For many individuals we meet, 5 syringes of hyaluronic acid (HA) based filler sounds like a heck of a lot. And that’s certainly true if we’re talking about 5 syringes of filler in one area, like the lips or the chin. We’d never recommend that. But 5 syringes spread out across an entire face is not very much at all. Yes, the result can be dramatic, but dramatically GOOD and also totally natural.
This beautiful patient had 5 syringes of filler spread out over two treatments. We could have done it all in one treatment, but she preferred not to get poked that much in one sitting, which is totally understandable.
For her first session, we started with her temples, where each side was injected with one syringe. When she came in for her second visit we focused on her lips, jaw, and mid cheek. One syringe in the lips, one spread out between each side of her jaw, and one fanned out along the mid cheek (one syringe was split between each side).
One syringe of this filler is 1 mL in volume. If you’re trying to picture it, this equates to 1/5 of a teaspoon. So altogether, there’s actually 1 teaspoon of filler in this patient’s face!
And as you can see the result is beautiful and so natural. You can see how much balance has been added to her profile and definition to her cheek and jawline. It’s almost as if she had an overall lift. This is especially accentuated with the subtle amount of volume that was added to her lips, which also created more symmetry in the area of the philtrum, the space between the nose and mouth.
Also, notice how the patient’s under-eye area is improved, as well as the “crinkling” in the skin above her lid. This is because the filler in her temple is helping to tighten loose skin. Plumping in all areas creates a more youthful effect, but is especially nice in this patient’s lips.
How long will dermal fillers last?
How long this result will last is dependent on the patient and the location of the injection. Filler in the lips tends to wear off quite quickly as moving our mouths all the time causes the hyaluronic acid to break down more quickly. Filler in the lips typically lasts anywhere from 6-9 months. Filler in the temples, on the other hand, can last between 9-24 months, and filler in the cheek 6-12 months.
First time filler patients sometimes notice their filler wears off more quickly, and this is because the body recognizes it as a foreign substance and metabolizes it more quickly. Follow up injections tend to last longer as your body builds up a tolerance to the HA. That said, everyone is different.
Will one filler treatment lead to another?
Some people find that when they inject one area they all of a sudden notice a secondary area of concern. For example, when we inject the cheeks in older patients, all of a sudden the temples seem hollow. It’s not that the filler created this hollowness but that the improvement in one area makes us notice that there could also be improvement in a second area.
Sometimes this is mistaken for filler creating a new problem, but this isn’t the case. The face needs to be treated holistically. A good injector will share what they see and help you to develop a plan that results in the most rejuvenated look in the most natural way. Of course budget may be a concern and again, a good injector will determine the best place to start that is also in line with your budget.
