Dermal fillers are an incredibly popular treatment for patients who wish to address signs of aging like fine lines, wrinkles, and a loss of facial volume. Our patients from the Camarillo and Ventura areas also love to use fillers like JUVÉDERM to plump their lips and enhance their facial contours.
That said, you may have noticed a recent influx of social media posts and stories describing “dermal filler horror stories.” This could understandably cause you to question the safety of fillers. The truth is that, just like any medical treatment, injectable dermal fillers are associated with some potential risks and complications. However, it is also true that these complications are mild and often rare, and there are steps you can take to make sure your dermal filler experience is both safe and effective.
- How Do Dermal Fillers Work?
- What Can Dermal Fillers Do?
- Are Dermal Fillers Safe?
- Keeping Dermal Filler Injections Safe
- Are Dermal Fillers Right For Me?
How Do Dermal Fillers Work?
The collagen in our skin is what helps keep it plump and tight, but collagen begins to degrade slowly at around the age of 25. The underlying fat in our faces also begins to decrease with time. As a result of these natural changes, we begin to notice signs of aging such as:
- Diminished skin elasticity and plumpness
- Fine lines and wrinkles
- Sagging skin
- Midface volume loss
- Thinning of the lips
- Decreased facial contours
- Hollows under the eyes
Injectable dermal fillers such as the JUVÉDERM line of products are injectable gels formulated with hyaluronic acid, which naturally occurs in our bodies. When hyaluronic acid is injected into the body, it binds with water and expands, plumping the skin from the inside, restoring lost volume, and smoothing areas of skin wrinkling.
What Can Dermal Fillers Do?
At beyond|Aesthetics, we employ a range of JUVÉDERM products of varying viscosity, which means we can customize each patient’s treatment to meet their unique cosmetic goals.
Hyaluronic acid fillers like JUVÉDERM can be used to:
- Plump areas of volume loss
- Smooth skin wrinkles, including crow’s feet, smoker’s lines, smile lines, and worry lines
- Increase lip volume and pout
- Redefine lip border
- Enhance contours of the cheeks, chin, and jawline
- Reduce the appearance of certain scars
- Improve facial symmetry
- Add volume to the under-eye area1
Some other great benefits of JUVÉDERM fillers include:
- Fast treatment
- No downtime
- Long-lasting results
- Results that look natural
- A comfortable experience: these products contain a numbing agent to reduce injection discomfort
- Reversible: hyaluronic acid fillers can be dissolved if the patient’s goals change or if a reaction occurs
Are Dermal Fillers Safe?
According to the FDA, dermal filler injections are considered to be safe, and side effects are rare and usually go away within a few weeks.2 Still, there are risks and complications associated with any medical procedure.
Common risks of dermal fillers include:
- Bruising
- Redness
- Swelling
- Pain
- Tenderness
- Itching
- Rash
- Lumps or bumps
Because the hyaluronic acid in the JUVÉDERM we use naturally occurs in the body, there is no risk of allergic reaction to these injections in healthy patients.
The most serious risk associated with dermal filler injections (while very rare) is vascular occlusion, which happens when the filler is improperly injected into a blood vessel and obstructs blood flow to the affected area. This can cause ischemia to tissues, ulceration to the skin, and extreme cases could block vessels providing oxygen to important structures such as the eyes causing blindness.
That said, the risk of vascular occlusion is very small, and is even smaller when hyaluronic acid fillers are injected properly and with a cannula.3 A qualified injector should be able to recognize early signs of vascular occlusion and immediately reverse the agent or treat the possible complication. The vast majority of these cases result in no permanent injury or scarring.
Keeping Dermal Filler Injections Safe
The best way to further reduce the very small likelihood of serious dermal filler complications and reactions (and to get the best results!) is to work with an experienced injector.
Here are some of the many reasons our clients trust beyond|Aesthetics for their dermal filler injections:
- At beyond|Aesthetics, We practice the latest, most effective and ultimately safest injection techniques lead by Leslie Petersen, NP, a nationally certified injector trainer.
- We choose our filler products based on safety profile, which is why hyaluronic acid based, temporary fillers such as JUVÉDERM products are used most commonly at our practice.
- All of our injectors are thoroughly trained in facial musculoskeletal and neurovascular anatomy so that filler can be placed appropriately and safely achieve the results you’re looking for.
- All of our injectors also practice continuing education through research and attending lectures from the leading national experts in aesthetic medicine.
Are Dermal Fillers Right For Me?
We believe that the most successful cosmetic treatments begin with a skilled provider and an educated patient. If you have questions about dermal fillers, contact us. Our team of highly skilled providers at beyond|Aesthetics would love to meet with you in consultation.
1 American Society of Plastic Surgeons. What types of dermal fillers are available? Available: https://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/dermal-fillers/types. Accessed June 9, 2023.
2 U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dermal Filler Do’s and Don’ts for Wrinkles, Lips and More. Available: https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/dermal-filler-dos-and-donts-wrinkles-lips-and-more#. Accessed June 9, 2023.
3 Rohrich RJ, Bartlett EL, Dayan E. Practical Approach and Safety of Hyaluronic Acid Fillers. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2019 Jun 14;7(6):e2172. doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000002172. PMID: 31624663; PMCID: PMC6635180. Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6635180/. Accessed June 9, 2023.
