Why Use Dermal Fillers?
Dermal fillers are a gel-like substance injected into the skin to lift, sculpt and enhance areas that are drooping with age or that would benefit from improved symmetry or shaping. This process is sometimes referred to as ‘volumising’ or the ‘liquid facelift’ and can provide an overall improvement to your facial aesthetics.
The areas that we most commonly apply dermal filler treatment to include forehead lines, nasolabial folds, frown lines, fine lines, wrinkles, thinning lips, sagging face, bags under the eyes, and drooping eyes.
As one of the most versatile cosmetic injectables, dermal fillers are used to sharpen facial definition around the cheekbones and jawline, as well as being used in appearance medicine to neutralise the appearance of pronounced veins in the hands and arms. Some clients choose cosmetic injectables to soften marionette lines, and we can also affect a natural-looking lip enhancement with dermal filler injections.
What To Expect From Your Treatment At Palm Clinic
At Palm Clinic, dermal fillers are delivered by our team of appearance medicine professionals. We are accredited by the New Zealand Society of Cosmetic Medicine and our doctors and nurses are specifically trained in dermal fillers and have many years of experience.
We use only the safest dermal fillers: hyaluronic acid fillers. These replicate an acid that occurs naturally in the body but declines with ageing. Hyaluronic acid fillers have largely replaced collagen injections in cosmetic medicine as they are safer and more effective. At Palm Clinic, we choose to use Juvederm dermal filler – a trusted leading brand in appearance medicine
Before your first treatment with hyaluronic acid dermal fillers at Palm Clinic, you must attend a consultation so that we can understand your concerns and goals, discover your medical history, and explain what your cosmetic medicine treatment will involve.
We use the Juvederm range of dermal filler treatments for our clients as these can last up to two years, whereas other types of fillers can break down after 6-9 months. How often you will need to have dermal fillers replaced depends on the area of the face they are used in and on the quality of the filler.
At Palm Clinic, we have been providing personalised cosmetic treatments at our luxury clinic in Auckland, NZ, for 25 years, which means we have the experience necessary to ensure that your dermal filler is of the best quality and delivered safely to the injection site.
The latest hyaluronic acid filler we are using includes lignocaine’s local anaesthetic. This significantly reduces the pain at the injection site, ensuring your dermal filler treatment is as comfortable as possible.
Before and After Photos
To see the difference fillers can make, visit our before and after gallery.
Common Pitfalls To Avoid
When it comes to dermal fillers (and wrinkle relaxers), in most cases ‘less is more’ to achieve a natural-looking youthful appearance. Below we describe the common pitfalls of dermal fillers and how these can be avoided by only booking treatments with medical professionals who bring expertise and a personalised approach to every dermal filler treatment.
1. Hamster Cheek
Dermal filler is all about injecting the right volume in the right place to enhance facial aesthetics. Too much dermal filler in the apples of the cheeks can give a hamster-like appearance and make the eyes look smaller. At Palm Clinic, we work with your natural features to provide premium results, ensuring your liquid facelift has a sophisticated outcome.
2. Pillow Face
Dermal fillers are often used to counteract a lack of facial volume; however when used too heavily on aged skin, they can create an unnaturally plumped-up appearance like a pillow, rather than adding definition back to the face.
3. Shelfing
Wrinkle relaxers in the right area at the right dose can be very flattering. However, when the dose is too high around the eyes, it can weaken the all-important cheek elevators, leading to a shelf-like appearance around the eyes and a smile that lacks warmth.
4. Trout Pout
Overly voluminous, artificial-looking lips can degrade the natural beauty of a face. When it comes to lips, less is more. They should look defined and hydrated without any marked distortion to their natural shape.
5. Dagger Chin
A hyaluronic dermal filler injection may be used to give angularity to a square chin and to improve the overall jawline, but when overdone, the chin can look pointy and disrupt the shape of the jawline.
Dermal Filler Aftercare
As a precaution, we recommend that you don’t have dermal fillers for two weeks on either side of a Covid-19 or flu vaccination.
Dermal fillers take two to four weeks to settle, depending on the area treated and the filler used. Here’s what to expect after your treatment:
- The treated area may initially look red and swollen and feel tender.
- Bruising may appear 12 to 24 hours after treatment and take one to three weeks to resolve after your appearance medicine treatment.
- You may feel the filler as a firm lump under the skin until softening occurs over the next one to three weeks.
- You can cleanse your face as usual after treatment.
- After 24 hours, you may use concealer to disguise and arnica or hirudoid cream to treat any bruising.
After treatment, we recommend that you avoid:
- Intense exercise, alcohol, makeup or touching the area with your hands for the remainder of the day.
- Facedown massage or facials for one week.
- Dental or hygienist treatment for one week.
- International flying for one week.
We recommend having a complimentary follow-up appointment two weeks after your dermal filler treatment to review your results.
Please contact Palm Clinic immediately if you develop:
- Blisters or pustules
- Painful mottled red or purple discolouration on the skin near the treated area
- Eye pain or vision loss
These could be a sign of problems due to filler entering an artery. This extremely rare complication requires urgent treatment to dissolve the dermal filler.
If you have any concerns, please contact us on 09 522 8128, or after hours, please contact Palm Clinic Medical Director, Dr Sam Dunn, on 021 712 334.
FAQ
What can dermal fillers do?
Dermal fillers are mainly used to disguise the signs of ageing. They can also be used to correct some scars, plump up the lips or correct asymmetries of the face by adding volume.
Ageing of the face consists of both fine lines forming and the contours of the face changing. Different dermal fillers, such as cheek fillers and lip fillers, are used to address both these problems. To refresh ageing skin, we also have a range of skin & laser treatments available.
Correcting fine lines
Lip lines, frown lines, forehead lines, smile lines and crow’s feet can all be treated by the finer fillers like Juvederm Volift. Juvederm is made from hyaluronic acid.
Re-contouring the face
‘Volumising’ is a technique that can achieve a complete facial rejuvenation, either by itself or in combination with fine line treatments. By placing hyaluronic acid fillers like Juvederm Voluma, Juvederm Ultra Plus or Juvederm Volift deep under the skin, it restores your youthful contours safely and effectively. When overdone, this has been referred to as pillow face or pillow cheeks. Most New Zealand men and women prefer a more natural, balanced look and this is what Palm Clinic is renowned for providing.
Often a combination of volume and fine line treatments layered together over a couple of sessions are needed to get a really flattering facial rejuvenation.
Lip fillers
The hyaluronic acid dermal lip fillers are ideal for increasing lip size and enhancing lip shape. Whether the lips have always been small, or have reduced over the years, they can be plumped up with lip injections in just half an hour. Where necessary the border of the lip can be re-defined. In achieving a natural (non ‘trout-pout’) result, balance and restraint with lip filler use is vital. The lips should be in harmony with the age of the face, and should follow the ratio of 1:1.6 for top:bottom lip (i.e. the bottom lip should be bigger). Improving the appearance of the lips may also require attention to the contours around the mouth.
What is the advantage of dermal fillers?
Dermal fillers are a quick and safe way to rejuvenate the face without having to undergo surgery or a general anaesthetic. Palm Clinic has access to a large range of dermal fillers used by highly trained staff to achieve an optimum “natural” result for you.
How long do dermal fillers last?
Fillers last between 6-24 months depending on the product used and the area it is used in. There are “permanent” fillers available but at Palm Clinic we prefer to use temporary dermal fillers. While permanent fillers are usually safe to use, if you do have a problem with side effects from a permanent filler the side effect can be permanent also. Our long-lasting but temporary range of hyaluronic acid dermal fillers are dissolvable. In the very rare instance of an issue, they can be dissolved instantly.
What if I don’t like the result?
We are always open to addressing any concerns that you may have. In the very unlikely event that you do not like the result, we will listen to your concerns and offer a solution. This may be additional filler, or using an enzyme called hyalase to dissolve the filler.
Your Palm Clinic doctor is always available to discuss any concerns you may have. Remember we are there to provide the result that you want!
Are dermal fillers painful?
Our dermal fillers have local anaesthetic inside the filler. Palm Clinic was one of the first clinics to introduce these fillers in New Zealand which makes the treatment much easier for clients.
Once the fillers are in place, they can either cause no discomfort at all, or very minimal discomfort.
What is the cost of dermal fillers?
The cost depends on the amount of filler required. A consultation is required to address your concerns and advise on the amount and type of filler that is needed. Because dermal filler has a long life span a favoured option is the ‘chip away’ approach where you can slowly build on the result by adding filler as and when you want to, and budget allows.
A syringe of dermal filler starts at $930.
How much do dermal fillers cost in NZ?
Dermal filler cost depends on the amount of filler required. A consultation is required to address your concerns and advise on the amount and type of dermal filler that is needed. Since dermal filler has a long lifespan, a favoured option is the ‘chip away’ approach. This is where you can slowly build on the result by adding filler as and when you want to, and as budget allows.
A syringe of dermal filler starts at $930.
