Facial Fillers FAQ

What is the average recovery time after a facial filler injection?

Recovery time is typically short for most dermal fillers. In fact, many people have the procedure done over lunch, and the results are almost instantaneous.

Immediately after injection however the injection site may feel numb from the anesthetic and be bruised, red, or swollen. It should subside fairly quickly though.

At first, the area may also look like it was overfilled, but that tends to diminish within a few days. Icing the area will also help reduce swelling and ease bruising.

What kind of results can I expect?

While results vary by person, injectable fillers are not an anti-aging device.

They do however help delay the natural aging process by softening creases and fine lines, lessening wrinkles, and making skin appear more supple and youthful.

Collagen fillers do not eliminate sagging or excess skin.

Am I a good candidate for facial fillers?

Good candidates for dermal filler injections are non-smokers, physically fit, healthy, and have overall highly elastic skin.

Non-invasive cosmetic procedures won’t “fix” you or your life, so it’s important to be mentally, spiritually, emotionally and physically healthy before having any type of cosmetic procedure.

Minimally invasive cosmetic surgery offers numerous options for those looking to enhance their appearance subtly. It’s important to learn about and understand all of your options before deciding on which filler and what injection may be right for you.

Discuss treatments, risks and benefits with your doctor before choosing which will work best.

What is the average cost of fillers?

Typically, multiple syringes are used during most filler procedures. The amount of syringes used depends on the condition or size of the treatment area.

Deep wrinkles or severe sagging will call for more syringes. For most fillers, the cost of each syringe is between $300-$700.

Since most treatments need to be reinforced, a patient could spend anywhere from $1,500 to $2,500 a year.

As a rough guide, these are the national average costs of the most popular injectable filler treatments:

Botox $350-$500
Collagen (Bovine) $467-$480
Collagen (Human) $508-$510

Restylane/Perlane $562-$592
Radiesse $649

For further information, the American Society of Plastic Surgery has compiled 2011 statistics at http://www.plasticsurgery.org/Documents/news-resources/statistics/2011-statistics/2011-top-5-cosmetic-minimally-invasive-procedures-statistics.pdf

Are cosmetic dermal fillers safe?

When prescribed by a properly qualified and trained doctor and injected in an appropriate medical setting, FDA-approved dermal fillers are very safe.

What are the risks/side effects?

The greatest risk occurs when dermal fillers are injected by someone not properly qualified to perform injections. Risks include hematoma or blood pooling beneath the skin, and though rare, infection and necrosis (tissue death) or skin loss is possible.

If injected improperly or in the wrong area, semi-permanent and permanent fillers may also clump and the particles can form a granuloma or lump that can be felt or seen beneath the skin. Particles can migrate or displace from the injection site as well.

Injection of an anti-inflammatory may improve minor clumps or swelling, but more significant clumping may require surgery.

Only dermal fillers derived from animal sources have a risk of allergy. This is something your doctor should cover during your consultation and the “informed consent” process.

If necessary, a patch or allergy test can be performed beforehand. Injections will then be scheduled several weeks later after the risk of allergy has been evaluated.

Will I be able to feel the dermal filler under my skin?

In the first few days after injection, the treated area may feel a little firm, but this should improve rapidly.

As mentioned above, the risk does exist with semi-permanent or permanent fillers of particles clumping together and forming a granuloma that may be felt or seen under the skin.

This risk is increased if the dermal filler was not injected properly.

Are dermal fillers permanent?

No. One advantage of most cosmetic dermal filler treatments is that they’re only temporary. If you don't like the results, they will diminish and eventually disappear in time.

A hyaluronic acid-based filler like Restylane, Juvederm or Perlane can also be more rapidly diminished (in weeks, rather than months) with the injection of a substance called hyaluronidase in the treatment area.

This substance decreases the viscosity of the original injection, promoting its absorption and dispersion.