5-Point Summary:
- Aging and Volume Loss: The body loses collagen over time, leading to sagging skin and wrinkles, which dermal fillers can address.
- Key Treatment Areas: The most common areas for fillers include cheeks, lips, under-eye hollows, nasolabial folds, jawline, acne scars, and hands.
- Types of Fillers: Hyaluronic acid is the most popular filler, but others like collagen, calcium hydroxyapatite, and PMMA are also used.
- Procedure and Results: Dermal fillers provide natural-looking results, often requiring multiple sessions for optimal effects.
- Professional Consultation Recommended: The article encourages seeking expert advice to select the right filler and achieve the best aesthetic outcome.
As we age, the body loses collagen, a vital protein essential to skin structure, cartilage, bones and hair. This process contributes to signs of aging, which are most evident in facial anatomy. The skin becomes loose and eventually begins to sag. Many facial contours also lose volume. Injectable fillers have become one of the most popular, minimally invasive methods used in the medical aesthetics field. Of the 23.7 million minimally invasive cosmetic procedures performed in the United States in 2022, approximately 4.8 involved hyaluronic acid filler treatments, with 1.3 million being lip fillers.
What are Dermal Fillers?
Dermal fillers are gel-like injectable substances placed beneath the skin to restore volume loss, smooth fine lines and wrinkles, and soften creases. Injectable fillers have a variety of active ingredients that slowly work to give patients a more youthful appearance. The most popular dermal filler products contain hyaluronic acid (HA), a naturally occurring substance the human body produces. Other popular dermal filler injections include active ingredients like:
- Collagen
- Agarose gel
- Calcium hydroxyapatite
- Polylactic acid
- Polyvinyl pyrrolidone
- Autologous fat
- Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)
- Hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA)
- Polyacrylamide (PMA)
Each can provide natural-looking results in different facial features, making you feel more confident. Your aesthetic provider will choose the most appropriate dermal filler to address your aesthetic concerns and give you a rejuvenated appearance. Each product has a specific texture, density, and injection depth, meaning some fillers work better for particular areas.
Most Popular Uses for Dermal Fillers
Many patients call them wrinkle fillers, but injectable fillers do much more than smooth lines and wrinkles. Various areas of the face are commonly sought by patients who want a youthful appearance. These are the top seven areas that dermal fillers can help address.
Add Volume to the Cheeks and Smooth Temples
Dermal fillers enhance and restore volume to sunken cheeks. Many people notice a loss of fullness in this area as they age. Hyaluronic acid (HA) filler treatments are among the most popular, as they help to restore your natural contours and create a more lifted look. Most patients will also consider dermal filler products for the temples to reduce frown lines and sagging skin while correcting asymmetries.
Enhance Lip Shape and Diminish Vertical Lines
Not everyone has perfect lips, and aging often makes the issue worse, as thin lips become more pronounced with age. Injecting fillers near your lips can address several concerns, including:
- Adding fullness
- Define lip shape
- Correct asymmetries
- Reduce the appearance of fine lines
Your provider can choose from several types of dermal fillers, but your goals will select one that's right for you. Most providers inject lip fillers over several sessions to get the best results. This tactic allows patients to get used to plumper lips and helps prevent them from requesting too much filler and over-pluming. Experienced medical professionals will know precisely how much filler should go into each lip, so it's not so obvious you've had your lips done. Although collagen was once used as a lip treatment, HA fillers have become the norm, as this naturally occurring substance is also a power humectant, meaning it attracts and holds large amounts of water, which provides the lips with an even more natural appearance.
Nasolabial Folds and Marionette Lines
Laugh lines, an unavoidable result of aging, occur around the nose and mouth. These lines tend to form when facial tissues thin. Dermal fillers injected beneath the skin with precision can restore lost volume and make smile lines less visible and pronounced.
Under Eye Hollows
The delicate area under your eyes can look more hollow and sunken as time passes due to a natural loss of collagen and elastin. Injecting dermal fillers here can restore lost volume and make the skin look plumper. Dermal fillers can also fix dark circles, eye bags, fine lines and wrinkles and restore your natural beauty. Under-eye circles are one of the most common complaints concerning visible signs of aging because they can make you feel older and fatigued even when you are not.
Sculpt the Jaw And Chin
Your chin and jawline sag over time. Even if you are younger, you may have a weaker jawline or smaller chin that appears disproportionate to your overall features. Dermal fillers in this area can stiffen the skin and create a sculpting effect. Jawline injections can give you a sharper, contoured look. Dermal fillers on the jawline can make it look contoured and sharp. Your provider can combine this with a cheek treatment to lift your jawline further.
Treatment for Acne Scars
At least 40% of those who suffer from acne end up with life-long scars. Laser treatments and chemical peels sometimes reduce the appearance of acne scars, but those with ice-pick scars, rolling scars, and boxcar scars can get additional help from dermal fillers. Injections beneath acne scars produce a lifting effect to make the skin look smoother and brighter. This treatment also acts as a collagen stimulator to further improve skin condition.
Rejuvenates Aging Hands
The skin on your hands is naturally thinner, becoming even more so as you age, making them even more prone to wrinkles, blemishes, and even a creepy, bony appearance. Dermal fillers can help improve the skin on your hands by restoring volume and making wrinkles, veins, and tendons less visible. Your doctor will carefully inject the filler and then carefully massage those areas so the filler doesn't restrict hand movement.
Other Treatment Areas
Although less common, some patients ask for dermal fillers in the following areas:
- Decolletage
- Knees and elbows
- Ear lobes
Get a More Youthful Appearance With Dermal Filler Treatment
With dermal fillers, you can minimize marionette lines, dark circles, and other aesthetic concerns. The professionals at VIVAA will gladly meet with you to assess your needs and determine if hyaluronic acid or other dermal filler products will work best for you. Contact our medical spa today by calling 425-250-9999 or completing our Request an Appointment form.
Author Dr. Navdeep Kaur
SPECIALITIES: Women's Healt, Including Contraceptive and Hormone Management, Supervised Weight Loss, Management of Medical Conditions, and Preventive Care.