Dermal Fillers – Why All the Hype?

We are thrilled to announce that Mequon Smile Design has introduced placing dermal fillers as an adjunct to Botox cosmetic injectables to enhance your smile and give patients a reason to smile! With dermal fillers, we cannot only give patients those full, luscious lips popping up on social media, but also treat those stubborn folds around your nose and lips showing signs of aging.

The initial use of dermal fillers dates back to the advent of the syringe in the 1800s. According to the National Institute of Health, paraffin was the first injectable filling agent used to treat facial deformities and maintain a youthful appearance. However, paraffin use was quickly abandoned due to several complications, including embolization, migration, and granuloma formation leading to poor esthetic results. Silicone was the next generation cosmetic injectable, but also resulting in the same complications. In 1981, bovine collagen was introduced, which helped to develop our modern day, most commonly used hyaluronic acid fillers, which have minimal immunogenicity (when the body rejects them).

Botox injectables help to weaken the muscles in the face, which cause fine lines and wrinkles. Increasingly with age, these finer wrinkles become deeper and more pronounced due to the fact that with age, we lose tissue volume and collagen filled with hyaluronic acid, as well as bone loss that supports skin tissue. Dermal fillers are smooth, injectable gels which help to replace this volume loss, smooth more pronounced wrinkles, and stimulate collagen growth. Dermal fillers not only plump and lift the skin to restore collagen loss, but it motivates the body to create natural collagen, giving your face a more natural, youthful appearance.

Typically, dermal filler treatments take 20-40 minutes with immediate results. The amount utilized and type of filler is dependent on volume loss and the areas you want to restore to its natural beauty. Juvéderm, Restylane, Radiesse, and Voluma XC are just a few dermal fillers available that promote their ability to provide hydration and volume. Following placement, you will maintain this restored, youthful appearance for six to nine months or more. The Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery reported a patient with a delayed, refractory facial cellulitis 2.5 years following placement of filler, which on MRI imaging, confirmed dermal filler to still be present. Though extremely rare, this delayed response confirms that the efficacy and duration of dermal fillers is much longer than thought. Side effects are rare, but may include tenderness, bruising, mild pain, swelling and redness at the injection site, which resolves in a few days.

The demand for facial esthetics has increased significantly. Both men and women alike continue to search for the fountain of youth, striving to feel young again. With the advent of facial injectables like Botox and dermal fillers, we have the ability to dramatically improve facial esthetics without surgery. Please visit our website at mequonsmiledesign.com to learn more about the dental and cosmetic procedures we provide!