Cosmetic filler is a soft tissue substance injected into the skin to help fill in the facial wrinkles, restoring a smoother appearance. Most of these are temporary because they are eventually absorbed by the body.

Properties of an ideal filler

The ideal filler substance would be

1. Easy to obtain, implant and store
2. Inexpensive
3. Nontoxic
4. Non carcinogenic
5. Long lasting
6. Does not induce allergy or hypersensitivity reactions.

Soft tissue augmentation is the ideal treatment modality for patients exhibiting “Wrinkles at rest”.

Clinical uses

Fillers are used to treat:

1. Horizontal forehead lines
2. Glabellar lines
3. Crow’s feet
4. Fine perioral lines
5. Scars
6. Nasolabial folds
7. Marionette grooves
8. To enhance the vermilion border of the lips

Hyaluronic acid derivative implants

At hair life and skin clinic we use fillers that contain hyaluronic acid .It is a constituent of the ground substance of normal dermis. It has the capacity to bind water up to 1000 times of volume. The water binding capacity of HA influences dermal volume and compressibility . Its derivatives are fairly well suited for soft tissue augmentation because they are insoluble, resist degradation, do not migrate and retain high water content. As they do not cause allergic reactions pre-treatment skin tests are not required as with bovine collagen derivatives.  HA products are easily injected into the dermis employing a threading technique. This procedure produces minimal pain and yields a smoother appearance.

HA products are less expensive and easy to use. They are also easy to store and transport. It is important to protect these products from heat which can spur the formation of monomers potentially contributing to inflammation.

Precautions

Patients are warned to avoid the following 10 days prior to treatment:

1. Aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
2. Vitamin E
3. Green tea
4. Anti-coagulants

Procedure

Prior to procedure, patient should wash and remove all makeup from the area to be treated. Then topical or local anesthesia is given. Filler is injected with a 30 guage needle using a threading technique.

Results

Results remain from 6 to 12 months after which the patient’s condition returns to normal.