It’s natural for skin to change with age. Over time, as your body produces less collagen and elastin, it begins to show on your face. Your skin may lose its structure, fullness, and smooth, youthful look. Those who are unhappy with the appearance of aging skin have more options now than ever before to restore younger-looking skin.
Dermal fillers are at the forefront of anti-aging cosmetic services. As filler injections offer fast, effective treatments for various skin concerns, they are a popular option for patients pursuing smoother, plumper skin.
At Premiere Aesthetics in Fort Myers, FL, we offer a wide range of treatments using dermal fillers to rejuvenate your youthful appearance.
The key to loving any treatment is understanding how and why it works, where it is best used, and what results to expect. Here we explain all of the critical information you need before deciding whether dermal fillers suit you.
Dermal Fillers and Botox Are Not the Same
While dermal fillers and Botox, Xeomin, Jeuveau, and Dysport are all cosmetic injectables, they do not work the same way.
Botox, Xeomin, Jeuveau, and Dysport are neuromodulators. Neuromodulators work by blocking the nerve impulses that communicate with the facial muscles to create expressions, like a furrowed brow.
Dynamic wrinkles are the lines that appear from these facial expressions. When neuromodulators prevent the muscles in the face from moving, dynamic wrinkles stop forming.
In contrast, dermal fillers treat static wrinkles. Static wrinkles remain on the face regardless of the expression. These wrinkles can develop prematurely due to genetics, sun exposure, smoking, or diet.
While neuromodulators effectively treat dynamic wrinkles, most of their usefulness in restoring the skin’s youthful appearance ends there.
However, dermal fillers offer more than static wrinkle treatments. Dermal fillers resolve many aesthetic concerns. For example, cheek fillers can restore contours to your face, lip fillers shape and plump the lips, and other fillers can restore a jawline or reshape your nose or chin.
What Are Dermal Fillers?
Dermal fillers consist of gel-like substances made to smooth and plump aging skin. After age 20, the body produces 1% less collagen in the skin each year. The loss of collagen leads to thinner, more fragile skin.
Skin loses its structure, resilience, and hydration, which come from collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid. As a result, skin appears duller, fine lines and wrinkles form, and skin begins to sag.
Dermal fillers target these concerns by literally “filling” in lines and wrinkles and lifting and plumping the skin. They also stimulate the body’s healing response, leading to an increase in collagen production.
The most popular dermal fillers use synthetic hyaluronic acid as their active ingredient. Hyaluronic acid is a natural part of the skin’s connective tissue that attracts and binds to water, restoring the skin’s bright, hydrated appearance. Hyaluronic acid-based dermal fillers generally last six to twelve months.
Longer-lasting dermal fillers may use a synthetic form of calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA). CaHA is naturally present in the bones, and these fillers primarily restore lost volume. Radiesse is the most popular CaHa dermal filler and is used mainly as a cheek filler or to restore volume to the backs of the hands.
Why Choose Dermal Fillers over Other Anti-Aging Treatments?
Dermal fillers provide a versatile, natural-looking, skin-rejuvenating treatment with fast results. Unlike more invasive anti-aging treatments, dermal fillers don’t require any downtime, and patients can resume their routines immediately after injections. Some of the skin concerns that dermal fillers target include:
- Volume loss
- Thinning lips
- Loss of fullness or contour in the cheeks
- Under eye shadows
- Dull skin
- Fine lines and wrinkles
- Skin laxity
Dermal fillers offer an immediate improvement in the skin concerns listed above, and they stimulate collagen production for a natural, ongoing improvement in the texture and structure of the skin.
Where and How Can I Use Dermal Fillers?
Dermal fillers primarily treat skin concerns on the face and the backs of hands. They are not FDA-approved for body contouring, so patients looking to plump or lift their breasts or buttocks should pursue other treatments. Dermal fillers target moderate to severe wrinkles and creases and enhance volume and contours.
Radiesse for Aging Hands
Radiesse is a CaHA filler that can restore volume to the backs of the hands where skin may experience sun damage, volume loss, or thinning. The CaHA microspheres in Radiesse’s gel provide an immediate plumping effect.
Additionally, the ongoing collagen-stimulating effect can reduce the appearance of fine lines and sun spots. Radiesse treatments in the hands can last up to two years.
Lip Filler for Thinning Lips
The skin of the lips is fragile, causing it to be one of the first places on the face that shows signs of aging. At Premiere Aesthetics, we recommend Juvéderm Volbella XC lip filler to restore fullness and symmetry to thinning lips.
Volbella XC lip filler is specially formulated with a thinner consistency to allow for more precise injections, resulting in long-lasting, natural-looking, plumper lips.
Cheek Filler for Contour and Volume Loss
One of the most popular dermal filler treatments uses cheek filler to restore volume and to fill out hollowness in the cheeks. Our preferred cheek filler is Juvéderm Voluma XC, which can lift sagging skin, restore contours, and provide a younger, healthier appearance.
Filling in Severe Lines and Wrinkles
The lines around the mouth, including nasolabial folds and marionette lines, can be challenging to treat. This facial area is highly expressive, and lines can become severe prematurely.
At Premiere Aesthetics, we prefer to treat moderate to severe lines and wrinkles with Juvéderm Vollure to smooth the appearance of deeply formed folds and creases, lifting and restoring the skin.
Discover Which Dermal Filler Treatment Is Best for You
The highly knowledgeable and experienced team at Premiere Aesthetics in Fort Myers, FL, offers consultations to determine the best options for restoring youthfulness and rejuvenating your skin.
When you’re ready to rediscover your youthful skin, schedule your consultation with us and see how rejuvenating dermal fillers can be.