Facial Fillers
Fillers- What are they?
 Fillers are substances that are injected into the skin of the face to add volume where it has been lost subsequent to the aging process, or when it was not present in adequate amounts all along.
Fillers can be classified as temporary, semi-permanent and permanent. Temporary fillers last up to about one year, semi-permanent fillers last for a few years and permanent fillers last for the life of the patient. Although it may seem best to choose a permanent filler because it does not have to be administered again, remember that the aging process is a dynamic process and that the skin will gradually thin as aging proceeds. What may look good today may be very noticeable under the skin in five or ten years.
What do fillers treat?
As fillers ad volume, they are ideally suited to treat lines of the face that result secondary to atrophy of the skin and sagging of the skin due to gravitational influences. Examples of these areas are the nasolabial folds (the creases between the lips and the cheek), the Marionette (puppet) lines which are natural downward extensions of the nasolabial folds, and the corners of the mouth.
Fillers can also add volume to areas that have lost their fullness, again secondary to subcutaneous atrophy. This includes the tear trough area (the curved indentation at the junction of the lower eyelid and the upper cheek), the area over the cheekbones, lips (upper and lower), pre-jowl recess (the part of the jaw line in front of the jowl and behind the chin – fillers here help mask the outline of the jowling), and the cheeks.
Fillers can also be used to augment the nose and change the contour (“a rhinoplasty without surgery”) and supplement the use of Botox in the glabella area of the forehead (the “11” lines above the root of the nose)
What fillers do we offer?
In our office, we offer several of the more commonly used fillers:
Restylane® Juvederm Ultra®and Juvederm Ultra Plus® – these are non-animal derived hyaluronic acids - a naturally occurring substance that plays a vital role in hydrating your skin and replenishing its natural volume.
Restylane typically lasts about five months, Juvederm® has been FDA approved to last up to about one year. Juvederm Ultra Plus is a little more robust formulation for volumizing deeper wrinkles and folds.
Radiesse® is a gel matrix of Hydroxyapetite crystals, which is a naturally occurring mineral found in the body. Over time, the gel matrix is absorbed by the body, and replaced with collagen. Radiesse typically lasts one year or longer.
None of the durations of resultslisted above are exact; individual results may vary.
See before-and-after images of Facial Fillers »
For more information about Facial Fillers, please click here »
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