How do you select the right filler?
When we evaluate the face and look at the particular problems that patients face, whether it is some boney loss or fat deflation we pick the right approach to restore facial volume.
Some patients are better candidates for collagen-stimulating fillers such as Sculptra and Radiesse, these fillers work as a bio-stimulatory additive agent.
And they sort of force our body to make new collagen because collagen production stops after age 30.
How soon do the effects show?
The effect of these fillers are not apparent right away, and it builds upon itself and usually requires several sessions of treatments.
I look at it as a sort of building the basement of a house. And then once the basement structure is complete, we look at what we can do to add and finetune things. Such as the cheek enhancement, refacing prominent nasolabial folds or marionette lines.
What types of fillers do you use?
For those purposes, the best fillers are hydraulic acid gels. Within the hydraulic acid gels, we have three different families that the FDA approved in the United States.
We have the Restylane family, Juvéderm family and Belotero family of fillers.
How do the hyaluronic acid fillers work?
Within the particular family of hydraulic acid gels, different sub-types exist. Some are better in filling-in deep structural defects they are placed deeply to give enhancement of the cheekbones or fill in temples.
The others have specific technology that makes them better candidates to fill in the lines in areas that are prone to movements such as lips, lower marionette lines in the face and nasolabial folds.