How Long Do Dermal Fillers Last?

Do you want luscious lips like Kim K? It’s easy to have them with dermal filler treatment.

Dermal fillers are a common choice if you want soft, youthful-looking lips. It helps if you have these naturally, but if not, your dermatologist can lend a helping hand at a very affordable price. Consult now to get young, glowing skin.

The procedure has become so commonplace that millions of people avail of it every year. The treatment carries minimal risk and few side effects, but it can significantly enhance facial aesthetics.

What Are Dermal Fillers?

Dermal fillers are injections of gel made from Hyaluronic acid. The acid is found naturally in our skin. It has a fantastic property: it can hold up to a thousand times its weight in moisture. Needless to say, it is indispensable for well-toned skin.

Many types of dermal cosmetic treatments have been used over the past thirty years. The first was Botox, a weak derivative of botulinum toxin that partially paralyzes a small part of the skin and makes wrinkles invisible.

It has plenty of side effects, including bruising and a crooked smile. Thankfully, hyaluronic acid is the invention dermatologists have been looking forward to. It is safe, has no side effects, and brings back your smile with full love.

In scientific parlance, it is known as a humectant – fancy name for saying that it absorbs a lot of water. This mass of moisture keeps the skin young, and dermal fillers replenish the supply.

Why Do You Need It?

Under the topmost skin membranes, cuticle and epidermis, there are two types of tissues – collagen and elastin.

They are made of protein and have a complex weave structure, not unlike the foam in your mattress. When a person is young, this weave is strong enough to support the skin. As aging sets in sometime after 25, the collagen and elastin structure begins to weaken.

Of course, this degradation takes time, and at least a decade passes before the skin becomes visibly sagging and wrinkly in places. It picks up pace after 50. The most common place to find disappearing collagen is the face. That is why the face sags in old age.

Moreover, the skin can retain moisture longer and become dry. The lack of water molecules makes it look even more wrinkled. Prolonged sun exposure, as in outdoor sports, adds to the damage.

Why Are Dermal Fillers So Popular?

Several reasons explain why this treatment has become mainstream. It is not because famous celebs like Kim Kardashian and Katy Perry have availed of it – though that did contribute to the word-of-mouth publicity.

1. While Botox is excellent for crow’s feet around the eyes, dermal fillers are far better for deeper wrinkles. An excellent example is a nasolabial fold that runs from the nose to the mouth, between the eyebrows, and, of course, plumping and pouty lips.
2. Usually, it requires only a single visit to the doctor. One injection and voila, your lips are plump, and the eyebrows don’t have furrows anymore. What's more convenient and inexpensive? This is in sharp contrast to almost every other category of cosmetic treatment, which takes an enormous amount of time and can cause scarring. You can get a dermal filler treatment in about the same time it takes to visit a salon and get a facial.
3. It is easy to make dermal fillers look natural. Have you not seen newbie influencers on Instagram with full lips? Surely they couldn't afford Tom Cruise’s secret plastic surgery, which keeps him looking like he is 30. But the effect is absolutely natural, just as if a world-famous surgeon has done it. This is a miracle of modern science without a doubt.
4. Fillers can be used as a deterrent to prevent lines from appearing at all. This is good news. If you start treatment in your late 20s, you are never going to look old. It is like finding the fountain of youth. Keep your weight under control with diet and exercise and your face young with dermal fillers, and at 50, you could look 25.
5. Hyaluronic acid can do a lot of stuff – depending on its particle size. The type of Hyaluronic acid used supports a range of cosmetic treatments, from wrinkles to deeper lines. Results vary depending on the individual's genetics and lifestyle.

Depending on the brand of dermal filler, it can last between 6 months and two years. Even longer is possible with a touch-up and maintenance in between.

Your body metabolizes all tissue. Skin is no exception. The rate at which old skin breaks down and new skin forms varies widely from person to person.

That is why it depends on the individual, with the effect lasting between 6 months and 2 years.

Ultimately, degradation is inevitable, and you would need another round of treatment.

Are There Any Risks?

It would be wrong to say there are no risks. Even flu shots can produce undesirable effects. But the discomfort is minimal and happens to a small percentage of those treated.

• The most significant risk is having it done by a quack–usually a medical student or med school dropout out to make a few bucks. A dermatologist's expertise is essential.
• Technology can handle most tasks, but not all. At the end of the day, it is the human hand sculpting the lips that matters.
• Schedule a pre-procedure visit and ask about risk factors associated with the brand of filler your doctor would use. Do not be afraid to ask a lot of questions. A Botox operation may mean you have to hide your face from your friends and colleagues for a month.
• A week before the procedure, discontinue (with your doctor's advice) any blood-thinning medications such as Clopidogrel and Aspirin. Also, avoid Vitamin E and St John’s Wort.
• Dermal filler treatment should not be availed if you are pregnant or lactating or have a severe dermatological issue such as lupus. As in all such matters, your doctor gets the final say.