Wrinkle Reduction
How Long Do They Last?
Dermal Filling Gels will last for over 1 year in fine lines, 2 years in acne scars, 12 months in the lip borders and 3-5 months in the pink areas of the lip. The thicker versions available last approx 14-16 months in the lip borders, 8-10 months in pink part of the lips, 18-24 months in the deeper folds and over 2 years in acne scars.
What Precaution Should Be Taken?
Dermal Filling Gels should not be used on or near sites of active skin disease or infection and must be administered by, or under the supervision of, a nurse or doctor specifically trained in its use.
The area treated should not be exposed to extreme heat (e.g. solarium or sunbathing) or extreme cold until the initial swelling and redness has resolved. Exercise on the day of treatment is not recommended.
How Is The Treatment Administered?
It is a simple procedure, carried out in our consulting rooms. A fine disposable sterile needle is used to inject the gel. Treatment usually takes about 30 minutes. Lip treatments are almost painless due to a local anaesthetic block. For other areas, your therapist may recommend a local anaesthetic injection or cream to minimise discomfort (in which case you may be asked to arrive 20 minutes early to allow time for numbing cream to take effect).
After your first treatment, the therapist will want to see you again in two to three weeks to assess your results and possibly put final touches on the treatment.
For wrinkles, think of it as a two-part process, with the final touches being performed at the review appointment (often, 20 percent more improvement can be achieved at this time).
What Are The Side Effects?
Dermal Filling Gels will not stretch your skin out of its natural shape.
After the treatment, some common injection-related reactions may occur:
- Redness: 12-24 hrs
- Puffiness: 12-36 hrs
- Discolouration: fine and fair-skinned patients may see a greyish line through the skin at the implant site, especially if the skin is stretched.
- Bruising: Uncommon, but can be up to 4 days (coverable by make-up)
- Pimple/Small Blister: Only 1 in every 25 cases.
- Lumpiness: Very rare. Lumps can be massaged to reduce their size.
- Cold Sores: Occasionally, if the patient is susceptible to them.
Allergy reactions: Thought to be of a hypersensitivity nature, occurring in 1 in 2000 patients. Consisting of swelling and firmness at the implant site, sometimes affecting surrounding tissues. Redness, tenderness and rarely Acne-form papules or blisters may also occur. Described as mild to moderate, with an average duration of 2 weeks (treatments are available for the adverse events).