Dermal Fillers May be Your Perfect Pick-Me-Up
- Posted on: Mar 15 2022
“How did you go bankrupt?” Bill asked.
“Two ways,” Mike said. “Gradually, then suddenly.”
These lines from Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises are meant to give us a glimpse into the human condition. We can interpret them in a variety of ways. If we were to ask a large group of people how they experienced the onset of lines, wrinkles, jowls, and other age-related problems, they may respond in a very similar way. While we don’t really say that our wrinkles occurred gradually, then suddenly, we do say things like “these lines seem to have appeared overnight! “The words are different but the message is the same. If you’ve begun feeling like your aging process is now happening at a pace that makes you uncomfortable or dissatisfied with your appearance, you could benefit from a quick boost, and we’ve got what you need. In our Manhattan dermatology office, patients love the entire experience of getting dermal fillers to refresh the parts of their faces that are showing too much aging. Here, we’ll discuss why dermal fillers may be the ideal pick-me-up for your face.
What are Dermal Fillers?
There are so many injectable treatments these days that it may be difficult to discern which is used for what. Some injectable wrinkle-reducers, like Botox, soften lines and creases caused by muscle movements and expressions like frowning or smiling. Other injectables target unwanted fat under the chin. Dermal fillers are a class of injectable products that correct wrinkles like the nasolabial folds that appear around the nose and mouth. They are also a class of products that can disguise jowls, round out the cheeks that have flattened with age, plump the lips, and more. While the mechanism by which this occurs may differ from one filler to another, the basic way that dermal fillers work is by increasing the volume of the skin. Some, like Restylane and Juvederm, increase volume via hyaluronic acid, a substance that binds to water molecules. Some increase volume and also stimulate collagen production by depositing tiny microspheres in a gel base. The variety of options doesn’t change the outcome. It gives us the opportunity to meet each patient’s needs according to their desired outcome.
Why People Choose Dermal Fillers
The point we just made is one reason that people choose dermal fillers, that the treatment can be customized to their unique wants and desires. Sometimes, multiple different injectables are used in one session to address several areas of the face at once, all of which will look natural as a result of treatment. For example, a doctor or nurse may use one dermal filler, one that is more structural, to augment the cheeks, and a softer, thinner filler to plump the lips. Another significant reason that dermal filler treatment is so common is that the process takes less than an hour and incurs no downtime. In a brief conversation with your provider, a personalized treatment plan can be developed around your desired outcome. After that, injections take 15 minutes or less in most cases. Afterward, you can return to your day as usual with minimal side effects, if any. Usually, the minor redness and pinpoint swelling that occurs from dermal filler injections last only an hour or two. At that, it is so subtle that it is barely noticeable. Bruising is a potential risk, but one that you can reduce by avoiding alcohol and other blood thinners for 24 to 48 hours before and after your appointment.
We love this time of year when the hope of Spring and all things new is just around the corner. As nature refreshes, why don’t you do the same? Contact our NYC office at 212.391.8600.
Posted in: Dermal Fillers