Are you noticing new lines each time you look into the mirror? Do your cheeks look more gaunt and sunken than they used to? What about all those lines on your forehead? Does it look like you might as well just screw your hat on? Don’t despair! Take a long, last look, and discover how facial fillers are a simple yet effective answer to reclaiming the fullness and smoothness of your younger face.
How popular are facial fillers? In 2016, there were over 2.4 million facial filler treatments performed in the United States alone. One reason for their popularity is the ease of the procedure itself, requiring only 30 minutes or less, with immediate benefits that can last from six months to a year.
Some of the immediate results of facial fillers may include:
- Plumping up thin lips
- Enhancing and filling in facial contours
- Softening creases and wrinkles
- Hiding or lessening the appearance of scars
What causes wrinkles and sunken, sagging features? As we age we begin producing fewer natural moisturizers and volumizers, such as hyaluronic acid (HA). This leaves once-youthful skin fill of lines, wrinkles, and sunken areas. It can be depressing when the mirror reflects someone back to you who looks like a stranger.
Luckily, it’s easy to reduce the appearance of aging by restoring lost HA to your skin. That’s the reason most of today’s dermal fillers contain this ingredient. HA is a figurative “fountain of youth.” It binds powerfully to water, and once injected it hydrates, fills, and softens your skin for a more youthful appearance.
Let’s take a look at some of the obvious benefits of facial fillers.
- Immediate results. You will notice a transformation in your appearance immediately following a filler injection. Unlike plastic surgery, no recovery time is needed. You can schedule a filler treatment in the morning and go back to work in the afternoon. In fact, filler procedures are sometimes referred to as a “lunchtime facelift.” That adds a whole new meaning to the expression “power lunch!” If you do experience any side effects, usually they are limited to a bit of swelling or redness around the injection site. This clears up in just a few hours and can be covered over with makeup.
- Long-lasting effects. In addition to immediate improvement in your appearance, the results can last as long as a year. It’s a good idea to schedule a follow-up appointment four to six months after the initial treatment so your doctor can determine the best time for your next filler session.
- Great for your skin. Since most fillers contain hyaluronic acid, they are beneficial for maintaining beautiful, youthful looking skin. Also, since HA is a natural component of healthy skin, the fillers feel smooth and natural.
- Subtle yet powerful results. The beauty of facial fillers is that they don’t alter your appearance dramatically like plastic surgery can. They cause a subtle shift in your appearance. People will notice that you look great, but most won’t know what you’ve done. So it’s still you that people see – a more vibrant and youthful you.
- A boost in self-confidence. In the hands of a skilled aesthetic doctor, facial fillers achieve incredible, natural-looking results, bringing back much of your youthful confidence.
- Full, beautiful lips. Not only can fillers make your lips fuller and sexier, they also lessen the appearance of wrinkles around your mouth. Your lips may even become your favorite facial feature.
- Boost natural collagen production. The decline of collagen production as you age makes your skin appear less youthful. Lines, wrinkles, and coarse skin texture can result from sun damage and the process of natural aging. Facial fillers can jumpstart your body’s production of its own natural collagen, restoring some of the suppleness of youthful skin.
- A great complement to Botox treatment. Once fillers are applied, you may notice some deeper wrinkles on your forehead or between your nose and lips. Or you may see vertical lines around your upper and lower lips. That’s when you might consider Botox treatment to temporarily reduce the muscle activity that creates frown lines or deep wrinkles that fillers alone don’t eliminate. Fillers and Botox are a powerful combination to enhance your natural, youthful beauty quickly and safely.
Facial Fillers at Asheville Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
Several types of facial fillers are used at our clinic. These include:
Restylane®
Restylane works by restoring your skin’s volume, creating softness and revitalizing your appearance. Restylane gel enhances your skin’s own hyaluronic acid, instantly adding volume to ease some of the telltale signs of aging.
Juvéderm®
Juvéderm® is a smooth consistency hyaluronic acid gel that restores your skin’s volume and smooths away facial wrinkles and folds, such as the “smile lines” that run from the bottom of your nose to the corners of your mouth.
Radiesse®
RADIESSE is wrinkle filler used for plumping your skin. Injected through a small needle, this filler works immediately to add volume. Over time, the benefits of RADIESSE continue by stimulating your body’s own natural collagen. The benefits can last a year or more for some patients.
Voluma®
Aging causes more than just wrinkles and lines. Cheeks flatten, and the skin may begin to sag. Experts call this age-related midface volume loss. Juvéderm Voluma® XC adds volume beneath your skin’s surface to lift and contour your cheek area, resulting in a fuller, more youthful appearance.
Schedule A consultation
Which facial fillers are best for you? Should you combine facial filler treatment with Botox? Call Dr. Brenda Draper at Asheville Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 828-277-5400, to schedule your consultation, and find out what facial fillers can do to make you look younger and more vibrant.