Dermal fillers are cross linked Hyaluronic Acid which is a transparent gel.
Hyaluronic is a natural sugar like molecule that is normally found in the body.
The cross linking defines strength of the filler and its longevity.
As we age, we lose 1% of our body’s hyaluronic acid each year after the age of 25 or earlier.
This loss is not only on the face, it involves the skin all over the body.
The elbows start to look crinkly, the earlobes shrink, the knees show hollows, hands and feet start to look ropey, the neck looks lax and also the buttocks and breast/chest tissue changes.
The dermal fillers are helpful in restoring all these losses when used properly.
Strong Fillers/ tough gels are also helpful in providing lift, correcting nasal humps, reconstructing chin and improving hip dips.
Moderate strength fillers provide contours, rejuvenate hands, knees, neck, earlobes etc.
Soft fillers are used to reduce appearance of dark circles, under eye hollowness, tear trough, improve lip hydration, volumize lips, improve lip definition.
Non cross linked hyaluronic acid improves the water holding capacity of skin and makes it look moisturized and hydrated.
Dermal fillers of various types depending on their concentration, cohesivity, spreadibility, hydration potential, cross linking etc etc.
Broadly we can say there are fillers that lift, contour, define and hydrate.
Lifting Fillers: These are highly cross linked products, that provide support to the ligaments to provide a lift or structural strength to hold the tissue in a certain position.
Contouring fillers: these fillers are not too heavy to be injected on the muscle and hence do not change facial movements when injected in fat layer and also provides a contour without making the fillers seen while moving the face and making facial expressions.
Definition fillers: these are extremely spreadable filler with very low cross linking so that they are not visible through skin as they are used in areas where skin is too thin like lips and under eye.
Hydration filler: these fillers are non-cross linked hyaluronic acid fillers that provide hydration to the skin without any lift or without changing volume.
Legally anyone above 18 years of age can get fillers done.
Though my point of view here is that, someone struggling with extremely dry skin can get hydration fillers done.
Fillers can be used for following indications
Botox is a neuromodulator; i.e. it stops the muscle from contracting and forming a wrinkle.
Botox is used to treat forehead lines, frown lines, crows’s feet, pebbled chin, neck bands, massater debulking.
Botox also stops sweating and can be used to treat sweaty underarms or sweaty palms.
On the other hand Fillers mostly restore facial volume, provide lift by supporting facia
Although with some techniques filler can be used to enhance or diminish muscle action by creating a sling under muscle or creating a weight on the muscle.
As most of us understand that contours are nothing but play of lights and shadows.
The high points are light and the depths are shadows.
A well contoured face will have high points on forehead, cheeks, jawlind, chin, nose and shadows at temple, below cheek, below jawline.
These contours makes a person look youthful and healthy.
Dermal fillers are helpful in creating these contours as they help creating high points of forehead, cheeks, jawline and chin when used correctly.
Fillers help in reversing age related changes by restoring the hyaluronic acid lost due to oxidative stress and genetic ageing.
Also fillers will defy gravity by supporting the ligaments that connect bones to the skin on face, hence reverse sagging.
Fillers improve the skin texture by hydrating the skin and hence reverses the age related dullness and dryness.
