DERMAL FILLERS
Regardless of whether you’re looking to enhance your natural beauty or to reduce the damaging effects of aging, Bellissima Medical Spa is proud to offer its clients some of the best dermal filler options on the market today to help you achieve your aesthetic goals.
Dermal fillers may be used to give you a more youthful look for just a fraction of what a traditional facelift costs! Unlike with neuromodulators that are used to relax the muscle under a wrinkle, dermal fillers may be injected into the skin at different depths to help fill in facial wrinkles, provide volume, and augment facial features. Most dermal fillers are metabolized by the body over a period of six months to two years so treatment is temporary. If you’re looking for a quick fix - this may be it!
The filler used is entirely dependent on the treatment area being filled and often even more patient-specific factors. Consultations are always recommended!
Common areas injected with dermal fillers include:
Lips: Lip Augmentations are one of our specialties at Bellissima Medical Spa and one of the services we are well known for. Whether they’ve lost their plump and thinned with aging or they’ve never quite had the volume and/or shape you desire, lip filler may be the perfect solution for you! Lips are one of the most popular areas for dermal filler injections; when performed correctly by a skillful injector, you can expect plump, defined and natural-looking lips that last up to a year.
Tear Troughs (Under Eyes): For many patients, both young and old, tear trough filler is a safe, effective and popular nonsurgical alternative to a blepharoplasty. Many patients are unhappy with the shadows and depressions that occur under the eyes; while this can be due to genetics, it is also a common sign of aging. Many patients prefer a non-invasive, minimal downtime approach in order to avoid the risks and potential complications of surgery. Treatment with a dermal filler in this area can provide a patient with long-lasting, natural results that often last greater than one year. Consultations are recommended to determine if you are a candidate for dermal filler in this area. During your consultation it may also be recommended that you first treat mid-face volume loss (cheeks) in order to properly support your tear troughs.
Cheeks: Over time our cheeks start to flatten and the skin may begin to sag, causing the "sunken in" look that tends to make people feel and look older than they really are. This natural loss of volume in the cheek area is what experts call age-related midface volume loss. Oftentimes mid-face volume loss and drooping worsens the appearance of our nasolabial folds/smile lines and jowling thus causing the appearance of lower-face heaviness. Cheek filler injections can restore round contours and produce those sought-after high cheekbones that are often considered markers of natural beauty.
Nasolabial Folds (Smile Lines): For most of us, smile lines – also known as nasolabial folds – are nothing to smile about. These lines and creases run from the side of the nose to the corner of the mouth, and are the result of the loss of facial volume and skin elasticity as we age. They can make you look older, tired, and even unhappy. Adding dermal filler will help to plump the area and give a more youthful appearance.
Vertical Lip Lines (Smoker’s Lines): Time is working against your skin’s appearance. Every time you speak, eat, drink from a straw, smoke, kiss, or smile, your skin remembers and lines eventually begin to show on your face. The vertical lines above and below your lips can be difficult to hide with makeup and are often highlighted when a bright shade of lipstick bleeds into them. Dermal filler may be injected to soften the appearance of said lip lines.
Marionette Lines: Marionette lines are facial wrinkles that occur with natural aging - facial volume begins to deplete and creases below the mouth begin to form and deepen. These lines run vertically between the mouth and chin (often originating at the corners of the mouth), which can also create sagging in the lower half of your face. Adding dermal filler will help to restore said volume loss and provide a more youthful appearance.
Jowls: The folds on either side of our chin. Facial volume loss associated with the aging process results in sagging of the skin in other facial areas, and leaves the pre-jowl fold area hollow. Dermal filler injected into this area will help to reverse the appearance of volume loss and drooping tissue.
Chin/Jawline: Many people feel dissatisfied with the look of their chin and/or jawline and may wish to add definition to those areas. Dermal fillers injected in these areas provide the perfect nonsurgical alternative! They may be used to help to add definition, symmetry, balance, and contour to (especially notable in your profile). Jawline enhancement can also decrease the appearance of jowling (hanging folds of fat and skin drooping beneath the jawline) which will take years off your face! Chin and Jawline Enhancements may be right for you if you’ve always felt you had a weak profile, or if you’ve begun to notice signs of aging in this area of your face. Candidates of jaw augmentation include both men wishing for a more chiseled jawline and women wishing for a softer and more feminine chin/jawline.
Hands: Hands are exceptionally prone to showing the damaging signs of aging. Now you can improve the appearance of your aging hands and restore youthfulness with dermal fillers. With a quick, in-office treatment, dermal fillers can help reduce the appearance of tendons and veins, and will deliver smooth, natural-looking results that last up to a year in most patients.
Pre-Procedure:
Discontinue the use of excessive alcohol, anti-inflammatory drugs, blood-thinning over the counter drugs such as Aspirin, Motrin, Ibuprofen, and Aleve, and supplements such as St. John's Wort, Ginkgo biloba, primrose oil, garlic, ginseng, and Vitamin E. Additionally, you may eat pineapple as it contains a natural anti-inflammatory, bromelain, which can help counter bruising. Plan your treatment at least 2 weeks prior to any major event or outing.
Post-Procedure:
Tenderness, redness, swelling and bruising will/may occur after your treatment and usually resolve within 72 hours. Cold compresses may be used immediately after treatment, and for the first 24 hours, to reduce swelling. Avoid touching the treated area within 6 hours of treatment so you do not accidentally injure your skin. After that, the area may be gently washed with soap and water. Avoid makeup for at least 24 hours after your injections. Until there is no redness or swelling, avoid exposure of the treated area to intense heat (sun lamp or sunbathing) or extreme cold weather. Avoid taking aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, St. John’s wort, and high doses of Vitamin E supplements for one week after treatment. These agents may increase the risk of bruising at the injection sites. Avoid aesthetic lasers, IPL and microdermabrasion over areas with dermal fillers for a minimum of two weeks after treatment.