Dermal fillers are a popular cosmetic treatment for getting plump lips, more youthful-looking skin, and even non-surgical nose jobs. Fillers are a long-lasting non-surgical way to achieve a plumper appearance. When applied by a qualified professional, they are designed to be subtle and safe. If you’re curious about fillers, here’s what you need to know before a treatment.
Dermal Fillers: Quick Overview
- Surgery Time: 30 minutes
- Anaesthetic: Numbing cream
- Hospital Stay: None
- Time Off Work: None
- Exercise: 24-48 hours
- Mobile: Immediately
- Washing: Be gentle on the skin for the first 24 hours
- Sleeping Position: On your back, slightly elevated the following night
- Full Recovery: 1-2 days
Why Do People Get Fillers?
As you age, your body naturally changes. Wrinkles can develop, and you can begin to lose volume in your face. This can make you look older and more tired than you are. Often, patients who want dermal fillers are looking to improve their appearance, smooth out the skin, add volume, and reduce wrinkles. One of the reasons they are so popular is that you can see the results before you even leave the appointment. You tend to notice the changes quickly in comparison to botulinum toxin, which takes a few days to see the results.
What Are Dermal Fillers and How Do They Work?
Fillers are small injections of gel, typically containing a human-made hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally-occurring substance in the skin known for its youthful, hydrating, and volume-enhancing effects. Dermal fillers add fullness to the area such as plump up the lips or smooth away lines, wrinkles, and folds in the face. Fillers are injected into the skin to contour, revitalise and reduce unwanted wrinkles.
How Long Do Dermal Fillers Take to Settle?
One of the reasons fillers are so popular is that there is almost no recovery time. You can create a natural look to volumise and lift skin. It’s particularly effective around the eyes, mouth, and nose.
Dermal fillers are instant, and you can see visible results immediately. You may experience temporary side effects like redness, swelling, and tenderness. This is entirely normal and tends to wear off in a few days. Although results are immediate, it can take up to two weeks for your dermal facial fillers to settle completely. This is when the filler fully integrates with the tissue.
How Long Do Dermal Fillers Last?
Depending on the treatment area, fillers can last for between 6 to 18 months. Every face is unique, and the way your body reacts with the filler can differ from person to person. How long the results last will depend on the area injected and the amount of filler used. Over time, your results will gradually fade. You can opt to have ‘touch up’ appointments to maintain your look with fillers.
What Areas Can You Use Fillers?
Traditionally, dermal fillers were mainly used to treat facial lines and creases. Nowadays, fillers can enhance a range of features like:
- Achieving a straighter nose
- Adding volume to cheeks
- Plumper lips
- Preventing chin dimples
- Smoothing out the corners of the mouth
- Fill in forehead lines
- Reduce wrinkles on the hands
- Improve crow’s feet
- Non-surgical rhinoplasty
Non-Surgical Rhinoplasty
Non-surgical rhinoplasty is also known as a non-surgical nose job. It means that you don’t have to go under the knife. Instead, the treatment uses a series of dermal fillers to correct imperfections.
The benefits of choosing non-surgical rhinoplasty over the standard surgical route are that it’s a non-permanent procedure with virtually no downtime. Although surgical nose jobs are a very popular treatment, it’s an excellent alternative for those who want a non-invasive treatment and don’t want to take time off work to recover.
During the procedure, your practitioner will inject a series of dermal fillers. These are small injections made from hyaluronic acid. They are the same fillers that you would use for plumper lips, more defined cheeks, and preventing chin dimples. For non-surgical rhinoplasty, dermal fillers are applied to the soft tissue of the nose.
Dermal fillers can reshape the nose, but they can also treat several other issues. Many of our patients seek out non-surgical rhinoplasty to smooth out a bump in the nose or treat a ‘hooked nose’.
Cheek Fillers
Cheek fillers can increase the volume in the face above the cheekbone. If you feel like you have low cheekbones or can barely see them, cheek fillers may be a solution. You can increase the amount of filler you inject into the cheeks slowly to achieve the desired result.
Jawline and Chin Fillers
Chin creases are a common complaint from a lot of people. Dermal fillers can smooth out the chin and reduce the crease or any wrinkles. Fillers can also support the mouth from below and improve the overall balance of the chin on the face.
You can also use fillers on your jawline to treat age-related jowls and sagging skin. When it comes to ageing, your jawline can be affected in two ways. Firstly, the skin can start to lose elasticity and begin to sag. This makes your jawline softer and less defined. Secondly, when you lose fat tissue, it can increase the appearance of jowls along the jawline. Fillers can be used on the jawline to restore elastin to the skin. Overall, this improves the appearance of the jawline, making it look tighter and more defined.
Lip Fillers
Having plump lips is often a symbol of beauty and youth. While some people are born with naturally thinner lips, others find that the ageing process takes its toll, leaving noticeably thinner lips.
Lip fillers or lip injections use fillers that help to keep your lips plump for months at a time. Lip fillers are a type of dermal filler for enhancing volume and adding extra plumpness to the lips. It’s a non-invasive treatment that can create bigger lips, boost lip definition, and provide a more rejuvenated look. Lip fillers are also effective for smoothing out lipstick lines and smokers’ lines.
Lip injection fillers use hyaluronic acid, which helps the skin retain softness and moisture and increase volume. As hyaluronic acid is a naturally produced substance in the body, small amounts are more happily accepted.
Before hyaluronic acid, most fillers contained collagen. But that’s not so common anymore. There is a range of fillers on the market that use different hyaluronic acid concentrations, elasticity, and longevity. This is something to discuss with your practitioner at your consultation.
What Happens at Your Filler Appointment?
Before your appointment, you will attend a consultation with your doctor who will assess your lips. Together, you will determine the best course of treatment. By finding out the look you want to achieve, asking lots of questions, and carrying out a thorough assessment, you can gain a complete understanding of what to expect.
When you come in for your lip filler treatment at Harley Clinic, the treatment itself should take around 30 minutes. If you’re looking to top up other areas at the same time, such as the cheeks, then the appointment will take longer. Before the treatment, your doctor will apply a numbing cream to the area. After a few minutes, the procedure will begin.
After your treatment session, you may experience some mild redness and swelling. This usually subsides in a couple of hours and will continue to decrease over the next couple of days. With lip filler, there may also be some bruising. In general, there is little downtime after your appointment, and most patients resume normal activities after their session.
What Should You Expect After Getting Lip Fillers?
After your lip filler appointment, it’s completely normal to experience temporary swelling, redness, and bruising. This will subside in a few days. You can return to normal daily activities straight away. Many of our clients go back to work straight away after getting lip fillers.
What Should You Do Before and After Lip Fillers?
It can be tempting to take some over-the-counter painkillers before your procedure like ibuprofen. But these types of medications can thin your blood and should be avoided. When it comes to lip fillers, it’s a good idea to take it slow. Start with smaller amounts to make sure you love each stage of your new look.
After your treatment, avoid massaging your lips even though it may feel difficult to avoid the temptation of your new plumpness. Stay hydrated before and after your appointment. Although you can return to normal activities straight away, try to avoid exercise for 24 hours to help your body heal. Avoid alcohol for at least two days following your treatment.
How Long Do Lip Fillers Last?
Lip fillers deliver almost immediate results, within 48 hours. During treatment, the hyaluronic acid solution is injected into the lips to increase plumpness and enhance your natural shape. You have complete control over the amount of solution and gradually inject small amounts. The treatment should be virtually painless and deliver relatively long-lasting effects. Lip injections last up to 6 months with follow up treatments recommended between 6 and 12 months.
Are Lip Fillers Painful?
Lips are a sensitive area but with an anaesthetic cream, the treatment should be virtually painless. There may be some mild discomfort. Your practitioner will ease any discomfort as much as possible. When performed by a certified professional with plenty of experience, the whole process should be relatively quick and painless.
Before and After Lip Fillers at the Harley Clinic
Who is a Suitable Candidate for Dermal Fillers?
You are a good candidate for dermal fillers if you are physically healthy and a non-smoker. You should have a positive outlook and realistic expectations of the procedure.
Who is Not a Suitable Candidate for Dermal Fillers?
You should avoid getting dermal fillers if:
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding
- Have a bleeding disorder
- You are allergic to any ingredients within fillers
Are Dermal Fillers Safe?
Dermal fillers are considered safe, but there are known side effects that can occur, such as redness, itching, skin rash, bruising, bleeding, or swelling.
Are Dermal Fillers Painful?
You may experience some mild discomfort during the procedure from the injection. No cuts, incisions, or stitches are needed at all. The session lasts up to 30 minutes. The majority of patients describe getting fillers as a tiny scratch on the skin.
What is the Difference Between Anti-Wrinkle Injections and Fillers?
Both anti-wrinkle injections and fillers treat signs of ageing and remove unwanted wrinkles and lines, but they are very different. Anti-wrinkle injections such as Botulinum toxin use a form of botulinum toxin to temporarily block signals so muscles can’t contract. Whereas, fillers typically use hyaluronic acid to add volume, increase plumpness, and smooth out the injection site.
What are the Potential Side Effects and Risks of Fillers?
As an aesthetic treatment, there is always a chance that something may go wrong. That’s why it’s so important to go to a qualified and reputable professional. It’s tempting to go to a salon or beauty spa, but UK regulations around injectables are a work in progress. Because treatments like botulinum toxin injections and dermal fillers are considered ‘minimally invasive’ cosmetic treatments, anyone can administer them. For safety and confidence in your results, a qualified doctor or nurse should administer fillers.
The procedure is usually safe. However, it’s normal to experience some temporary side effects. These can include:
- Bleeding on the injection site
- Swelling
- Bruising
- Redness
- Tenderness
The most severe side effects are rare but can include an allergic reaction and excessive swelling.
Even if you’re just a little curious about fillers, always speak to a professional before committing to a cosmetic treatment. By choosing the right technician with advanced knowledge of filler injections, you can rest assured you’re in safe hands.
Injectables and lip fillers are a fan favourite in the world of cosmetic treatments. With the ability to plump up your lips in your lunch break, or smooth our forehead creases and recover quickly, it’s a popular treatment. You can rest assured that you’re in safe hands at Harley Clinic to achieve the results you want.
Before you commit to any cosmetic treatment, make sure you do your research. It’s important to know exactly what you’re getting and what the process involves. At Harley Clinic, only qualified practitioners administer fillers. If you’re looking for a younger, plumper appearance with virtually no recovery time, fillers can create a warm and natural look.
To book a consultation today, please call 0203 582 4947 or email [email protected]
Further Fillers Reading:
- Filler Migration: What Causes it and How to Avoid it
- Lip Fillers Basics: What You Need to Know
- Lip Filler Injections: How Long do They Last?
- How to Prepare For Your Cosmetic Treatment
- Why is Collagen Important for Skincare?
- How to Stay Looking Young And Refreshed: 6 Tips From a Plastic Surgeon
- The 4 Most Popular Non-Surgical Cosmetic Procedures Right Now
- The 8 Top Anti-Ageing Treatments For Glowing and Youthful Skin