“Fillers” or to give them their correct term; dermal fillers, are generally made from a sugar-like substance called Hyaluronic acid, Hyaluronic acid is found naturally in healthy skin, as well as your eyeballs and joints. Dermal fillers revolumise the skin and have been clinically proven to increase collagen production in the long-term.
When inserted into the skin, lines and wrinkles are lifted out and the effect of fillers can be seen immediately. They can be used to soften lines and wrinkles, shape noses/lips, add volume to cheeks and plump out tired looking skin.
Like most antiaging treatments visual outcomes will vary between practitioners, which is why Dr Sophie always carries out consultations and treatments personally.
The pictures on this website show the dramatic improvements that can be made in just one consultation with “Fillers”.
History of Skin Fillers
The original “Filler” was collagen. Although collagen gave excellent visual results; allergy to the product largely limited its use.
In 1998 Restylane® was introduced; the first filler produced from hyaluronic acid, (a chemical similar to sugar) It had the main advantage that as it was based on a simple sugar and therefore risk of allergy was diminished. Between 1998 and up to 2010 around 11 million treatments have been performed with Restylane® worldwide and it has proven to be safe and predictable.
Since the introduction of Restylane®, hundreds of Dermal fillers have been introduced, some of the ones you may have heard of are Restylane, Juvederm, Teosyal. Belotero, Radiesse.
In addition to being many brands there are often different products within the brand range. For example within the Restylane brand range there are Perlane, Restylane, Touch and Vital. Within the Teosyal brand/range there is Ultradeep/deep/global/first lines.
Also although both “Botox®” and “Fillers” can both be used to reduce lines and wrinkles and enhance the shape of lips, noses and face, the precise results obtained from each is slightly different.
How to choose a dermal filler practitioner:
The two most important factors are Safety and Visual results;
In order to ensure safety it is important to choose an appropriately qualified individual who is a member of a professional body eg General Medical/Dental Council.
Visual results will very from practitioner to practitioner depending upon experience and creative ability.
How much do skin fillers cost?
Fillers tend to be sold by the syringe, the syringes come in many different volumes/types, therefore Dr Sophie will give you an exact quotation in your inital consultation. Once a particular treatment is decided upon the syringes are opened from their sealed packaging in front of the patient, the area to be treated is completed and any left over “filler” will be used to treat any additional areas, for example if patient chooses 1 ml of filler to fill nose to mouth lines and there is some left over once this area is satisfactorily treated, then the rest may be used elsewhere on the face to treat additional areas.
Less is more… this cannot be stressed enough. Whilst correcting lines it is important to use as little product as possible.
Prices on the website are for guidance only, however Dr Sophie will be more than happy to offer a no obligation consultation and quote.
Staying Safe with dermal fillers
Reputable manufacturers/distributors of Dermal Fillers/Fillers in the UK strictly regulate who they will supply their product to and will only supply to fully trained and qualified individuals who are being regulated by a professional organization. Non reputable practitioners can acquire product from abroad/via illicit routes. It is therefore imperative that when having a treatment you ensure that you are seen by a doctor, dentist or fully trained nurse as only they can ensure that the product that is being used is genuine/authentic and that the individual is answerable to the strict rules within their professional body eg GMC.
Skin filler Safety and Dr Sophie’s “5 year rule”:
Dr Sophie therefore only uses products which have been introduced for more than 5 years and have been used extensively, as this way longterm safety and excellent results are assured.
Permanent Fillers
The effect of fillers can be excellent, and once you’ve enjoyed their benefits you may be wondering about having something more permanent. There are a number of reasons why you need to carefully consider treatment with permanent fillers;
1.When something permanent is inserted into the body the immune system sees it as a threat and attempts to wall it off, over some years thick fibrous scar tissue is formed around it and it often tethers and distorts the overlying skin.
This can be seen when implants are inserted into the breast, and after around 10-15 years the implant and scar tissue should be surgically removed and a new implant inserted. Small amounts of distortion can be accommodated without much visual impact on the breast. In the face there is generally less overlying tissue and therefore any kind of distortion is more apparent, surgical removal of problematic permanent devices in the face is also technically more difficult.
2.What looks good now may not look good when you are older. A great example of this is permanent devices/fillers inserted into the lips. They generally looked great for quite a number of years, but as the patient ages the lip tissue thins and the permanent device/filler migrates toward the surface, sometimes being clearly visible from under the skin.
3.Permanent implants are an infection risk, you therefore should not inject anything over the top of it as this will significantly increase the chance of serious infection.
For these reasons Dr Sophie does not use any permanent fillers.
Read more about what Dermal fillers can do for you…….
Here are some skin filler products you may have heard of;
What is Restylane®?
Restylane® was the first filler produced from hyaluronic acid, (a chemical similar to sugar) It was first introduced in 1998 and up to 2010 around 11 million treatments have been performed worldwide.
What is Perlane®?
Following the success of Restylane® a thicker version of the product was introduced in order to treat deeper lines and folds this is Restylane Perlane®, since then there have been a number of other products introduced into the Restylane® range in order to broaden the different areas of the face which can be treated.
What is Teosyal®?
Teosyal® also made from hyaluronic acid was launched 2005 and has been used on over 4 million treatments, it is therefore known to be a safe and effective treatment.
An independent study managed by S.J. Falcone et al, and published in Dematological Surgery (2009), shows that Teosyal® Ultra Deep is the longest lasting filler on the market, among 18 commercialized dermal fillers.
What is Belotero®?
Belotero® also made from hyaluronic acid was launched 2007, it is approved by the American Food and Drugs Adminstration, the beauty of Belotero® lies in its smooth integration into the skin.
What is Radiesse®?
Radiesse® was initially launched in 2000 and is one of the most popular treatments in the United States. Unlike the other Skin Fillers mentioned this filler its main functional component is in general, calcium hydroxylapatite, which has been safely used in the human body for over 25 years in several indications. Its main advantage is the longer lasting effect this filler has to offer.
Ring 0203 556 1753 for your appointment. Dr Sophie is Conveniently Located in Wanstead and Stratford, East London with almost daily clinics. So why not come along.
Conveniently located on High Street, Wanstead E11 2AA: Take The Central Line from Stratford; nearest tube stations Wanstead and Snaresbrook.
Also at Stratford, South Woodford, Gantshill, Ilford Essex
Soon opening in: Chigwell, Loughton and Buckhurst Hill in Essex.
