Why would anyone get their fillers dissolved? They’re the number two aesthetic treatment worldwide! Millions of people are queuing up for fuller cheeks, contoured features and plump, shapely lips.
However, some celebrities are rocking the boat by deciding to get their filler removed, encouraging us to re-evaluate our attitude towards this procedure.
I’ve never felt comfortable with very large lips, but thanks to celebrity role models and social media stars, overfilled lips are becoming the norm. I’m glad to see people challenging the trend, with Love Island star Charlotte Crosby making the headlines by having her lip filler chemically dissolved. She put a question mark over the value of excessive lip fillers, while cosmetic doctors are exploring the risks of overfilling.
For example, Dr Harris deliberately draws attention to the distortion caused by overfilled lips and cheeks. He believes that too much filler leads to ‘alienisation’, with features enlarged outside the normal range for the individual in question.
However, it’s not always an unscrupulous doctor or an excessive treatment that leads to these strangely exaggerated results. Many people forget what they looked like before treatment and return for more or the substance takes longer to dissolve than we originally thought. The patients believe that they’re in need of a top-up while it’s still in their system, leading to a double dose of filler.
We all think about our appearance. Low confidence is often the motivation to have an aesthetic treatment such as dermal fillers, as it helps us to embrace how we look. However, cosmetic treatment has been linked to an extreme preoccupation with appearance, known as body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). People with BDD spend a disproportionate amount of time obsessing over minor or imagined flaws. This can be enormously upsetting, so it’s no surprise they turn to cosmetics to try and fix the problem.
It’s a difficult issue for us practitioners to identify, especially as fewer than 10% of patients with BDD are satisfied with the results of their treatment. They move on to other practitioners to correct this perceived problem or their anxieties transfer to another area of the face or body. Their constant quest to fix the flaw leads to distorted, overfilled features.
Now, not everyone with overfilled features is suffering from BDD. After all, we all worry about our appearance to some extent and BDD is the extreme end of the spectrum. In my practice, I tend to see patients who are delighted with a filler treatment, but quickly forget what they looked like before the procedure. They want a more discernible difference, so they come back wanting another treatment.
It’s easy to see how people’s faces become overfilled, especially as fillers may last much longer than we think. Alice Hart Davis, a beauty journalist and author, discovered that 35ml of dermal filler is still present in her face, even though we expect it to have dissolved naturally in less than two years.
Not at all! They help millions of people to look youthful, including me! However, we do need to take care.
In my clinic, I limit the amount I’m prepared to place at one time, assessing my patients via ultrasound to determine if any filler remains. This helps me decide if it’s suitable for them to have more treatment or whether I should direct them to an alternative, of which we have many. When I do conduct treatments, I tend to use Juvederm, which creates wonderfully subtle and natural-looking results.
Are you interested in dermal fillers? Visit our website for more information or contact us to book a consultation.
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Time and time again my clients ask me, ‘Nicci, what happens when my treatment wears off, does everything collapse and will things be worse than before as a result of me having this treatment?’ The answer is a big, fat no! Your Thread Lift, Botox® or Dermal Filler will not only offer stunning results straight after your procedure but also keep your skin looking fresh and youthful in the long run!
‘Nicci!’ I hear you cry, ‘how on Earth can my Thread Lift, Botox® or Dermal Filler keep me looking my best after the product has worn off?’ Well, they do so by increasing your collagen synthesis.
Collagen is a naturally occurring protein in the human body. It’s an essential component of connective tissues and it also gives our skin strength and elasticity. Boosting your collagen production means tighter, more youthful-looking skin!
If you know me and my clinic, you’ll be aware that Thread Lift, Botox® and Dermal Filler treatments are my specialities. I focus on them as they are proven to help you age positively. This means you age well, still looking like yourself but better!
Let’s examine the longevity of these options a bit…
Longevity:
Threads PDO - 12 to 18 months
Aptos PCL Threads - 24 to 36 months
Predicting the longevity of a thread lift is tricky as they differ so much from one another. This means that it’s really important for you to ask your practitioner about the composite of the thread. My advice is to research the thread being used. Polycaprolactone (PCL) threads offer superior strength and longevity compared to Polydioxanone (PDO) threads, so that’s what I mainly use in my clinic. I also love Aptos threads as they’re coated with hyaluronic acid, which helps to speed up your recovery.
You can expect Aptos threads to last about 1-2 years before the ester bonds that hold them together are broken down by your body’s enzymes, metabolised and excreted by your liver. The variability in longevity is down to your particular circumstances, where the thread is placed and how much stress is placed on them.
Longevity:
Botox® injections (for wrinkle reduction) - 3 to 4 months
The breakdown of Botox® is dependent on enzymes that dissolve the molecule and break it down into its component amino acids. These are then either used to build other proteins or excreted by your kidneys. The botulinum toxin molecule is extremely delicate, that’s why it’s broken down so easily and doesn’t last as long as Thread Lift or Dermal Filler treatments.
Longevity:
Dermal Fillers for the lips - 6 to 12 months
Dermal Fillers for adding volume to the face - 12 to 18 months
The longevity of HA Dermal Fillers depends on the chemical bonds that hold them together and their frequency. Without these bonds, the filler chains would be removed from the body very quickly - in less than 24 hours! This means that dermal fillers with strong bonds and more cross-links last much longer.
However, if the filler is injected into a very vascular area such as the lips, the bonds will dissolve rapidly as this area can process it faster. As HA occurs naturally in the human body, once the bonds break down, it is processed and excreted just like your own supplies of HA.
Now you know a bit more about Thread Lift, Botox® and Dermal Filler treatments, you might be ready to book in for your online pre-assessment. However, if you have questions that you would like to ask first you can always contact us via our website or call our team on 07595221484.
You can also visit our website to learn more about all of these procedures and don't forget to make sure you’re following us on Facebook and Instagram to find out more about our team and the treatments we offer.
Fashions come, fashions go. I was a teenaged Goth in the 1980s and my hair was so stiff with hairspray that I should have been deemed a fire hazard. Every generation has their own style and we’ve since moved on from mullets and mohawks, with modern-day young people after big and bold in a different sense. Lip enhancements are in fashion and good lip fillers are essential in their quest for the perfect pout.
The hunt for attractive, full-bodied lips is strewn with pitfalls. Women are seeking bigger lips, but not grossly inflated pouts. Unfortunately, celebrities and influencers have normalised overfilled and misshapen lips and Generation Z have seized upon that look without question. Of course, it’s up to each generation to choose their own beauty norms, but lip fillers were never meant to be used this way! This misrepresentation of a great treatment means that you might not even know that you can achieve a natural-looking pout with good lip fillers.
Lip fillers are made from a gel-like substance called hyaluronic acid (HA). This forms naturally in our bodies, cushioning our cells, hydrating the skin and providing additional structure for our organs. The HA in our bodies is identical to that which is used in lip fillers. The only difference is that in fillers HA is stabilised, so that when it’s inserted into the chosen area it can do the job it’s meant to do, enhancing and beautifying by absorbing massive amounts of water.
It’s crucial that lip enhancements are carried out by expert practitioners to minimise complications and get the very best, natural-looking results.
I have been treating patients for years using HA fillers and have been trained in all the necessary skills. It can take years to learn how to place the filler so that it supports the lips and fills lip lines while remaining invisible to the naked eye, which means that good lip fillers should be the reserve of qualified and experienced experts.
A practitioner also needs a comprehensive knowledge of different lip filler products, so that they can choose the best one for a particular patient’s needs. Having the right concentration of HA is of primary importance, as it will affect the softness and smoothness of the result as well as the integration of HA into the tissues. The technology used to stabilise the HA will also impact the outcome.
Essentially, good lip fillers cannot be found on the cheap at non-specialist parlours. Comprehensive research, approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and safe delivery costs hike the prices up, meaning that quality stabilised products all come with a price tag. A bargain basement lip filler treatment probably won’t use premium products and is unlikely to give you the natural voluptuous lips you are looking for. When searching for good lip fillers, an expert is the only way.
The existence of badly applied fillers is no reason to be put off pursuing good lip fillers. Natural results are achievable with the right practitioner and the correct use of a premium product. Luckily, we can help.
Visit our website to view our full range of treatments or to book a consultation. Alternatively, get in touch with us at the No4 Clinic by calling 07595 221484, emailing [email protected] or filling out a contact form.
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