Other Dermal Fillers

RADIESSE is an FDA-approved filler treatment formulated with calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA). This naturally occurring substance is found primarily in bones. This filler features microscopic particles suspended in a smooth, thick gel that triggers the body to produce more collagen. It lasts about 12 months.

Synthetic dermal fillers safe to use in the body are called poly-L-lactic acid, a biocompatible and biodegradable substance. The most common brand name used in the United States is Sculptra Aesthetic. Providers inject PLLA deeper than other fillers, where it works to stimulate collagen production. It is a longer-lasting filler that maintains results lasting over two years.

Another biocompatible material with a long record of safe use is Bellafill®. It's a collagen-based filler with PMMA microspheres that provide structural skin support while producing a smoother skin surface. When used for nasolabial folds, results can last over five years because the microspheres remain in place after the body metabolizes the collagen gel.

Fat injectable fillers, also known as fat grafting, use liposuction to harvest fat from other body areas. The fat is purified and injected into multiple areas of the face. Fat grafting is permanent, but not all injected fat survives the transfer process, so results can be difficult to predict. Patients often need multiple treatments.

Filler Treatment Longevity by Treatment Area

A hyaluronic acid cheek filler treatment for facial volume using JUVÉDERM VOLUMA® can last 24 months, with a touch-up at 12 months to maintain results. RADIESSE lasts approximately 15 months, followed by a touch-up treatment at seven months. Sculptra produces gradual results that last at least two years.

Non-surgical rhinoplasty using Restylane hyaluronic acid can last 12 months or longer with a maintenance treatment every six months and regular follow-ups every nine to 12 months. Restylane is firm yet thinner, allowing your provider to shape nasal skin more effectively.

Lip injections to augment thin lips can last up to 12 months and more with multiple treatments. Most patients typically need three treatments to achieve the desired outcome because lip fillers used in the first two treatments may get compressed. Providers usually use Restylane, Restylane Silk, and JUVÉDERM as lip fillers.

Hyaluronic acid responds well to the corners of the mouth. Fillers last one year, with a six-month touch-up treatment.

Chin augmentation using dermal fillers like JUVÉDERM VOLUMA, RADIESSE, or a combination of products can produce results that last between 15 and 24 months with touch-up treatments. This approach creates a well-defined profile.

Jawline fillers last anywhere from 6 months to up to two years. Restylane Lyft lasts about 12 months, with follow-ups recommended at six to nine months. For more longevity, JUVÉDERM VOLUMA XC, RADIESSE, and Sculptra can last two years or longer, with recommended annual maintenance treatments.

Dermal Filler Procedure Explained

Typically, a dermal filler procedure will have the following three steps:

1. Consultation: The first step in having this cosmetic procedure is to consult a specialist to establish treatment areas and how many syringes will be needed. Your cosmetic surgeon will also issue aftercare instructions to maximize results and avoid serious complications.
2. During the procedure: Before your aesthetician will inject dermal fillers, the treatment area will be cleaned, and a topical anesthetic will be applied for greater comfort. Sessions take 15 to 60 minutes, depending on the number of areas treated.
3. Recovery:  Patients can return to normal activities as soon as they leave the clinic. However, feeling a little swelling, tenderness and redness at the injection sites is normal.

Depending on the case, patients may need to put cold compresses on treatment sites every half hour on the day of the procedure. Avoid strenuous exercises and hot places like saunas and spas for 24 hours. The use of sunscreen is mandatory.

Benefits of Dermal Fillers

Dermal fillers are popular treatment solutions because they involve a quick medical procedure that produces instant results without cosmetic surgery. Whether you have signs of aging, sunken areas, marionette lines, perioral lines near the lips or wrinkles, dermal filler injections can restore the fullness your face needs. Here are some of their greatest benefits:

Immediate results: Unlike other skin treatments, such as HIFU (High-intensity focused ultrasound), which can take up to two to three months to produce definitive results, dermal fillers have instant results. Immediately after injection, patients see their contour deficiencies disappear. The filler instantly adds volume to the injected area to reduce wrinkles and fine lines with no scars or healing time. The skin may swell slightly but subsides within a few days.

Long-lasting effects: Another great advantage of dermal fillers is the long-lasting results. Filler injection effects last for at least 6-18 months. The duration also depends on the fillers' composition, the treatment area, and the patient. Long-lasting results save you money and time that you would spend on other beauty treatments.

Minimal risks: Dermal filler injections have minimal risks. Although redness, swelling, and minor bruising may occur at the injection site, these effects will ease within a few days.

No downtime: The procedure is very quick. Many patients have this outpatient procedure done during their lunch hours. You can return to work immediately after treatment.

Natural results: Dermal filler injections are the most suitable rejuvenation treatment for those seeking subtle and natural results. Facial features will not acquire an artificial appearance, as with other methods of correcting wrinkles or enlarging the lips.

Improved self-confidence: Self-confidence is often related to one's appearance. When patients see immediate results, they feel good, love their more youthful look, and acquire a new sense of confidence and beauty.

Risks and side effects

Most patients generally tolerate the injections well. Possible side effects are usually mild and only temporary. Immediately after the injection, slight discomfort may occur, including local bruising, headache, nausea, flu-like symptoms, and swelling, but these should disappear after two days.

Less common side effects can include:

• Allergies
• Hematomas
• Granulomas (nodules)
• Indurations or tissue encapsulations
• Necrosis
• Infections only occur if the work has been carried out improperly

Precautions

After taking blood-thinning medication such as aspirin, patients should wait a week before starting treatment, as the risk of bruising may increase. If the skin becomes overstretched for several months due to too much hyaluronic acid, wrinkles may become more pronounced after dissolution. This should decrease significantly after a few weeks. Filler treatments during pregnancy are also not recommended. Allergic reactions rarely occur but must be treated, especially if severe.

How You Can Make a Filler Treatment Last Longer

You'll lose volume at approximately the midpoint of the expected filler duration. By anticipating this, you can get more mileage from your treatments through a phased approach, where your provider builds and layers your fillers. This approach stimulates natural results through collagen production and allows patients to see longer-lasting results. Your provider may also be able to use fewer products.

What If You Don't Like the Results of Your Dermal Filler Treatment?

If your treatment uses hyaluronic acid fillers, your doctor can reverse the results with hyaluronidase to dissolve the product. Many doctors advise using hyaluronic acid fillers if you are a first-time patient and are unsure about what to expect. With other filler types, you must wait until the results wear off.

Selecting a Provider to Make Dermal Fillers Last

The aesthetic practice you choose can affect the length of time dermal fillers last. Proper treatment includes an initial consultation, during which we review your aesthetic goals and medical history. From there, our med spa providers can develop a dermal filler treatment plan that meets your needs. To learn more about this minimally invasive procedure and other popular cosmetic treatments, contact VIVAA today at 425-250-9999 or complete our online Request an Appointment form.