Fortunately, there are numerous procedures available in the world today that can help reverse the effects of aging and boost appearance, with injectable fillers being one of the most popular options if you are unhappy with the way your face looks.

However fillers can be expensive, so it’s important to learn as much about them as possible before deciding to part with your hard earned cash.  In this article we’ll cover some of the first questions people usually have about fillers when deciding if they are worth the cost.

What are fillers?

Dermal fillers are substances injected into the body, usually the face, which are designed to improve physical appearance through increasing the perceived volume of a particular type of tissue.

Fillers are very useful for reducing the severity, or sometimes even eliminating, the presence of facial creases such as wrinkles. They can also be used to make certain parts of the face appear larger or more plump to promote a healthier, more youthful look. Areas like the lips and cheeks are a common place for fillers to be injected as they can be used to improve symmetry and highlight desirable features.

Additionally, fillers are often used to make skin look more hydrated as saggy skin is a common indication of aging and ill health.

Why do people usually receive fillers?

There are innumerable reasons for people to get cosmetic enhancements. While there are many changes that can be made through plastic surgery, fillers can provide a relatively non-invasive and non-permanent solution to certain physical characteristics that individuals would like to either conceal or highlight.

Common features that people wish to conceal include facial scarring, wrinkles, facial creasing, and sunken cheeks.

Fillers tend to be popular among older individuals as age tends to cause physical features to lose support, hydration, and volume. The injection of certain filler materials can result in someone looking years, potentially even decades, younger, creating a more confident beautiful person.

Fillers are also more affordable than surgery.

What type of fillers are available?

There are a multitude of injectable fillers that are used by medical professionals to improve appearance. Historically, collagen fillers were the premiere option for facial injections, although recent years have seen a drop in its use with the advent of newer products which come with fewer potential complications than collagen, which is often hard to work with and causes allergic reactions in some.

Commonly used fillers include:

• Polylactic Acid: This type of filler is “synthetic,” meaning that it’s completely produced in a lab using component parts and contains no organic material. Unlike many other fillers which act as a volumizer in of themselves, polylactic acid primarily works by stimulating the body’s natural production of collagen in a particular area.
  
  
• Calcium Hydroxylapatite: Calcium hydroxylapatite is a biosynthetic compound that can be found within human bone structure. It’s not made from any sort of organic material, so the risk of an allergic reaction is low. It was originally used in aiding reconstructive surgeries and is especially good for contouring and crease reduction.
  
  
• Hyaluronic Acid: This filler is an organic substance that can be found within connective tissue and has become increasingly popular over the years. In addition to providing contouring to facial features and reducing the sharpness of wrinkles, it’s also commonly used to reduce the effects of scarring, including those related to burns, cuts, and acne.

How long do fillers tend to last?

An important thing to consider when getting fillers is how long they last. Fillers are almost always temporary or, at the very least, semi-permanent.

Different fillers have different lengths of time in which they remain active. Typically, they last anywhere from 6 months to a year, although some last as long as 5 years.

Where a filler is located and whether it receives a periodic touch-up will determine a lot about how long fillers will last and how significant their volumizing effect will be. Fillers that provide immediate results after injection tend to last a shorter amount of time when compared to fillers that enhance features over an extended period.

Most fillers tend to degrade within a few months of injection, although the physical results can still be seen due to how they are able to absorb fluids found under the skin. Since metabolic rate is a great determinant of how fast filler material is absorbed or expelled by the body, how fast someone is able to metabolize injected substances will dictate how long fillers will last, with there being a potential months-long difference between individuals.

Among those who wish to receive the longest-lasting results possible, Bellafill is considered to be the premiere option.

How long the results of a treatment will last is also determined by whether a combination of substances are used. It’s quite common for several different kinds of fillers to be used in a particular area to get the optimal result a patient is looking for. Depending on which fillers are used, some features might remain stable while others will return to their pre-injection appearance.  To look good permanently, you will need to have repeat treatments as the effects wear off over time.

Are fillers reversible?

Especially among those who have never received filler treatment before, it might be a concern that fillers won’t garner the results they’re looking for. While there are fillers designed to last only a short while, certain fillers can be dissolved relatively quickly using a specially designed solution.

For those who might want to get rid of filler material relatively quickly, hyaluronic acid can be easily dissolved using hyaluronidase, completely eliminating the effect of the filler within a short period of time. For individuals that have never gotten an injection before or are thinking of getting an injection in an area that hasn’t previously been treated, hyaluronic acid comes highly recommended.

Receiving treatment

When getting injectable face fillers, it’s recommended to always go to a board-certified plastic surgeon with significant knowledge of these types of procedures as well as facial anatomy in general. Non-medical professionals which lack the necessary accreditation and expertise should be avoided as treatment could potentially produce harmful, long-term results.