Dermal Fillers

They are a group of clear gels that we use in the medical aesthetics industry to create volume and lift in skin and tissues. There are many different types of fillers ranging from the short term to the long term, thick to soft and even permanent fillers.

Tips vary in their thickness, elasticity, ability to lift and viscosity. Another important distinction between various fillers that you need to know about is their longevity. Some practitioners may use permanent or semi-permanent fillers, which in our experience can lead to complications. Hence, we only use reversible, hyaluronic acid fillers. Hyaluronic acid is a substance already present within our skin in varying degrees. Its molecular composition allows it to attract and hold water. In fact, it is known that one hyaluronic acid molecule can hold up to 1000 times its own weight in water. This ability to hold water enables it to add volume, lift, rehydrate tissues and improve your skin quality.

Even within the family of hydraulic acid fillers, there are many different brands and within each brand, there are many different ranges. The exact filler that is required is dependent on the area of application, the expected outcome, the fullness that is required, and the lifting capacity. Our experienced doctor at thespaCLINIC, has extensive training on the use of many different brands of dermal filler including Juvederm Ultra, Juvederm Vycross, Restylane, Teosyal, Perfectha and Regenyal Idea. No matter what your needs are, we are able to handle them. Dermal fillers, in summary, are a group of clear gels with varying thickness and viscosities that can be used to soften fine lines and wrinkles, improve hydration, add volume, hydrate and lift your facial contours. Although primarily used in the face, they have multiple uses including for hand rejuvenation and improvement of the décolletage area.

Hyaluronic acid that is already present within our skin acts like a sponge holding water, but after the age of 25, the amount of hyaluronic acid produced by the body is reduced, and the rate at which it is broken down is increased. This means overall that with age, the plumpness, hydration and youthfulness of your skin is reduced, leading to the outward signs of ageing. If you want to replenish your skin’s hyaluronic acid reserves and thus, not only improve shaping contour but also rehydrates the skin and improve skin texture, we can achieve that by using hyaluronic acid-based dermal fillers.

Dermal fillers due to their flexibility can be used in multiple areas across the body. Although most commonly used in the midface/cheek and lower face, there are instances where they may be used in the frown or forehead lines in conjunction with muscle relaxant injections. And Dermal fillers can be used in the following areas:

Lip rejuvenation and augmentation:
Rehydrate, lift and add volume to your lips and its borders as well as upturning corners of your mouth if they are downturned.

Nasolabial folds:
These are the nose to mouth lines, which can become heavier with age. Fillers can be used to soften these lines and improve your facial contours, reducing the lines that go from your nose to the corner of your mouth.

Cheek augmentation:
This treatment is popular with both the young who want to stay fashionable and ones with more prominent cheekbones, and also if you have lost midface/cheek volume. Rejuvenating your cheeks can give a tremendous lift to the midface, nasolabial folds and even affect the jawline and jowls.

Marionette lines:
These are the small lines that appear in the corner of the lips and join the jowl. These are the products of ageing mid and lower face and are very easily treated with filler.

Peri-oral sculpting:
Filler can be used to redefine the area around the mouth, which is prone to fine line formation and smoker’s lines around the lip

Smile lines:
These vary on a spectrum; some being very easy to treat while others more difficult depending on their location and how much they have been engrained. This needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Jawlines:
Fillers can be used to define the contours of your jaw, and the angle of your jaw.

Hands:
If you want to retain a youthful appearance in the back of your hands.

The hyaluronic acid based fillers that we use are known to be non-allergenic. However, if you have a previous history of anaphylaxis / severe allergy, we would treat on a case-by-case basis and make sure it is safe to proceed with treatment.

Making sure you are fully informed about all the benefits and risks of each procedure and making sure you remain safe throughout the whole process is our priority. We go through an in-depth consent process making you aware of all of the possible risks attached to dermal filler placement in your one-to-one private consultation. As we only use biodegradable products, they are safe and low risk, with no long-term associated side effects.

However, there are risks attached to the procedure. Common side effects noted after this treatment include temporary swelling which normally lasts for the first 48 hours, mild tenderness in the area injected, and some minor bruising which normally disappears in one week and can be covered with makeup if so required, up to 6 hours after the treatment. We advise using mineral based makeup to avoid occlusion of the upper skin layers and reduce the risks associated with injection. Some moderate and rare risks are openly discussed in your consultation with Dr Raj Thethi.

We only use licensed and fully researched products that have excellent reputations. We make sure our products are safe and injected at specific points to achieve the optimal results. Some less reputable products have been known to move onto other areas in the surrounding tissues. But because we only use the best products available and inject only at specific points, you will not face this problem. Our products stay where they are placed and are naturally broken down by your body over time.

Of course, a natural result can be achieved. Unfortunately, social media platforms, photo editing apps and even peoples’ preconceived ideas have morphed recently and people are beginning to believe you can come to our practice and fundamentally change the shape of their lips with dermal fillers. We frequently get people bringing in pictures of Kylie Jenner lips or certain social media filters that create large volume lips with may or may not appear “pretty” on a screen but the results, in reality, are extremely difficult to obtain and normally will look far from “pretty”. Some young ladies and even some gents who have very large lip augmentations are fundamentally, in our opinion, destroying their anatomy. Respect for the patient’s natural anatomy is one of the key principles we perform all our treatments on.

The moment you lose the respect or understanding for patient’s unique, natural anatomy – you are in a dangerous place because that practitioner can create something unnatural – and as a non-surgical aesthetic practitioner, Dr Raj will discuss your expectations of treatment and try to understand your desires and needs from your lips but also advise on the realistic expectations and achievability of the goals given your current anatomy. We only perform treatments to aid us in getting closer to the best, natural-looking version of yourself. We pride ourselves on the subtle details which take someone’s confidence to new levels. We value you choosing us and our expertise and in return, you should expect honesty and openness from your doctor.