Dermal fillers are a relatively new anti-wrinkle treatment which is now being used both alone and alongside traditional anti-aging injections. Each typically targets different parts of the face, and is most effective against different signs of aging.
But what is actually injected when you get a dermal filling treatment? There are many different dermal filling compounds n the market today, but most fall into the following categories:
Calcium hydroxyapatite
This is a mineral-like compound very similar to one found naturally in your bones. It is synthetically produced, so it is not made of animals or animal products. It was developed for the dental field, and has been used in facial reconstruction for many years. It has an excellent safety record, and has very few if any side effects.
Calcium hydroxylapatite is especially useful for enhancing facial contours and eliminating moderate and severe skin creases.
Hyaluronic acid
Or ‘HA’ is a naturally occurring chemical in the skin itself. In addition to skin contouring and restoring youthful plumpness, HA can remove skin depressions due to scarring as well as deep lines and wrinkles. It is also used to relieve arthritis pain by adding padding to aching joints.
Dermal filling treatments using HA are especially well suited to removing or minimising the appearance of crow’s feet, acne scars, deep smile lines (nasolabial furrows), smoker’s lines, worry lines and forehead creases, and even ‘marionette lines’ at the corners of your mouth.
Polyalkylimide
This is a longer-lasting dermal filling compound which is highly biocompatible with human tissue – meaning it can’t cause allergies. Polyalkylimide works by attracting natural collagen form he skin, and holding it in place for years at a time. It takes around a month for this collagen gel to form at the injection site. If necessary, injected Polyalkylimide can even be removed later.
Polyalkylimide dermal filling treatments are especially effective for reducing or eliminating deep wrinkles and depressed scars. It can help plump up thinner lips, to restore a youthful volume and resilience to the face, and even to accentuate cheekbones or the jawline.
Polylactic acid
Another kind of dermal filling compound. Polylactic acid is a completely synthetic material which stimulates the skin to produce collagen at the injection site. It is completely biodegradable, and will eventually be safely absorbed by the body. It has been used as the base of surgical sutures for more than 4 decades, and has an excellent safety record.
Polylactic acid is especially useful for dermal filling in the lower face, where it can restore youthful fullness to the lips, eliminate wrinkles around the nasolabial folds, and fill in so called ‘laugh lines’.
Polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) microspheres
These are another type of semi-permanent dermal filler. Because PMMA dermal filling does last such a long time, it is considered proper form to deliberately underfill on the first treatment. This avoids the danger of using too much material, and can be perfected in a series of top-up treatments in the weeks or months following the initial injection. The full series can take up to 3 months.
PMMA is well suited to augmenting lip volume, treating medium to deep folds and furrows, and filling out pitted facial scars.
Which filling material is right for you? Call or message us today and we can discuss your options.
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