Dermal Fillers
Deep lines are part of the ageing process. They can be attributed to sun damage, effects of gravity and muscle contraction resulting from facial expressions such as frowning and laughing. Deep lines due to the effects of gravity represent natural sagging of tissue with age and are generally only improved by surgical tightening procedures.
The use of injectable soft tissue dermal fillers has become hugely popular as it offers a simple non-surgical method of improving facial appearance. These fillers work in a completely different way from deep-line-reducing injections like Botox®. The basic principle is that plumping, filling, or augmenting tissue can reverse some features of facial ageing, including:
- Loss of fullness in the lips
- Deepening of the lines that run from the nose to the side of the mouth (the ‘nasolabial folds’)
- Lines in the upper lip and other areas of the face
- Depressions in the skin caused by acne and other scars
- A hollow gaunt appearance due to loss of facial fat.
Mr Sherif Wilson MB, ChB, MS, FRCS (Plastic Surgery) uses the number 1 doctor recommended facial filler – Juvéderm Ultra Smile. It is an injectable hyaluronic acid based dermal filler with lidocaine (a local anaesthetic) to reduce any discomfort. Hyaluronic acid is found naturally throughout the body, with the highest concentrations in the joints, eyes, and skin. In the skin hyaluronic acid attracts water, which allows the skin to become more hydrated.