Fillers
Fillers are an excellent method by which to reduce the appearance of ageing. As we age, the skin's supporting structures, such as the dermis and fat layers tend to change. The appearances of ageing are often related to a loss of volume in certain areas - such as thinner lips, hollow cheeks and thinner skin around the eyes. Fillers are a way to treat this loss of volume by injecting a filler directly to replace the lost volume.
Types of fillers
There are many fillers on European market at the brand names and types seem to change very frequently. For this reason, it's best to stick to tried and tested brands of filler which have been in use for some time. We understand these products and their safety profile much better and their results are more predictable
Essentially, fillers can be divided into two groups, temporary or permanent.
Hyaluronic acid
This is one of the most common temporary fillers. It is used to fill many areas such as lips, eyelids, cheeks, backs of hands and fine lines and wrinkles on the face. It's main advantage is that is very safe, rarely causes allergic reactions and the effects are reversible in time.
The Restylane range is one of the most well known brands of hyaluronic acid filler, which we use extensively in our practice.
Collagen
Collagen is one of the most common permanent fillers. It is used to replace volume, particularly in superficial areas such as the folds around the nose and mouth, and into the lips. It is a permanent filler, which means it gives long lasting results. However, patients can become allergic to collagen fillers which can be difficult to remove once they have been injected.