Hyaluronic acid placed for structure rather than volume. We treat the cause of a shadow, not the shadow itself, and we use less than most people expect.
Filler done well is architecture. Done badly it is upholstery. The difference is whether someone assessed the face before picking up a syringe.
Dermal fillers are hyaluronic acid gels, a substance the skin already makes. Placed into specific planes of the face they restore support that has been lost, which is what lifts a shadow or softens a fold. The gel is broken down naturally over six to eighteen months depending on the product and the area.
The most important part of filler is knowing where the problem actually is. A tear trough shadow is often a cheek that has lost support, not a hollow under the eye. Treating the wrong structure is how faces end up looking heavy. A physician assesses that here before anything is placed.
What it treats
And a few things they do not. If your concern is not here, the consultation is where we work out what would actually help.
Injectables and FillersThe structural base of the midface. Restoring it lifts the folds beneath rather than filling them, which is why it is usually the first area treated.
The lines from nose to mouth corner. Often better softened by supporting the cheek above than by filling the fold itself.
Definition, hydration and shape. We work conservatively and in stages, and a great many lip consultations here end with a lip flip instead.
Projection and definition. One of the most under used areas, and often what a profile actually needs.
The hollow under the eye. The most technically demanding area on the face and the one we decline most often.
Volume loss on the back of the hand, which ages a person as reliably as a face and is rarely treated.
How it works
Four steps, in this order. Nothing is treated until it has been assessed, and nothing is repeated until it has been reviewed.
A physician looks at the whole face in movement and at rest, and works out which structure has changed. The plan almost never matches the area the patient walked in pointing at.
Results
Some swelling, occasionally a small bruise. Ice, no exercise for a day, sleep slightly elevated. You will look treated on day one, which is normal.
Most of the swelling resolves. Any bruising is at its most visible around day three and is easily covered.
The filler has integrated and settled. This is what we assess and, if anything needs adding, this is when we add it.
The gel breaks down naturally. Areas that move more, such as lips, go faster than structural areas like cheek and chin.
Before and after
Photographs of our own patients in Mississauga, unretouched and shown in the same light. Results differ between patients and none of these is a promise of your own outcome.
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Lip volume and border definition
Perioral lines and lip support
When we say no
We do not treat in these situations, and we will say so in the consultation, which you are not charged for.
Questions
Numbing cream first, and most fillers contain a local anaesthetic. In the higher risk areas we use a blunt cannula rather than a needle, which is both safer and more comfortable.
Six to eighteen months depending on the product and where it sits. Lips move constantly so they go fastest. Chin and cheek last longest.
Hyaluronic acid fillers can be dissolved with an enzyme, which is one of the main reasons we use them. That is not true of every injectable, and it is a reason to ask what you are being given.
Not if the plan is staged. The overfilled look comes from treating many areas at once and from repeating before the last round has broken down. We do neither.
Less than you think, and we will not know until you have been assessed. Anyone quoting a syringe count before examining your face is guessing.
One to three days of mild swelling. Bruising is possible and peaks around day three. Most people go back to work the same day.
Also in this room
Wrinkle RelaxersBotox, Dysport and Xeomin, placed by a physician led team to soften expression lines without switching them off.Collagen StimulatorsRadiesse and Sculptra work by prompting your own collagen rather than adding volume directly.
BelkyraAn injectable that permanently reduces fat under the chin.
Hyperhidrosis TreatmentA medical treatment for excessive sweating of the underarms, palms and soles.Mississauga, Ontario
A consultation is a clinical examination, not a sales appointment. Bring your questions and expect straight answers about what will and will not work, including when the answer is that you do not need us yet.
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