Rise of dermal fillers and some myths attached to it

Dermal fillers are aesthetic tools that help to manage skin aging. They are gel-like injectables that fill the soft tissue present beneath the skin and improve the appearance of sagging skin, wrinkling and ageing. They are ideal for filling facial lines or creases, enhancing facial contours and pumping up lips. They provide a subtle look which can be adjusted to meet your cosmetic needs. Fillers are used for eliminating static lines, the lines which occur due to sun damage, and incidentally with age people start losing fat on the face, and fillers are also used to replace lost volume on the face, lips, under-eye, wherever the fat has been lost. They maintain the elasticity of the skin and the firmness of the tissues.

As we age, our body stops the production of elastin and collagen, and also existing body collagen begins to break. This results in loss of subcutaneous facial fat and stretching of the skin. The typical signs of aging such as sunken cheeks, thick lines, wrinkles and hollow eyes start appearing. Other factors that exacerbate the signs of aging are an unhealthy lifestyle, heredity, and exposure to the sun. To restore the facial volume, rejuvenate the skin and to remove facial lines dermal fillers are used. They are the least invasive, less expensive and safe. 

Benefits of Dermal fillers for the skin and its side effects:

It helps to plump thin lips, augment shallow facial contour and diminish wrinkles, fine line, smile lines and crow’s feet. It helps to dispose of thick lines around the brow, mouth, forehead, and eyes. Fillers work the best to improve the appearance of scars and depressions in skin resulting from injury or acne. It reconstructs facial deformities and inherent imperfections, decreases lower lid shadow and a minimally invasive procedure to improve facial contours. Side effects are almost negligible if it is the right candidate with the right fillers, the right technique, the choice of all three must be correct. If the filler is not a standard one because there are fillers available in the market which have a lot of contaminants, and if the placement is not correct, it can create problems.

Fillers are made of natural products including Hyaluronic acid but sometimes the Hyaluronic acid has other additives for cross-linking. Fillers can migrate, it can migrate to cheeks, eye bags, and to other unwanted areas. If it is not placed properly, it can lead to an allergic reaction, bruising, infection, itching, redness, scarring. You need to go to a trained person to get this done in a completely sterile manner.

Some Myths & Facts about Dermal Fillers:

Myth 01 - You will look unnatural 

Fact - This is not true. Everybody’s facial anatomy is unique, but artificial-looking cosmetic procedures are often the result of inadequate training and inexperience. It's essential to select a team of specialists who have extensive knowledge and skill regarding injectable dermal fillers. When done correctly, the results will be beautiful and natural-looking for many months to come. 

Myths 02 - Fillers Hurt

Fact - Dermatologists will usually numb the skin with a local anesthetic first, and many fillers contain lidocaine which is a numbing medication, so there’s no pain after the initial injection. 

Myth 03 - Bruising and downtime make dermal fillers too inconvenient

Fact - It is not true that dermal fillers can cause bruising or swelling. While some patients may have some symptoms, they will generally subside in about 7 – 10 days. Any bruising or swelling that does occur can easily be reduced by applying cold compresses to the affected areas. 

Myth 4 - All Fillers Are Irreversible

Fact - If somebody is unhappy with the look of their hyaluronic acid fillers, they can be reversed with hyaluronidase, enzymes that break up the acid.

Myth 5 -It’s hard to keep up with fillers

Fact - Dermal fillers are temporary, but many patients see the results last from 6 – 12 months, depending on the filler used and the treatment area. 

-Inputs by Dr. Parag Telang