Dermal fillers are a great cosmetic tool that have been able to help many individuals restore the lift and youthfulness of their faces. When patients look at pictures of themselves 10 years prior to their visit with us, they often see more prominent “apple cheeks” and less sagging around the mouth. Fortunately, we now have a wide variety of options in the dermal filler market to help customize the rejuvenation process for our patients.
As we get older, we begin to lose fat in our face making our faces look “skeletonized”. While it is true that losing fat in your body is usually a good thing, it is not beneficial to lose fat in your face as a result of aging. There are four distinct fat pads deep under the skin that begin to recede and descend when the aging process begins. When this happens, it is very similar to a balloon losing its air. As the air (or fat) goes away the balloon begins to sag and get wrinkly. It is the same for our faces. As we begin to lose the “construct” or fat under our skin, our faces appear to sag and develop static lines that are there at rest. In addition, our cheeks begin to lose volume causing the middle of our faces to look “flat” and not lifted.
There are two kinds of fillers: volume fillers (such as Sculptra, Bellafill and Voluma) and “line” fillers (such as Juvederm, Restylane and Belotero). Volume fillers tend to have larger, longer lasting particles whereas line fillers are made up of smaller particles that tend to metabolize out of the body slightly faster.
Line fillers are best for treating static wrinkles. Their main ingredient is hyaluronic acid, which is a naturally-occurring molecule in the human body. For example, it is common to use dermal fillers to fill in marionette lines. These are the lines that you see that go from the corner of your mouth to almost to the bottom of your chin. Nasolabial folds (the folds that go from the corners of the nose to the corners of the mouth) also respond well to line fillers. Many patients want to enhance their lips with line fillers as well. It is important to ensure that the correct proportions are maintained when rejuvenating the lips resulting in a beautiful, natural appearing enhancement. Typically after a line filler is placed the static line and lips will remain filled and lifted for approximately 6-9 months.
Volume fillers are skillfully injected into your face in order to restore lost facial volume. They are used mostly to restore lift and a youthful contour to the face. Volume fillers are often injected into the cheeks and temples to help restore volume where fat pads are no longer present. In addition, volume fillers are frequently used in front of the ear and along the jawline as well as under the mouth. Careful placement of a volume filler can immediately restore lift and structure to the face. Another wonderful benefit of both line and volume fillers is that volume restoration continues to occur for 3-6 months after the filler is placed. One’s own collagen wraps around the filler particles which lends itself to further improvements in volume and lift and even less prominence of lines. Patients continue to notice further improvements in their faces months after the actual filler was injected.
During a consultation, our team at Torrey Pines Dermatology can customize a rejuvenation procedure for you. Every patient has different needs in terms of volume loss and static lines and it is important to develop a unique “recipe” for each patient. Choosing the correct fillers and ensuring optimal placement of them is essential to creating a natural, youthful result.
Our office is located in La Jolla, and we happily serve the San Diego and surrounding cities as well. Contact us today to request a consultation for dermal fillers.
