There is no doubt that fillers, especially the more advanced HA (Hyaluronic Acid) fillers, are a major advance in cosmesis.
The contour changes of the face that produce the major appearances of aging are due to two principle factors.
Firstly, the soft tissues deteriorate in quality and volume. The skin becomes thinner, the fat layer beneath the skin (subcutaneous layer) becomes thinner and the muscle beneath that progressively loses tone and bulk. Secondly, all these soft tissues lose elasticity and consequently are all affected by gravity resulting in sagging.
Facial suspension procedures such as the standard Open Face Lift and the much less invasive Thread Lifting aim to reverse the sagging.
It used to be thought that lifting was all that was necessary to rejuvenate one’s appearance.
In recent years the realisation that there is volume loss of soft tissue has resulted in the replacement of this volume with long acting fillers.
HA fillers are the most ‘natural’ fillers yet produced. Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is a normal constituent of the body and is concentrated especially in the skin. Synthetic HA is recognised by the body as a natural substance. Hence there is no need for a skin test as was necessary with the collagen fillers.
Cross-linking of the HA molecules results in a long lasting product.
In many cases an ideal combination might be a suspension procedure such as Thread Lifting followed 3 months (or more) later by HA fillers when the tissues have settled.
On the other hand there is that group of people in whom fillers alone will produce a very significant anti-aging effect.
The modern HA fillers last anywhere between 6 and 18 months depending on the particular product.
There is a third factor unrelated to facial contours that contributes to the appearance of ageing. That is, skin quality, which will be the subject of another Blog.