What are cosmetic surgery fillers?

Facial fillers are injections which fill out wrinkled or uneven areas of the face. They include Restylane, Collagen, Perlane, Sculptra and even your own tissues taken from another part of your body.

Many of us notice fine lines developing on the face in our thirties. These can often be the result of muscular activity or sagging. The lines that form on your face are areas where the body's own collagen has thinned and broken leaving a depressed line.

The wrinkles around the eye can often be due to muscle activity and may be improved with Botox. If the lines are very deep or are due to skin sagging e.g. the lines that run from the nose to the corners of the mouth (nasolabial folds), then a filler may often soften or sometimes even eliminate the line. The filler is injected into the skin itself to plump up the depressed line in the skin. When the lips are injected we place the filler on the inside of the lip to turn it out a little.

Do the facial filler injections hurt?

The face is a sensitive area but the area is numbed with ice or an anesthetic creme making the injections tolerable.

Which facial filler is right for me?

Three important factors to consider when selecting a facial filler are 1) longevity 2) cost 3) ease of administration

Restylane is manufactured by Allergan and is the fastest growing filler on the US market today. It lasts 4-6 months. It costs $400-550 per syringe. It is easy to administer and feels natural.

Collagen lasts about 2-3 months. Cost is variable. It is also easy to administer.

Fat Injection is a more involved procedure. You will need some sedation to suction the fat from your abdomen. The fat is then processed and purified. It is then placed in syringes for injection into the affected facial area. It must be purified and injected very carefully at different levels beneath your skin. The fat that does survive the injection process is there permanently. This is your own tissue and there is no chance of an allergic reaction. Read our fat injection discussion to learn more.

How much recovery time is involved with facial fillers such as botox or restylane?

You may return to work the next day with Botox, restylane or Sculptra, however you could experience some bruising for a few days following the injections. Fat injections require more time off from work. With fat injections, plan for 7-10 days for the swelling to come down.