Beauty: Pros and Cons of Dermal Fillers
As people age, their faces lose their fullness and graceful appearance. The face suffers from wrinkles, folds, and sagging continuously. This is why many men and women turn to cosmetic creams. Unfortunately, these don’t always work as advertised and people end up losing a lot of money with false hopes.
Many people have now started going for dermal fillers. This is a simple medical procedure that aims at filling any sunken areas of your face. It is considerably better than using creams or even going for plastic surgery. The best procedure will, however, depend on your eventual goals.
These pros and cons should help you decide whether dermal fillers would be suitable for
you.
Pros:
You Can Resume Your Normal Activities Immediately
Many cosmetic procedures will force you to take time off work and other normal responsibilities. For example, with plastic surgery, you might have to take weeks off work and will even need to adjust your lifestyle for a period.
With dermal fillers, you can resume your work and normal responsibilities immediately. The procedure does not result in serious side effects, and this means you don’t need any time to recover. All possible side effects usually disappear within hours or, at most, a day.
To make the deal even sweeter, the actual procedure can be completed in less than 10 minutes. You will, therefore, be able to resume your life in minutes with a much better look.
In reality, however, the time taken will depend on several factors. Typically, you should
expect the entire process to take up to 30 minutes. This is because you might have to get
some local anesthesia in the area of operation. After the dermal filler injections, you might
also have to sit for some time with a cold pack over the affected area of your face. Still, you
can be done with the process over lunch break.
The Possible Side-Effects are Minimal
Dermal fillers are perfectly safe. The possible side-effects include redness, swelling, slight
pain, tenderness, and the appearance of rashes in the affected areas. These side-effects are
minor. Redness, swelling, and rashes can easily be hidden with makeup. As noted, all these
side-effects should disappear within 24 hours.
This procedure makes use of hyaluronic acid based filler. This type of filler is more compatible with the human body, and as such, is less likely to react negatively with the system. Many people are allergic to certain types of fillers such as Botox since they are based
on foreign substances. The body is more likely to reject such fillers.
The dermal filler procedure is hardly dangerous, but this doesn’t mean anyone can administer the injections. It is highly advisable that you go to a qualified doctor for the treatment. Otherwise, you might end up with serious bruises on your face.
Dermal Fillers Can Boost Your Collagen Levels
Collagen is the essential building block of the skin. As people age, collagen production declines, and that is why the face starts to sag, and the skin gets loose. Dermal fillers contain some amount of collagen to help improve the general state of your skin. Besides, the fillers help to stimulate the production of collagen in the skin.
The Procedure is Cheaper than Surgery
If you want a temporary facelift, you should go for dermal fillers. They cost significantly less than surgery. Maintenance during that short period will raise the overall cost of the procedure, but that will still be much lower than a complete surgery.
Results Can be Experienced Almost Immediately
With many other cosmetic procedures, you will have to take time before the results show. Simpler solutions like creams will even take a lot longer to show results. In many cases, they don’t even work at all.
This is not the case with dermal fillers. This procedure works immediately. You can literally go for the procedure over lunch break and go back to your workplace looking a lot younger.
The Procedure Can Boost Your Self-Esteem
Most people feel better when they look awesome. Dermal fillers will fix the sunken areas of
your face, making you look and even feel younger.
Cons:
The High Cost of These Treatments
Although dermal fillers come with lots of benefits, they are expensive to get and maintain. The cost of these procedures can be anything between $400 and $1,500. This is significantly lower than actual surgery, although maintenance procedures can add up the overall costs.
Some people have to go for two or three procedures before the fillers hold the facial muscles properly. Dermal fillers typically last for 6 months to 2 years. This means you might need to go for a new procedure frequently, adding up the cost of maintenance. If you want a more permanent solution, dermal fillers will be too expensive.
Other Signs of Aging Will Still Exist
Losing facial volume is only one of the signs of aging. Dermal fillers cannot treat wrinkles, sagging skin, or excess fat on the face or chin. It only fills sunken areas of the face. For the other signs of aging, you will need to find other solutions.
In the same vein, the results of the procedure are only temporary. It is only suitable for people who want to look younger for a specific event. If you are looking for a permanent fix, you should consider going for plastic surgery. Dermal fillers will end up costing a lot more and will be a struggle to maintain.
You Might Experience Side-Effects
The side-effects of this procedure are minimal. However, if you get your fillers from an unqualified doctor, you might end up with bruises on your face.
Conclusion
Going for dermal fillers can help you feel confident and young again. This procedure is the
best way of regaining the youthful state of your face. You should also take steps to slow
down the occurrence of signs of aging. Practices such as smoking, for example, accelerate
the rate of aging. Also, you need to avoid or manage stress, your body weight, and extreme
climate.
When the signs of aging finally start to show on your face, you will be better off going for
dermal fillers as a temporary solution.
Dr. Stephen Weber, MD is the founder and medical director of Weber Facial Plastic Surgery.
He is a double board certified facial plastic surgeon who performs a variety of facial
rejuvenation procedures including dermal fillers and non-surgical treatments to patients in
Denver and Lone Tree, Colorado.
