Fillers

How do you have fillers and still look natural? When you look around, you see a lot of bad filler. But by definition, good filler should be invisible, so you never see it. So if we follow that logic through, it means that you only ever see bad filler. One of the most pivotal changes that happens in the faces we age is that we lose volume. We lose a bit of fat from below the skin. And this is a more recent realisation. Some of the most significant volume changes happen at the level of the bone. It’s actually quite depressing when you see the CT scan of the face of a young person and the face of an older person. Because the bones literally are withering away below the surface of the skin. So when you have that combined effect of losing bone mass and losing the soft padding of the fat, everything begins to sink. And that’s what normally results in most of the features that people associate with aging. The first thing that we need to do is step back and look at the big picture. If you are someone who is now into your mid-50s or getting towards 60, your face has probably been aging and losing volume for at least two, possibly three decades at this stage. And so to truly restore, that is going to take a reasonable amount of volume restoration. In general, filler lasts much longer than any of the pharmaceutical companies care to acknowledge. In my experience, although the products are licensed to last up to two years, I think they can last much longer than that. I’ve seen patients where filler has lasted 10 years. If the filler is hanging around that long, we need to be very careful about how much we keep adding. Otherwise, we get to that point where we’ve overdone it, and we’ve crossed the line between good filler and bad filler. When you get filler for the first time, it is a really positive experience because you have been nervous about it, you’ve been apprehensive, you get it done, it looks fantastic, it makes you feel fantastic. The temptation then that you then have in your head is more filler is going to make me look better, it’s going to make me feel better. And it can almost become a sort of psychological crutch that, whenever you feel you need a little pick-me-up, a little bit more filler is the answer. Work from the outset to establish how much volume is going to be required, get us to that point. But when we get there, we need to really take the foot off the gas and go much slower with the touch-ups. So what we normally do is see our patients back a couple of times a year for other times of skin treatments. And whilst they’re here, we just keep a little eye on the volume. And when we get to the point where we look and say, okay, the volume’s starting to decrease again, we add very conservative amounts. You need to find a doctor or a clinic that you trust to give you honest advice so that if you come back and you ask for more filler, you need to trust their judgment that they’re going to look at you and give you the correct advice that is, actually the volume’s okay right now, let’s look at why you’re feeling this way, rather than, yeah, you want more filler, let’s whack it in. Because that’s how you end up in the position where things look unnatural. Any questions or suggestions for future content, please pop them in the comment section. And don’t forget to like and subscribe to our channel. Thank you.

Good candidates for fillers are people who are starting to display signs of volume loss, such as fine lines, wrinkles, loss of facial contours, and sagging. Most of our filler patients are in their 40s to 70s when the signs of volume loss become more apparent on the face. Although we do sometimes use filler in younger patients, it’s usually to correct an issue like an under-projected chin or a bump on the nose. It’s important to have realistic expectations, and we will advise exactly what you can expect from your treatment. We will take your medical background and any medications into account, but most people will be suitable for treatment. Contraindications include active skin infections, a history of severe allergic reactions to filler ingredients, or certain autoimmune disorders. Patients on blood-thinning medications or with bleeding disorders should also be aware that you are more likely to bruise after treatment. We will always conduct a detailed consultation to review your medical history, current medications, and aesthetic goals. This comprehensive assessment ensures that fillers are a safe and effective option tailored specifically for your needs.

Typically, dermal fillers last much longer than people are expecting. The fillers are often licensed to last up to 12 months, but they usually last much longer than this, particularly the more modern types of filler, which have been formulated to have characteristics very similar to the tissue that you lose as part of the ageing process. It is pretty rare for us to repeat a filler treatment in less than 18 months. This is an important part of achieving natural results – if you top up too frequently, you can get a build-up of product and start to look overdone. During your consultation, we will tailor your treatment plan to exactly what you require at this stage.

Should I have filler, or would I be better just saving my money and getting a facelift? That’s a question that I hear not infrequently, and I can understand why people think like that, but the honest answer here is that if you want the best, most effective natural rejuvenation, the question is not whether you want a facelift or a filler; you probably need to have both. When the face ages, it does so in many different ways. We used to believe that it was all down to gravity, which is why in decades gone by, surgeons focused their effort on pulling the tissues as tight and tight and tight as they could. But no matter how tight they pulled, they didn’t make the patient look any more youthful; they just made them look more stretched and odd. And the reason is that, actually, gravity plays only a minor role in the underlying cause of facial aging. We now know that the main driver of facial aging is the loss of volume, and we don’t just lose volume from the fat in the face; we also lose bone. As we’re getting older, all of the bones in the face are gradually shrinking. So there is less material under the skin holding the tissues in place. So if you want to achieve a really effective rejuvenation as well as repositioning tissues, you also need to restore the volume. This doesn’t mean that a facelift is not an effective option. It is otherwise, we wouldn’t be doing them. But it repositions the tissue without restoring any of the volume. And so if you want to achieve a really effective rejuvenation as well as having the facelift, you also need to add some volume back into the face. One to restore the soft suppleness of youth that you get from losing fat, but also to replace some of that bone loss that’s happening as the facial skeleton ages. So even if you have the most aggressive invasive type of facelift you will still need some sort of volume and some surgeons will do that by adding some fat grafting to the time of surgery. So that’s where we take some fat from another part of the body where we’ve got a little bit of excess and inject it into the face. It’s not a bad idea, but it’s not our preferred method here. Fat grafting is a permanent solution, which means that it is there forever, and there is no going back. And if you gain weight in the future, then the fat transfer is going to expand. So what starts off looking kind of natural, actually, you gain a few pounds, and your face expands with the weight gain, and all of a sudden it looks unnatural and overdone. We prefer using off-the-shelf fillers because they are more customisable, they’re temporary, and if anything happens, we can dissolve them. The fat transfer is not a bad idea, but it does come with the risks. We feel that the fillers that we can inject are a safer and more consistent approach. So there you have it. It is not usually a question of should I have a facelift or should I get fillers. If you want the best result, you really need to have both. Any questions or suggestions for future content, please pop them in the comment section and, don’t forget to like and subscribe to our channel. Thank you.

No, wrinkles will not look worse after your fillers wear off. Fillers are designed to restore volume and soften lines that naturally occur as we age. Over time, the filler gradually dissolves, and your skin goes back to the way it was before, ageing at the normal pace. To maintain optimal results, we recommend performing top-ups every 18 months or so. Regular filler treatments, along with proper skincare, sun protection, and a healthy lifestyle, can help prolong the effects. During your initial consultation, we will come up with a personalized maintenance plan that may include additional treatments like laser resurfacing to ensure your rejuvenated appearance remains natural and balanced.

Achieving natural results is central to our approach. We begin with a detailed consultation to assess your concerns and desired outcomes, taking into account your unique facial anatomy to ensure that any enhancements complement your natural features. By using conservative techniques and carefully selecting the appropriate filler type and volume, we can restore lost volume while ensuring that your natural appearance and expressions remain the same. Our meticulous injection methods focus on subtle enhancements, resulting in a refreshed appearance that looks completely natural. Natural looks are the cornerstone of our practice, and our reputation for producing subtle refinements is what has led our practice to be among the biggest in Europe.