Soft Tissue Fillers
Injectable fillers consist of a variety of products. These products can be injected into and under the skin. They restore volume in specific areas like the lips, facial creases and wrinkles, and depressed scars. The most common fillers are hyaluronic acid fillers (HA fillers). For the best dermal fillers in Fort Lauderdale, visit Thomassen Plastic Surgery.
These products are usually made of the building block of collagen, called hyaluronic acid (HA). Multiple different HA products provide different fillers properties for differing goals. Thicker HA fillers, like Voluma, last 2 years. They are used for areas where static long-term filling is desired, like the cheek malar eminences. Thinner products like Velobello, are less cross-linked and more forgiving but do not last as long. These are useful for filling areas of thin skin like the lower eyelids.
Injectable fillers can:
- Plump thin lips
- Soften nasolabial and marionette lines
- Soften deep shadows in tear trough area
- Soften facial creases and wrinkles
- Improve the appearance of recessed scars
- Provide facial volume in depressed areas like submalar and malar regions
What are the different types of fillers?
Hyaluronic Acid (HA)
Hyaluronic acid is a natural substance found in the collagen of our bodies. It is well suited to plump thin lips and fill facial creases such as nasolabial folds, wrinkles, and depressed scars. The results may last 8 months for thinner products to up to 2 years for heavily cross-linked products. Popular brands containing HA include: Velobello, Juvederm, Voluma, Restylane and Perlane, among others. All these products differ in how dense or cross-linked the hyaluronic acid is, making it either thinner or more dense.
Calcium Hydroxylapatite
Hydroxyapatite fillers consist of a mineral-like compound found naturally in human bones, suspended in a gel-like formulation. It is the heaviest of facial fillers. It is recommended for filling deeper creases such as nasolabial folds, marionette lines, and frown lines. Hydroxyapatite can also be used safely to enhance the malar eminence of cheeks, chin, and other facial contours. A popular brand containing calcium hydroxyapatite is Radiesse.
Polymethylmethacrylate
Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) fillers contain 20% tiny PMMA microspheres suspended in 80% purified collagen gel. This is considered a semi-permanent filler. and is most often used to treat medium-to-deep wrinkles.
Poly-L-Lactic Acid
Poly-l-lactic acid fillers include Sculptra. It is injected in the deep subcutaneous tissue, next to the bone. These fillers help stimulate the body’s collagen production and may result in added volume over the amount originally placed. It is used on the cheeks for malar augmentation and in lipodystrophy patients.
What happens during a Filler Procedure?
Dr. Thomassen will carefully evaluate your facial appearance. He will also assess your skin tone. Then, he examines the areas of your face to be augmented with injectable fillers. Dr. Thomassen sometimes marks the areas for treatment to ensure proper placement.
We first cleanse the treatment area with alcohol or Hibiclens. We use ice or a a topical numbing agent to make more sensitive patients comfortable. In most cases, the filler itself will contain an anesthetic agent. In some cases we use local anesthetic injections to numb the area prior to treatment.
Injection takes only a few moments per site and a few minutes for a course of treatment. We prefer to use cannulas to inject our fillers. These are blunt long needles. They cause less pain and trauma than sharp needles. This results in quicker recovery with less bruising.
After the injection, we will cleanse any markings. We recommend cold compresses in the treated area to minimize bruising and swelling.
Results
The results of soft tissue augmentation with injectable fillers are not permanent. The continued aging of your face and variables in the absorption of fillers will affect how long your results last.
Should you choose not to repeat treatment, your appearance will return to its original condition. Plumped lips will lose volume and improved wrinkles, creases and scars will visibly recess and fully reappear in time.
Learn more about fillers in the American Society of Plastic Surgery website. Visit us for the best dermal fillers in Fort Lauderdale.
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