People have been trying to use fillers in their lips for a hundred years. Unfortunately, the fillers that people tried – paraffin, silicone and bovine collagen – all had problems. Injectable hyaluronic acids (known as HAs) were introduced in 2003, and today there is a plethora of filler options. Each available filler is appropriate for a different area of the face or depth of injection. Dr. Nagarkar uses the Juvederm®, Restylane®, and Belotero® product lines to select the best filler combination for your specific goals.
Fillers fight the effects of aging – as we age the face loses volume, and the skin loses elasticity. So, like a deflating balloon, loose skin starts folding and forming wrinkles. By injecting a filler into or underneath the skin, the area can be plumped up back to its original shape and wrinkles smoothed away from the inside out. Fillers are most effective at treating thinning lips, vertical lines around the upper and lower lips, the nasolabial folds (where the cheeks meet the nose and lip), and hollowing of the temples.
All fillers are injected into the skin, deeper fat compartments, or even deeper, on top of the facial bones. The depth of the injection varies based on the area of the face as well as the type of filler being used. Filler injections are not always simple. The face is full of blood vessels and nerves, and injecting a filler into the wrong area or at the wrong depth can cause problems. This is why it is critical to get injections of fillers by a fully trained plastic surgeon, who knows and understands the anatomy of the face.
Like Botox®, fillers have been a boon for patients who want to treat early signs of facial aging without going through the recovery of a surgery. I find it very important to have a light touch when using fillers. The goal is to restore your facial shape and volume to its youthful self. Injecting too much filler, or injecting in an inappropriate area, can give you a very unnatural appearance. The best part is that fillers are very much a “what you see is what you get” product. This allows you to give me immediate feedback during the procedure in order to achieve a result that you will be delighted with.
Who is a good candidate for fillers:
There are very few reasons why a patient would not be a candidate for dermal fillers. If you have had a previous adverse reaction to an injectable filler, you should make sure to let Dr. Nagarkar know. If your lines are too significant to be effectively corrected by fillers, or will require very large quantities of filler, you may prefer to have another procedure such as fat injections or face lift to more efficiently achieve the desired result.
What to expect on your visit:
Getting a filler injection is a quick and relatively painless process. After your consultation with Dr. Nagarkar, he will develop a plan for the amount and type of fillers required and the areas that will be injected. Using a tiny needle, he will inject the pre-planned areas of your face. Usually, the fillers are combined with a little local anesthetic so that there is very little discomfort with the injections, and minimal pain afterwards. You will not need any anesthetic, sedation, or pain medication. You should be able to return to normal activities immediately after your visit. We only ask that you refrain from any strenuous activity for 24 hours to prevent the injected filler from moving around. The entire process only takes 15 to 30 minutes.
What to expect after your filler injections:
Fillers work instantaneously – the result you have at the end of the injection is your final result. The fillers are slowly reabsorbed by your body, so your result can last for anywhere from 3 to 12 months, depending on the type of filler and the location it was used.