Dermal fillers such as Juvéderm®, Restylane®, Sculptra®, and Radiesse® have transformed the world of beauty and anti-aging.
Situated in a comfortable middle between topical treatments (which, let’s face it, aren’t adequate as you age) to the invasiveness of plastic surgery, fillers lift and contour your face without a stitch.
Facial dermal fillers held the No. 2 spot in the top 5 minimally invasive cosmetic procedures performed in 2023. They’re second to only Botox® and other neuromodulators.
Dermal fillers, though, are such a relatively simple procedure that, unfortunately, many unqualified people believe they can inject them. But don’t trust your injectables to anyone who isn’t licensed, highly trained, and extremely experienced.
At The Center for Dermatology Cosmetic & Laser Surgery in Mount Kisco, New York, our expert dermatologists and aestheticians are trained in proper and sanitary injection techniques as well as facial aesthetics.
We’re also experienced in the various types and consistencies of fillers so we can choose the right ones for your goals.
Why does it matter who injects your dermal filler? Following are a few reasons.
Dermal fillers are touted as minimally invasive for good reason: There’s no cutting or stitching of tissues. Unlike a face-lift, the main tools are a syringe or a cannula, not scalpels and staples.
Nevertheless, an injection is an invasive procedure. That’s why you should only receive injections from a trained phlebotomist when you go to your doctor for tests, vaccinations, or other procedures.
When improperly administered, a syringe or cannula filled with dermal filler can damage your skin. Improperly handled, it could cause an infection.
If you have your dermal fillers administered in a beauty salon or spa, there’s no guarantee you’re in a safe environment. In the rare chance that something goes wrong, medical professionals aren’t available to oversee your treatment.
The space, too, should be sanitary. All instruments should be single-use or sterilized in autoclaves. Breaking the skin raises the risk of infection or other complications.
If you spend time on social media, you may be familiar with the term “filler migration.” This complication develops when an inexperienced or poorly trained injector administers too much filler at once or performs a touch-up on an already overfilled area.
Your injector should be trained in the various brands and consistencies of dermal fillers. Ideally, they should be certified providers of a brand’s products. Knowledge of the products themselves avoids rookie mistakes such as overfilling.
In addition, your injector must have training in the proper injection points, number of injections, and amount of product necessary to achieve your goals. That also entails a deep knowledge of facial anatomy to prevent errors such as:
If you use a hyaluronic acid (HA) filler, such as Juvéderm, an unskilled injector may be able to rectify an overfilling mistake with hyaluronidase, an enzyme that dissolves HA. However, if they weren’t expert enough to apply the filler properly, you might not want to trust them to dissolve it.
At The Center for Dermatology Cosmetic & Laser Surgery, we spend time with you to discuss your goals for fillers. You may use them to:
We recommend the brand and type of filler based on your goals. We encourage you to bring in photos that may help us better understand your ideal outcome.
If you’re ready for dermal fillers, choose the best … injector. Contact our helpful team by phone or online for dermal fillers today.
