Dermal Fillers Frequently Asked Questions

Dermal fillers are injectable products used to replace tissues lost naturally with age. They come as gels in sterile prepackaged syringes and are injected into lines and wrinkles of the face. There have been many varieties over the years including collagen and hyaluronic acid (HA) based fillers. HA is a naturally occurring substance which is found in the deeper layers of the skin (dermis) in all of us. Because of this it has an excellent safety profile, and unlike collagen fillers you do not need an allergy test before treatment. We use a range of HA fillers including Teosyal, Restylane, Softline, and Softline Max.

As the face ages, we lose fat from the deeper layers of the skin (dermis), and the skin thins. Collagen in the skin loses its elasticity and the muscles of facial expression lose their strength. This leads to facial sagging and thinning. HA fillers are used to replace this lost volume.

They are most useful around the lips and mouth to increase volume, reduce sag, and fill deep wrinkles.

Areas treated at the clinic include:

Lips - Lips thin with age from a combination of lost volume and in-turning (especially the upper lip). We inject into the border of the lip to improve projection, and into the body of the lip to 'plump up' and turn out the lip to its previous appearance. We believe in a natural appearance and so will inject small quantities, which can be added to at a later date if desired!

Nasolabial lines - The lines from the corner of the lip to the edge of the nose, deepened by smiling. The aim here is to soften the 'step' between cheek and upper lip, and depending on the depth of the fold may require 1 to 3 syringes of filler.

Marionette lines - These lines a folds in the tissue from the corner of the mouth down towards the chin. They give the appearance of sadness by giving the illusion of having turned down corners of the mouth. These often only require one syringe of filler.

Other deep lines - In the older client, some other areas of the face which are traditioanlly treated with botox will contain some deeper lines which are not sufficiently removed by musle relaxing. Some of these areas can be treated with small quantities of 'thin' filler. This can often be done as a 'touch-up' addition to other treatments, rather than a treatment in its own right.

Fillers are injected with tiny needles into the deeper layers of the skin (dermis). They plump up the area eradicating overlying wrinkles. To minimise any discomfort caused by these injections we recommend local anaesthetic to clients in the form of a cream or 'dental nerve block'. This is performed at no extra cost.

All appointments are with the injecting doctor.

Appointments are booked for one hour, to allow adequate time for questions, and to go through the consent form with the doctor. Tretaments take approximately 20 minutes per syringe injected.

We use a variety of dermal fillers at the clinic, including Teosyal, Softline, Restylane and Juvederm. All HA fillers can be used on client request, but will need to be ordered in. Prices may vary slightly for specifiec filler requests.