How to get the best results from facial fillers
How to get the best results from facial fillers
Are you considering facial fillers (also known as dermal fillers)?
Take a look at our seven tips to get the best results from your treatment.
Facial fillers (also known as dermal fillers) remain one of the most popular aesthetic treatments currently available. Indeed, millions of people around the world now choose to have dermal filler treatments as part of their skincare and beauty regime.
If you’ve had or are considering facial fillers, you may be wondering how to get the best results from your treatment.
Here are our tips:
1. Choose the right aesthetics practitioner
In the right hands, facial fillers can be transformative for all the right reasons. They can add volume, making the skin look plumper and youthful. They can help to create balance and symmetry; they’re flexible, subtle, well tolerated and can help you target specific issues.
But to achieve these results, you need to choose an aesthetics practitioner who is professionally qualified, highly trained and has extensive experience, as well as in-depth knowledge about the underlying structures of the face.
A good practitioner will understand which products and doses would work best for your needs, as well as mapping out the injection points for the best results.
There is currently no UK legislation that prevents non-medical professionals from injecting dermal fillers, so it’s crucial that you do your research.
It’s not just the quality of the product, but also the skills of the practitioner using them. Make it a priority to ask them about their background, experience, training, qualifications, previous results, and approach.
Approach is important. Here at Medikaur, we take a “less is more” approach to facial fillers. This means that we avoid overfilling, aim to achieve natural-looking results, and understand that a successful treatment is about the placement of the product as much as the quantity used.
2. Be guided by your practitioner’s advice
There is a wide range of facial fillers available, as well as alternative treatments such as wrinkle relaxing injections or Profhilo, depending on the areas of your face or issues you want to address.
Some fillers are more suitable for specific parts of the face or body than others. For example, there are certain products that are ideal for use in the cheeks, around the mouth or as lip fillers, while there are others that should not be used in the lips or around the eyes.
Dermal fillers can usually be used in conjunction with other products.
An experienced aesthetics practitioner will explain which treatments would be best for you and why. They might even suggest an alternative to facial fillers if they feel it’s appropriate.
Their expert advice should guide you to the best results.
3. Follow the aftercare instructions
Your aesthetics practitioner should offer you a consultation to discuss the results you’re looking for, as well as any potential side effects or other considerations.
It’s essential that you’re fully informed about the treatment, so that you can give consent to go ahead.
You’ll also be given clear aftercare instructions, which you should follow to get the best results from your facial fillers.
You may notice some slight redness, swelling, tenderness or bruising around each injection site post-treatment. This is common and should self-resolve within one to three days. If you have lip fillers, the swelling can take a little longer to go down.
We recommend that you avoid exercise and alcohol for 24 hours post-treatment; this is because they can raise your blood pressure and increase the chance of swelling and bruising. You may also find using a cold compress as advised for four to six hours after your facial fillers helps to minimise any swelling.
4. Take a break from facials, massages or microdermabrasion
Although it’s extremely rare, it is possible to facial fillers to move under your skin if too much pressure is applied to them before they have a chance to settle.
To ensure the best results, we generally recommend that you avoid having a facial, massage or dermabrasion treatment for 14 days post-treatment. The only exception to this is if your aesthetician recommends that you massage the injection site.
5. Be sun safe
UV rays from the sun or tanning beds can degrade hyaluronic acid, which is one of the main components of dermal fillers. This can reduce the intended effects of your treatment.
You should aim to stay out of the sun for a week after your appointment, after which you should wear a high SPF sunscreen and sun hat to protect your skin, especially if you’re somewhere very sunny.
Wait at least 24 hours before you apply any tanning products to your skin. This will allow the injection sites to heal and close up.
Facial fillers can help to rejuvenate and hydrate your skin, whereas sun damage has the opposite effect. Even without fillers, it’s vital to protect your skin from harmful UV rays to keep it as healthy as possible.
6. Adopt a healthy lifestyle
After a dermal filler treatment, you’ll notice that you continue to see improvements to the look and feel of your skin for several days as the product settles. The results of most filler treatments last for around six months, although some may be longer (it really depends on which product was used, where and how much).
You can help to prolong the results by eating healthy food and exercising regularly. You should also avoid smoking, which is notoriously bad for skin health.
7. Book a follow-up appointment
Here at Medikaur, we recommend that you come in for a follow-up appointment two weeks after having facial fillers. This is an opportunity to check that you’re happy with the results.
As dermal fillers are temporary, most people choose to maintain the results with one or two further treatments each year.
If you are interested in getting the best results from facial fillers, we’d love to hear from you. Your treatment will be carried out by either Jane Paterson who is a highly experienced Aesthetic Nurse Practitioner, or Dr Gupreet Gill.
Book a consultation to discuss what you want your filler treatment to achieve and we’ll be happy to guide you to the best outcomes.