Dermal Fillers

Dermal fillers help our patients in the Greater Houston, TX, area achieve smooth, youthful-looking skin. These FDA-approved injectable treatments can add volume to the face and address the signs of aging, sun damage, and more. Fillers are primarily used to plump up the lips and cheeks or reduce the appearance of wrinkles and scars. Our skilled injectors can create flattering, natural-looking results that brighten and refresh the face.

JUVÉDERM®
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JUVÉDERM® Case 49 Before & After Front | Houston, TX | DermSurgery Associates
Before & After
Case: 1 of 1

Case #49

Dr. Riahi used JVUEDERM dermal fillers to fil this patient's lips, giving her plump, full lips. 

Keep in mind that each patient is unique and your results may vary.

How Do Dermal Fillers Work?

Different brands and types of fillers are made with different active ingredients. Hyaluronic acid fillers use a hydrating gel that restores plumpness and definition in the skin. Fillers are extremely versatile and can be used for contouring facial features or as part of a “non surgical rhinoplasty” that reshapes the appearance of the nose. Other treatments restore the skin by boosting natural collagen production. Our experienced staff can help guide you towards the option that will best suit your personal goals. Options that our practice offers include:

  • JUVÉDERM®: This long-lasting hyaluronic acid filler helps restore facial volume and smooth out deep wrinkles. The high-concentration formula can improve lines and folds on multiple areas of the face and create softer contours.
  • JUVÉDERM VOLUMA®: Replace lost volume in the mid-face for plumper, rounder, and more youthful cheeks.
  • RADIESSE®: RADIESSE can replenish lost facial volume by stimulating natural collagen production. This option is excellent for augmenting the cheeks, improving nasolabial folds, and smoothing out laugh lines.
  • Restylane®: Restylane is a hyaluronic acid filler that can restore fullness to the skin and fight signs of aging. It specializes in improving the appearance of nasolabial folds, marionette lines, and mild scarring from acne or injury.
  • Restylane Lyft: Rejuvenate the cheeks, smooth out nasolabial folds, add volume to aging hands, and more.
  • RHA Fillers: These fillers are designed to move with the face while filling and softening the appearance of moderate to severe lines and wrinkles in the face, neck, jawline, and lips.
  • BELOTERO®: This versatile injectable can help improve multiple areas of the face. As a soft hyaluronic acid filler, it triggers the gradual production of collagen to gently fade lip lines, frown lines, and other delicate areas.
  • Bellafill®: Achieve long-lasting volume with this filler, which provides a scaffolding for ongoing collagen production.
  • Sculptra® Aesthetic: Replenish lost volume and lift sunken areas with gradual collagen production encouraged by Sculptra.

What Happens During a Dermal Filler Treatment?

Your provider will begin by marking the desired treatment areas. After numbing the location to reduce discomfort, they will decide the dosage and carefully inject the filler. Dermal filler treatments are typically very quick and often take 30 minutes or less. There is no downtime required afterward and patients can return to their daily activities, though they may experience some bruising for a few days.

How Long Do Dermal Fillers Last?

The longevity of dermal filler results is affected by the specific product used and where it is injected. Depending on the formulation, your results may last between 6 months to 2 years. Each patient’s body is unique and will naturally dissolve and absorb the product at a slightly different rate. Most patients enjoy quick touch-up appointments every few months to help maintain their desired appearance.

Lip Fillers

One of the most popular reasons for getting fillers is to create more shapely and sensuous lips. Lip injections using fillers can produce beautiful results when performed by a skilled injector who understands the different types of fillers. JUVÉDERM, RHA fillers, and Restylane all make specialized fillers formulated specifically for lip augmentation. Our injectors discuss your goals before beginning the procedure to understand if you want a conservative approach or more dramatic changes.

Lip fillers typically last between 12 and 18 months. Because the fillers used for lip augmentation are made with hyaluronic acid, the results can be reversed by injecting an enzyme called hyaluronidase. After getting lip fillers, you should avoid rubbing your lips (that includes kissing!) for about 24 to 48 hours.

Can Dermal Fillers Be Combined With Other Treatments?

Dermal fillers can improve wrinkles and add skin volume. But when combined with other anti-aging treatments, such as BOTOX® as part of a “liquid facelift,” patients enjoy more comprehensive results. Injectables like BOTOX and XEOMIN can relax the muscles that cause “dynamic wrinkles” around the eyes, lips, brows, and forehead. By combining fillers with other wrinkle-fighting products, patients can take years off their appearance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are fillers better than BOTOX?

Both fillers and BOTOX reduce the appearance of wrinkles and can also enhance facial contours. But they work in different ways, so one is not better than the other. Besides reducing dynamic wrinkles such as crow’s feet and worry lines, BOTOX injections can also create a slimmer jawline for people with overdeveloped jaw muscles and smooth away unwanted chin dimples.

Will my wrinkles look worse if I stop getting dermal fillers?

Wrinkles don’t necessarily appear worse or more significant if you no longer get filler injections. That’s because the filler is gradually absorbed by the body and the changes won’t be dramatic. As your face loses volume, the conditions that prompted you to get fillers will re-emerge, but they won’t appear worse than before.

Do fillers age you faster?

When you have fillers injected by a highly trained and experienced provider, there is no evidence that fillers cause facial aging to accelerate. However, if a provider injects too much filler in multiple treatments, the gel can stretch the skin which, in turn, can reduce the skin’s elasticity and cause sagging. A conservative approach to filler injections can avoid this situation. Permanent or semi-permanent fillers should also be used sparingly.

What’s the best age to start getting dermal fillers?

The best time to get fillers to reduce signs of aging is when you believe that the loss of facial volume causes you to appear older than you feel. This happens at different ages for different people, but typically we see first-time filler patients in their mid-to-late 30s or early 40s. Fillers can also be used to contour specific facial features, and those patients tend to be younger.

What’s the best filler for lip injections?

Certain injectors prefer specific lip fillers, but there isn’t a single “best” filler for lip injections. In recent years, JUVÉDERM, RHA, and Restylane have each developed fillers specifically for the lips (VOLBELLA, RHA Redensity, and Kysse, respectively.) JUVÉDERM Ultra is another filler that many injectors use for lip augmentation. The choice of filler is one that an injector and you can discuss during your consultation.

Is there anything I should avoid after getting fillers?

You should avoid rubbing the treatment area so fillers don’t migrate to adjacent areas of the face. Also, don’t wear glasses or goggles that put pressure in an area where you’ve had fillers injected, and avoid prolonged sun exposure.

If you would like to learn more about dermal fillers or other injectable treatments, contact one of our experienced injectors at a location near you.

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