​What are dermal fillers?

Dermal fillers we use, are gel made of a natural component found in our skin and lips called Hyaluronic Acid. They’re injected in the skin to help fill in facial wrinkles and restoring a smoother appearance. They can also be used for lip and cheek augmentation.

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Where can we inject dermal fillers?

Dermal filler can be used in the following areas:

• Temples

• Tear trough

• Nose correction

• Lip augmentation

• Cheek augmentation

• Nasolabial fold (nose to mouth line)

• Marionettes lines (from the corner of the mouth)

• Smoker lines, also known as Lipstick lines (found above the upper lip)

• Jawline sculpting

• Hands rejuvenation

 

If you have a query about other areas of the face, feel free to email us.

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How many mls of Lip fillers do you need?

We advise injecting 1ml of dermal filler during your first visit and waiting for one month before deciding if you need further filler. Getting 1ml of lip filler is a safe option for most people as it is really hard to be overdone by injecting just 1ml.

 

Are Lip fillers painful?

Dermal fillers are not painful however some areas like the lips can be more sensitive. The new dermal fillers we use come pre-mixed with a numbing agent called Lidocaine that will numb the area injected. You can put a numbing cream 10 mins before the procedure to reduce discomfort.

 

Is there a risk of bruising?

Lips are prone to bruising as they are full of blood supply. However, we managed to significantly reduce bruising by injecting the lips with a blunt cannula rather than using a sharp needle.

 

How long does it take for Lip fillers to work?

Lip filler results are instantaneous. You will walk out of the clinic with fuller and more attractive lips.

 

How long is the procedure?

Lip filler takes around 30 mins to perform.

 

How long Lip fillers last?

As mentioned before, dermal fillers are made of natural component already existing in your body. Therefore dermal fillers will get absorbed slowly by your body.  It can last 4 to 12 months depending on the area injected. Areas with minimal facial movement will have longer-lasting dermal filler. It would be difficult to predict for each person how long dermal filler would last, as every person has a different metabolism. Therefore it might be necessary to top up your dermal filler over the year to maintain the perfect look. Lips filler tends to last the least as your lips are constantly moving. We expect lip filler to last around 6 months.

 

What dermal filler is the best?

Each company will advertise its dermal filler as the best one. Don’t believe everything you read in a magazine as every dermal filler has its cons and pro. The choice of dermal filler depends on the doctor’s technique and the area being injected.

 

What dermal filler do we use?

All our dermal fillers are made of natural component and well-known brands.

Our wide range of dermal fillers includes Juvederm®, Restylane®, Teosyal®, Belotero®.

 

Lip filler: things to be aware of.

Lips are full of blood vessels therefore mild swelling is expected for 2-3 days. You might feel that your lips are tense when the numbing agent starts wearing off. There is no need to panic, as the swelling will progressively go down. Lips can look slightly asymmetrical when swollen but this should improve when the swelling resolve. So it can take a few days for the lips to take their final shape. If you’re not fully satisfied with the final shape of your lips, you can email us to book you in for a free consultation.

 

What are the side-effects?

Occasionally some redness, swelling and tenderness can occur immediately in the injection site, lasting for a few hours. However swelling following lip filler treatment can last for a few days. We managed to reduce post-treatment swelling by injecting the lips with a blunt cannula rather than using a sharp needle.

 

Can everyone have dermal filler?

Dermal fillers are safe products, however, there are few people who need to avoid it:

• Allergy to Hyaluronic Acid.

• Allergy to Lidocaine or Adrenaline => could be avoided by using dermal fillers and cream not containing Lidocaine/Adrenaline.

• Patients with bleeding and blood disorders/leukaemia/lymphoma. (You need clearance from your haematologist before proceeding, as the risk of infection is higher)

• Patient on chemotherapy or immunosuppressant. (You need clearance from your haematologist/oncologist before proceeding, as the risk of infection is higher)

• Sensitivity to gram-positive bacteria proteins.

• Active infection or inflammation in the skin area to be injected.

• Patient with on-going other facial treatments as chemical peels, laser treatment or microderm abrasion.

• Patients at risk of Keloids (hypertrophic scarring).

• Patient with active cold sore.

• Pregnant and breastfeeding women (best to be avoided despite no real evidence)

• Patients planning to have facial surgery in the next 12 months.

 

Patient on blood thinning agents (for example Aspirin, Clopidogrel, NSAIDS, Warfarin and Apixaban) can have dermal fillers. However, the risk of bruising is higher.

 

Aftercare instructions for dermal fillers.

• It is normal for the skin to be red around the area of injection but also white around the area where the anaesthetic cream/injection was applied. This should only last a few hours.

• Lumps can occasionally occur when the dermal filler absorbs water from the body and swells. For the first 24 hours after treatment, these lumps can easily be massaged away (between finger and thumb). Don’t massage lumps that you cannot see as this will only displace your filler.

• Rarely numbness and/or tingling over the site of injection may occur for a few days.

• Bruising is the most common complication of treatment. You can reduce bruising by applying ice; it is ok to cover up bruising with concealer/makeup the next day.

• Avoid applying makeup over the injection sites for 12 hours. This is to reduce the already small risk of skin infection.

• Often superficial lines in the face are ‘highlighted’ in pink or red following treatment. This effect will settle within a few days.

• Dermal filler applied to the lips often causes swelling. The amount of swelling is not proportional to the amount of filler inserted. Your lips will settle within a few days to how they should look for the remainder of your treatment cycle. Sometimes it may look as if more dermal filler has been placed into one side or the other; this is due to swelling. In a few days, this should even out. However, if an individual small lump can be seen, this should be massaged firmly in the first 24 hrs following treatment.

• Until the initial swelling and redness have resolved, do not expose the treated area to intense heat (i.e. solarium, sauna or sunbathing).

• If you have previously suffered from facial cold sores, there is a risk that the needle punctures could contribute to another eruption of cold sores. This question is on the consent form.

• If you are using aspirin, clopidogrel, warfarin or similar medication, be aware that these may increase the bruising or bleeding at the injection site.

• Finally, since dermal fillers dissolve over time, the correction does not last forever. Many people choose to have regular repeat treatments.

 

When to get in touch with us post-injection?

If the area injected become white and/or very painful following dermal filler injection you need to get in touch with us. Fortunately, this would be extremely rare to happen (1 in 1 million). Otherwise, we expect patients to have a mild irritation to the injected skin lasting a few hours when the numbness wears off. 

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