Injectable Fillers

Loss of volume from the face also occurs with the passage of time. Facial skin, fat and bone all become thinner leading to loss of youthful ‘plumpness’. This process accentuates wrinkles.

Fillers are used successfully to plump up established, deep facial wrinkles (such as lines between the eyebrows and lines around the mouth) and to restore loss of facial volume (for example to the cheekbones, hollows under eyes, lips and the chin).

In addition to restoring volume loss, fillers may also be used to improve or change facial contours, for example using fillers to increase or accentuate the prominence of cheek bones, the lips and chin. Fillers are often used in conjunction with botulinum toxin as they have complimentary actions.

There are now many safe man made fillers available. Synthetic products based on hyaluronic acid, such as Juvederm and Restylane, have become popular. They have a similar effect to the older animal based filler collagen but without the risk of allergy.

The obvious disadvantage of these fillers is that they are not long-lasting. They are gradually broken down by the body over 6-9 months on average. Some “permanent” fillers have been introduced but many have fallen into disrepute. Permanent fillers have the distinct disadvantage that should they be uneven or lumpy it is impossible to remove them. For this reason Dr Boorer favours fillers which will eventually be broken down by the body as outlined above.