Injectables and Facial Fillers
 

In general facial fillers are injectable products used to fill hollow areas in the face as well as deep wrinkles and superficial lines. Perhaps a very famous product name in injectables is BOTOX®, however it is important to note that Botox is only concerned with the lines and wrinkles caused by muscle movement and it is by no means a filler by the literal meaning of the word i.e. it does not add volume to the area it's injected in. On the other hand fillers are products that are also injected in areas of concern but do add volume to these areas or fill groves and folds. Fillers are used to plump up an area or sometimes to fill in deep lines and wrinkles that are not caused by muscle movement, or that have become so deep that weakening the muscle with Botox alone still can't totally fix. There are different types of fillers: Temporary Fillers, Semi-Permanent Fillers and Permanent Fillers. Temporary fillers are broken down and removed from the body over time, a process that usually takes several months e.g. Juvéderm®. Semi-permanent fillers are also removed from the body, but they take a longer time period than temporary fillers e.g. Dermadeep®. Permanent fillers are not broken down or removed from the body and therefore they are permanent e.g. Estefrorm™.


Are You a Good Candidate for Facial Fillers?

Because there are so many types of fillers that can be used to achieve different results, just about everybody is a candidate for facial fillers. From older women suffering from severe facial Lipoatrophy (loss of fat beneath the skin causing the skin to look thin and old) to very young ladies seeking plumper lips or cheeks, there is simply an answer for everybody's wish. In general, the better the skin tone is the better the results, and we should not be fooled into believing that facial fillers can correct loose skin on the face or neck that needs a lift. Other than that just about any hollow area that needs volume or any deep line that needs filling or any lips that need augmenting can be perfectly achieved by fillers at any age or health condition.

Preparing for Your Procedure

Before your procedure, Dr. Metwally will perform a complete evaluation with you. The areas of your concern will be thoroughly discussed and the perfect filler/s for you will be agreed upon. Since certain types of fillers can not be used everywhere in the face, in most cases a combination of permanent and non permanent fillers is used for the face to achieve best results often always combined with Botox. Dr. Metwally will then explain to you the procedure that best serves your case.

Duration of the Procedure

In general according to the number of areas being treated, all injectables and fillers take no less than 5 minutes and no more than 30 minutes.

Anesthesia Used

Only a numbing cream is required for temporary and semi-permanent fillers. For Permanent fillers, since the needle used for injection is quite thick, local anesthetic is usually injected in the area to be treated prior to the treatment.

During Your Procedure

In general with all types of fillers, Dr. Metwally starts by making a few markings to the area to be treated then proceeds by injecting the filling material. Since you will be awake and conscious, Dr. Metwally gives you a mirror and allows you to watch the transformation as it happens. If you decide not to watch, you will be given the mirror before and after each side is completed in order to see the difference and express your opinion or comment. Because this is on-table results (instantaneous) you may easily say "I want some more here, or enough there". Other candidates just decide to choose a picture from the before and after albums and ask Dr. Metwally for a similar effect.

After Your Procedure

There is very little pain - if any - associated with facial fillers. No medication is prescribed after the procedure. Generally with all types of fillers, minor swelling occurs usually by the following day after the procedure is completed and decreases significantly after the third day until it subsides gradually over a period of 7 to 10 days. With permanent fillers the swelling is usually more and some bruising may also take place for the first 7 to 10 days especially if you have fair skin. As a general rule with fillers the first 2 to 3 days you will look a bit funny after that any swelling or bruising can be covered to a very big extent by concealer or make-up.

Seeing Your Result

The result of all fillers is more or less on-table i.e. instantaneous. You can see the size and shape of your cheeks, your face contour, your lips etc… However there will be minimal swelling upon injection that will make the filled area appear slightly bigger than it will be at its final result. There may also be some lumpiness upon injection. Also when local anesthetic is injected (in case of permanent fillers) the anesthetic itself makes the area more swollen. In all cases it is safe to say that you can judge your facial filler's effect after 2 weeks when the injected material has rested in the area of injection and all the swelling and/or bruising is totally gone.