When you’re just beginning to explore the world of facial fillers, all the information out there can be overwhelming.
How do you know if the improvement you want to make to your appearance is possible? Or what your options are?
While a lot of these questions are best-answered one-on-one in our offices in a complimentary consultation, we wanted to at least clear up some of the most frequently asked questions to get you started.
If you have a question that’s not answered in this blog, feel free to leave a comment and we’ll answer it for you!
What Can Injectables & Dermal Fillers Do for You?
While the answer to this question depends on the filler, generally, they are used to smooth or plump your skin’s wrinkles and sunken places.
They can be used to:
- Smooth lines around your nose, mouth, and upper lip
- Plump and define lips
- Bring volume to your cheeks or cheekbones
When you’re first starting, we recommend calling us to set up a consultation with one of our board-certified dermatologists. In the consultation, you’ll be able to have a conversation with our team about what you want to achieve so they can guide the best plan and fillers to use to achieve that goal. They’ll be able to review your options with you and explain what to expect both in your appointment and after in terms of how many sessions to expect, how often to come in for a session, and any side effects like bruising or swelling.
Injectables & Fillers for Your Face – Wrinkles
If your goal is to smooth lines and wrinkles on your face, there are several options available. Our team will review your goals and help you find the one that will give you the best results. Injectables are great because they can both smooth out your existing wrinkles and help prevent further ones from developing.
Botox
Botox is an injectable neurotoxin that works by restricting movement in facial muscles, preventing them from contracting by blocking neural signals to them temporarily. It is commonly used on the face to temporarily improve the appearance of crow’s feet (lines on the outside of the eyes) and frown lines (vertical lines between the eyebrows).
After injection, Botox can take around 24-72 hours to take effect.
Dysport
Dysport is an injectable similar to Botox in that it also restricts the movement of the muscles.
Both can be used in the face and throughout other areas of the body, both are FDA-approved, and each lasts 3-6 months after injection. There are, however, a few small differences between the two. The two are diluted differently, meaning that they may need fewer units if switching from Botox to Dysport. Dysport also tends to spread to a broader region after injection, which can have positive or negative effects depending on where it is injected. This effect makes it preferable for larger regions like around your eyes.
However, in many cases, there are no major differences between the two. You likely will not be able to tell the difference.
Radiesse
Radiesse is a volumizing dermal filler that is generally used to plump wrinkles on your face. It is especially effective to treat deep wrinkles and lines around your nose and mouth, including nasolabial folds, marionette lines, and smile lines.
Perks of Radiesse include that it’s a quick treatment and does not have a high risk of allergic reactions. It requires fewer injections and lasts longer than other leading fillers. There is usually minimal swelling associated with this treatment, and patients can come in during a lunch break for their injections. Radiesse is also a stimulatory filler, meaning it stimulates your cells to produce more collagen naturally over time. Patients can enjoy their results for up to a year or even more after treatment.
Juvéderm Vollure XC
Juvéderm Vollure XC is a hyaluronic acid filler used to soften wrinkles and nasolabial folds, the “parentheses lines” around your mouth.
Approved by the FDA earlier this year, Vollure XC has been shown to add volume to lines to smooth and hydrate them for up to a year and a half, a longer time period than many other dermal fillers.
Plump Your Lips for More Fullness: Lip Fillers
Whether you want to plump up thin lips or even out the size of your top and bottom lips, lip injections are a great way to improve the appearance of your lips, including their shape and volume. We offer three types of lip injections at Houston Skin and Adara Medical Spa and recommend that you call us to book a complimentary consultation to help us choose the best one for you.
Restylane Silk
Restylane Silk is a hyaluronic acid filler that is used to add volume and definition to the lips. Hyaluronic acid is a molecule that naturally occurs in your skin. One treatment of Restylane Silk can last up to 6 months, but your results can last up to a year and a half with touch-up injections.
Juvéderm Volbella XC
Juvéderm Volbella XC is a more subtle lip filler that both adds natural-looking volume and smooths vertical lip lines. It is a hyaluronic acid filler, and it is injected through a longer needle than is used by some other injections, allowing our team to evenly distribute the filler and poke your skin less. Volbella is one of the longer lasting fillers on the market, with results lasting up to one year.
Juvéderm Ultra XC
Juvéderm Ultra XC is a filler that contains lidocaine, an anesthetic that reduces pain on injection. It works well where your skin is thin, making it effective as a lip filler. This filler is an injectable gel and is a synthetic version of hyaluronic acid, keeping your lips looking plump and hydrated while also stimulating collagen production. Juvéderm Ultra XC can keep your lips looking fuller for up to one year.
Regain Definition Back in Your Cheeks: Cheek Fillers
One way to lift your face and regain a more youthful look is through cheek fillers. Fillers like Sculptra and Juvéderm Voluma XC are injected into your cheek areas or other parts of the face that have become sunken with age and replace volume.
Sculptra
Sculptra is an FDA-approved, poly-L-lactic acid collagen stimulator injectable that is used to fill wrinkles, boost the definition of your cheeks, and to stimulate your body’s ability to produce collagen. Beyond your cheeks, Sculptra is also great for filling in the nasolabial folds, also known as your smile lines or your laugh lines.
Sculptra works deep within your skin, rather than at its surface.
Juvéderm Voluma XC
Juvéderm Voluma XC is great for filling in sunken areas of the face, including the temples and sides of the face by the ears. It’s also great for plumping your cheekbones, lifting the skin on your face, and making you look more youthful.
Voluma is different than Sculptra, in that it plumps the tissue instead of stimulating collagen production.
Recovery Time After Injectibles and Fillers
After fillers, you may experience swelling, bruising, redness, or hard areas at the injection sites. Depending on the treatment you received, icing the treated area or massaging the area may be appropriate to ease side effects.
We often recommend the SkinCeuticals H.A. Intensifier to complement the results of your filler treatment. This serum boosts your skin’s hyaluronic acid levels, the same ingredient in many of the fillers we addressed in this blog post.
In general, we recommend asking what products we recommend using after your treatment to aid recovery, or if the products you generally use (i.e. your skincare routine or makeup) are ok to use after your treatment.
Book your appointment today!
Of course, you can read articles like this one about the perks of each kind of filler and what to expect, but it’s no substitute for an actual one-on-one consultation with a member of our team. When you come in for a consultation, we’re able to address your unique needs and create a custom plan to achieve your desired results with injectables and dermal fillers.
What area of your face are you considering enhancing with fillers? What concerns or hesitations do you have? Leave us a comment, and we’ll answer your questions.