Dermal Fillers

Dermal fillers are gels of hyaluronic acid injected, by needle or blunt-tipped cannula, into the superficial or deep fat layer of the skin. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance, so the gel blends and integrates with the hyaluronic acid already in your skin cells rather than sitting on top of them.

Once placed, it helps support areas where the face has lost volume and features that have softened with age. Results vary from patient to patient, and fillers do not necessarily replace all lost volume. Your body then breaks the gel down slowly, over 6 to 18 months depending on the area.

In the upper face we treat the temples and, after careful assessment, the tear trough beneath the eyes. In the mid face: the nose, through non-surgical rhinoplasty, plus the cheeks, nasolabial folds and perioral lines around the mouth. In the lower face: marionette lines, the chin and the jawline.

Lips have a page of their own: see Lip Fillers for our approach to shape and proportion.

Every dermal filler appointment is booked as a 60 minute session, so treatment is never rushed. Numbing cream is applied as standard, and for certain treatments a regional nerve block can be arranged at additional cost. Expect pressure and the occasional sharp moment rather than sustained pain.

Afterwards, localised swelling, redness and sometimes a bruise are normal for 24 to 48 hours. Every patient responds differently, so recovery time varies from person to person.

Yes, hyaluronic acid fillers can be dissolved with hyaluronidase by a prescriber, but dissolving is a procedure in its own right rather than a simple adjustment. Elective dissolving, for example before re-treating an area, and emergency dissolving, as part of managing a rare complication, are different procedures, and both carry their own risks that your prescriber assesses and explains face to face before anything is done.

Working exclusively with hyaluronic acid products means this option exists where it is clinically appropriate.