Dermal Fillers

What are the different types of dermal fillers?

What brands of dermal fillers are there?

Learn more about Lip Fillers

Learn more about the Tear Trough

What are HA Dermal Fillers?

Dermal fillers are injectable gels containing hyaluronic acid or HA. Fillers soften lines, build volume, and restore or enhance facial contours.

The body naturally breaks down hyaluronic acid, so the treatment is temporary and safe.

What Are Dermal Fillers

What is hyaluronic acid?

Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance that is a significant component of our skin and functions in wound repair, hydration and cell-to-cell communication. One of the main characteristics of hyaluronic acid is that it effectively binds water like a sponge, which is why it is an effective tissue filler.

What is Hyaluronic Acid

What can dermal fillers do?

Improve Facial Contours

Dermal fillers can enhance facial contours, correct facial asymmetry and balance proportions.

Replace or Build Volume

Fillers can replace volume lost as a result of ageing.

Smooth Lines and folds

Expertly placed dermal fillers can improve facial lines and folds.

What Can Dermal Fillers Do

Common areas injected with dermal fillers

Where we can place fillers can at first seem overwhelming.

The common areas injected with dermal filler are:

The lips
The tear trough
The mid-face
The high cheekbone or zygoma
The jaw
The chin
The temples
The nasolabial folds (from the nose to the corner of the mouth)
The marionettes (a downturned mouth)
Around the lips (so-called smoker's lines)

Click if you want to learn more about Lip Fillers or the Tear Trough.

Common areas injected with dermal fillers

How are dermal fillers injected?

Dermal filler injections are injected using either a needle, a cannula or both. Syringes of dermal filler contain a clear gel.

These may have lidocaine [a local anaesthetic drug - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/local-anaesthesia/] added to them to make the injection more comfortable.

The result is immediate, but it may take some time for any swelling and redness to settle.

Typically, the treatment should last 6 to 18 months, depending on the product used and which part of the body is being treated.

What results should I see with dermal fillers?

The effects can be as subtle or dramatic as required but should always be natural in appearance and proportion.

Treatments can range from the injection of dermal fillers superficially in the skin to smooth out fine lines to a deeper placement to support the overlying skin and enhance contours

How do brands and dermal fillers differ?

Individual brands differ in the properties of the filler, including particle size, concentration and cross-linking. Cross-linking affects the resistance of dermal fillers to breakdown and determines how long the filler will last, their elasticity and their volumising effect. Some fillers, called skin boosters, also contain additional substances (such as amino acids, antioxidants and vitamins) to help revitalise and repair the skin.

What are the brands of filler?

There are many different brands of filler available within the UK. Arguably, there are too many. For example, there are 140 injectable fillers in the UK/European market, and only six are approved for use in the US. Some have better safety profiles than others. We only use fillers whose companies have been approved by the FDA or have a CE kite mark. Although the FDA is an American system, they have been rigorously tested for safety and effectiveness

How do I know I am being given a genuine dermal filler?

Dermal fillers usually come packaged in a box with product labels. They should be opened from sterile packaging in front of you at the beginning of the treatment.

The product label will include the product's name, batch number, and expiry date. This should be documented on your treatment records and given to you on request.

Where do you get your dermal fillers?

Dermal fillers are considered safe when purchased from a reputable pharmacy or supplier and have a CE Kite mark. A CE mark is a symbol to indicate that a product conforms with relevant EU directives regarding product safety. Counterfeit products have been found in general circulation, which carries a much higher risk of adverse events, so it is essential to seek a practitioner who can demonstrate the source of the product from a reputable aesthetic pharmacy.

What are the side effects of dermal fillers?

Side effects are common and can include bruising, swelling, redness, infection and localised reactions to the product. Dermal fillers can also inhibit blood supply leading to scarring if left untreated. Treatments on or around the forehead, nose, lips and eyes are considered at the highest risk for this complication.