When You Look Good, You Feel Good
There is no doubt that every person wants to look their best. Whether you’re out on the town, rubbing elbows with society big shots or simply out on a park picnic with your family and friends. Having a healthy, lively appearance will make you more confident and better able to enjoy the pleasures of life.
Your biggest obstacle to looking young, vigorous, and vibrant is the inevitable passing of time. As you get older a spattering of wrinkles, deep creases, folds, and sagging skin gradually appear on your face. You start out with crow’s feet around your eyes, marionette lines around your mouth, and a deeper furrow on you brow. Soon enough, your face is filled with these blemishes, making you look many years older than you really are.
That’s the time you start exploring anti-aging techniques: looking for ways to restore your youthful appearance, to repair the damage that time has wrought on your face. One of the most widely accepted ways to do this is through cosmetic surgery, or more specifically, through facelifts. Modern science and advanced medical techniques can now cut, trim, and stretch the skin on your face until it is smooth and wrinkle-free. Facelifts can be done for the entire face or can be refined to a partial procedure that targets a specific area.
Surgery Is Not For Everybody
It is an undeniable fact that cosmetic surgery is one of the fastest and most effective ways to rejuvenate the face. With the latest advancements in cosmetic surgery and the refined skills of the country’s best doctors, you can enhance and alter your appearance in almost any way imaginable. However, it is also a fact that surgery is not a viable option for everyone. There are a variety of reasons for this.
Firstly, there are a number of people who have allergic reactions to the anesthesia, and sometimes even the implant material, which is required for most surgical procedures. Then there are those people who are not allowed to undergo surgery because they have medical conditions or because it is contrary to their religious beliefs.
And there are still others who are simply scared of surgery. They are so afraid of going under the knife that they won’t even consider cosmetic surgery no matter how skilled the doctor is or how safe the operation has proved to be.
These people have as much right to receive the benefits of cosmetic enhancement as the rest of the population. For a long time, they had no choice in the matter. But now, thanks to advances in cosmetic science, they have a safe, effective, and most importantly, non-surgical alternative. What is the name of this amazing alternative? The answer: injectable dermal fillers.
How Do Fillers Work?
Just as its name implies, an injectable filler is a substance which can be injected under your skin via a syringe. The filler effectively raises the outlying skin so that wrinkles and creases on your face get “filled in” and disappear.
Another use for injectable fillers is to alter the shape of specific face features. Fillers can be used on your cheeks, chin, brow, eyelids, and the area around the nose. Dermal fillers can even be used on your lips to make them look fuller and more attractive. These subtle yet effective improvements can give you a more balanced and better proportioned face.
Although this may sound like new technology, fillers have long been in use for reconstructive surgery. It has only now become popular for use in cosmetic enhancement procedures.
How The Procedure Is Done
The procedure begins with the doctor identifying which areas of your face will be treated. Once the target areas have been marked off, the doctor will fill a syringe with the appropriate amount of filler. The syringe has a very fine needle; so small in fact that most people barely feel any pain when it is inserted into their skin. A large number of people say that they don’t experience pain at all from injectable facial fillers.
In many cases, doctors will apply an anesthetic spray or cream to the target face area before the injection of the dermal filler. This usually ensures that the process is completely free of pain. For procedures that are more complex or extensive treatments which require a longer period of time, the doctor might suggest a local anesthetic provided that the patient is not allergic to it.
How Long Does A Session Last?
Most procedures with injectable dermal fillers take a very short time to complete. Most procedures can be done in half an hour or even less, even the ones that require local anesthesia. The actual procedure time is of course dependent on the size of the area to be treated and the amount of filler needed. It is also possible to have several procedures done within a single session as long as the doctor judges it to be safe. Many people have found that they can get a filler treatment during their lunch break and be back at the office in no time at all.
What’s in the Injectable Fillers?
FDA approved injectable fillers like Restylane and Juvéderm are composed mainly of hyaluronic acid, a substance that is naturally found in the body. Hyaluronic acid is found in your extracellular matrix, the support structure between your body’s cells.
To make the filler product, manufacturers harvest the chemical from genetically engineered bacteria which produce large amounts of hyaluronic acid. They could actually harvest the same chemical from animals, but that type of acid carries a risk of allergic reaction when it is injected into humans. Hyaluronic acid produced by bacteria is much easier to purify and is more compatible with the human body.
Another advantage of bacteria produced hyaluronic acid is that it has a highly cross-linked molecular structure. The filler is able to absorb and retain moisture, further enhancing the plumpness of your features. This characteristic also makes the injectable filler much harder for your body to break down.
How Long Do the Effects Last?
Under ideal conditions, it can take anywhere from six months to an entire year before the substance is absorbed by the body. When that happens, all you have to do is go back to the clinic for another treatment.
In many ways, this is better than getting cosmetic surgery. Because the treatment is temporary, you’re able to “try it out.” If you didn’t like the result of your first enhancement, you can inform the doctor and improve the effects of your next treatment of injectable dermal fillers. You can take as many tries necessary to achieve the perfect look for you.
Planning Your Treatment
Even though the effects of injectable fillers are temporary, six months to a year is still a long time to commit. It is recommended that you spend a substantial amount of time planning your surgery during your consultation with a cosmetic doctor.
Be specific when you identify which points on your face you would like to alter and enhance. Do you want to fill up the hollows beneath your eyes? Do you want to get rid of those creases at the corners of your mouth? Do you want the treatment to fill up the scars and creases of your face? These are the types of questions you should ask yourself when you’re planning your treatment.
Give your doctor as much information as possible about what you want to achieve with the injectable facial fillers. Your surgeon will tell you which of them are practical, what needs to be done, and may even offer suggestions to achieve the best possible result. You’ll often be shown before-and-after photographs of the doctor’s other patients so that you can better judge how the cosmetic enhancement will look on you.
Inform your doctor if you have any allergies. Although these are usually reflected in your medical history, allergies can complicate the treatments, something that you and your doctor both want to avoid. Remember, you can never be too cautious, especially when your health is involved.
You should also inform your doctor if you have just had or plan to undergo other skin treatments. Even simple cosmetic treatments like laser therapy and chemical peels can weaken the skin and cause complications when you get injectable fillers.
If you have already undergone those treatments, the doctor will tell you when it is safe to proceed with your dermal filler injection. If you’re going to get those treatments in the future, the doctor will tell you how long you should postpone them so that your skin will have ample time to recover. This is a simple precaution that will save you from the risk of inflammation of the skin.
Injectable Dermal Fillers vs. Surgery
A common question asked by patients is why they should opt for dermal fillers instead of getting a more permanent surgical enhancement. There are a number of reasons for this. First of all, injectable fillers avoid the risk normally associated with surgery. No incisions are made, no stitches are needed, and you don’t have an implanted object under your skin.
Secondly, there is no downtime involved with injectable dermal fillers. As mentioned before, you can have the procedure done during your break and be back to work as soon as it’s done. You don’t need to stay home with bandages on your face. You don’t need to take a leave off from work just so your body can recuperate. You get immediate results without having to sacrifice precious work and leisure time. This alone is a major selling point, especially for the busy people of modern society.
Last, but not least, is the fact that these injectable fillers are virtually pain-free. If you can stand the tiny pin-prick of a needle, you don’t even have to bother with anesthesia. This is great news for those who are allergic to anesthetics.
What to Do After the Surgery
Patients who have been treated with injectable facial fillers are advised to avoid strenuous activity, exposure to heat and prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. Alcohol use and the use of certain medicines, both topical and ingestible, may be prohibited for an amount of time.
Some patients may experience puffiness around the treated area after the procedure. There are some rare cases in which itching and bruising occur. In any of these cases, these side effects will wear off in a matter of days. Doctors will usually allow you to you can use an ice pack or a topical cream to help reduce the discomfort.
Cost of the Procedure
As with all other cosmetic procedures, the cost of injectable fillers will vary from region to region. In the United States, the average cost for one vial of dermal filler ranges from $300 to $575. Half a vial of filler can fill up one major facial crease. A facial enhancement like a chin augmentation will typically need one vial of filler.
The doctor’s fee and the clinic fee are often additional factors in the procedure cost. If you ask for or are advised to get anesthesia, this will usually be added to your bill. You can often save some money by taking multiple treatments during a single visit to the clinic as opposed to taking separate visits for each treatment.
Why Are Dermal Fillers So Popular?
Popular dermal fillers like Restylane and Juvéderm have had FDA approval for several years, as early as 2003. Over the past few years that they’ve been in use, over ten million treatments have been successfully executed in the United States alone. There are only a handful of cases in which unwanted side effects and serious complications were reported. This is a very good track record considering that it is a fairly new medical product.
Safety is the primary concern of patients and doctors alike, and it only takes a quick look at the statistics to see that injectable dermal fillers are one of the safest treatments on the market.
So if you’re looking for a way to get rid of the crow’s feet, marionette lines, and other wrinkles on your face consider getting an injectable dermal filler treatment. It’s the latest in non-surgical cosmetic procedures that offers a safe, effective, and painless alternative to traditional facial enhancement surgery.