Fillers

Injectable hyaluronic acid (HA) is our filler material of choice. The reason we use hyaluronic acid is that its safe, long lasting and reversible. Hyaluronic acid is a structural molecule that we have present naturally in our skin and connective tissue. The gel can be reproduced in the lab, and manufactured into a range of physical characteristics – from thick gels that are firm, like cement, to thin gels that are almost like water – and everything in between. This means we can chose from a range of gels, depending on the area we are treating and what we want to achieve.

There are now hundreds of hyaluronic acid fillers on the market. We only use the best quality products from Allergan, known commercially as Juvederm. We use this range because it has the most data on its safety and efficacy and we know that their products last a long time. We never compromise on product quality or safety.

The risk of adverse reaction to hyaluronic acid filler is approximately 1 in 1000. This typically doesn’t happen immediately following treatment: characteristically if this happens it is several months after treatment and results in the filler turning hard or lumpy. If this happens, it is necessary to remove the filler – which can be achieve by injecting a dissolving agent.

When dealing with cosmetic treatments for the face, whether lip fillers or a dermal filler for fine lines, it is always essential to think of “what happens if things go wrong”, and it is essential to have a get-out-of-jail card. Hyaluronic acid dermal fillers give you that peace of mind.

Juvederm Voluma – which is one of the most popular products we use – is now licensed to last up to two years. Our advice is that when you achieve an optimal correction, you may chose to have a touch up around 18 months later to maintain the result, although top-ups typically involve smaller volumes.

As the face ages, changes in the facial skeleton occur due to bone resorption. This can drastically impact the appearance of the face because of the hollow structure of the under-eye area. These are often the first areas to show signs of ageing.

For this reason, the under-eye hollows are one of the areas that benefit the most from dermal fillers.

Sometimes this is improved simply by restoring volume in the cheek alone. In other cases, it requires a dermal filler injection on top of the bone directly below the eye.

When it comes to treating the under eye hollows, less is always more.

As we age, our faces begin to feel the pull of gravity and start drooping. There are few places where skin contour deficiencies are more apparent than on the cheeks.

Assessing the contour of the cheek is best done from the “three quarters” or oblique view. When we look at the cheek from this angle, an aesthetically ideal profile should have a slight dip (concave curve) to the lower eyelid/cheek area, a convex curve over the cheekbone itself, and a slight hollowing towards the lower cheek areas.

As we age, however, this “ogee” curve is lost and the profile view of the face becomes flattened. The goal of restoring the skin’s lost volume to the cheek area using dermal fillers is not simply to make the cheek look fatter but to recreate a more attractive facial contour.

One of the most common areas women want treated with facial fillers is the down turning at the corners of the mouth.

The appearance of static lines that run from the corner of the mouth down towards the chin — the ‘marionette lines’ — can dramatically change the facial appearance. Fortunately, the facial volume in this area can be quickly and effectively restored using dermal fillers.

Achieving a lifting effect is not simply a case of injecting the filler into the marionette lines, but feathering the volume across a broader area to blend the areas between the lower part of the cheek and the chin.

As we age, the lips lose their natural volume and shape, becoming thin and flat. Dermal fillers for the lips can be used to reverse these changes and give the lips a more voluptuous and youthful appearance. As a result, lip fillers have become popular in anti-ageing clinics.

Dermal fillers for the lips can last a long time. It is commonly believed that lip fillers last somewhere around 6–9 months, but in reality, they can easily last up to two years.

Many women are afraid to have a dermal filler injected into their lips for fear of achieving the dreaded ‘trout pout’ look. However, poor results for lip fillers are primarily a result of poor injection techniques. Done well, the lip filler results should be subtle and natural.

It is important to use a softer lip filler, usually the ones that are actually designed for filling fine lines and wrinkles. It is also, almost always, better to inject the red part of the lip rather than just the border. And in terms of volume, less is more.

It takes a lot of experience to get the balance just right with lip fillers: that’s where our decade of experience in dermal fillers is key. We are known for our dermal fillers in Scotland. When it comes to facial fillers in Glasgow, McKeown Medical is the go-to clinic for natural results.