Dermal Fillers in Swansea

Around 95% of the dermal fillers that Owen uses are made of hyaluronic acid which is discussed in the article above. This is a natural substance although the molecules are held together by laboratory processes. It is a very safe substance and is totally biodegradable and can be reduced or quickly with a reversing enzyme.

Dermal fillers will typically last between 6-24 months, depending on the type of filler, the area injected, the volume and other factors such as individual metabolism.

Softer fillers such as in the lips and tear trough typically last around six months when first injected although with subsequent injections do seem to last longer with many people still seeing an improvement after one year following the second treatment. There is evidence on MRI scanning that dermal fillers can last considerably longer even if they are not palpable.

Firm fillers such as in the cheeks or chin can last 18-24 months and sometimes more.

Owen only uses FDA-approved fillers from the world’s top laboratories. He uses a combination of Restylane (USA), Teoxane (Switzerland), Belotero (Germany) and Juvederm (USA). As these are FDA-approved, there is data from studies in patients to demonstrate safety and efficacy. Many of the newer fillers originating from (for example) the Far East have very little safety or efficacy data but are considerably cheaper; Owen only uses dermal fillers with robust clinical data to ensure that the treatments are safe and effective.

Hyaluronic acid dermal fillers are reversible with an enzyme called hyaluronidase, breaking the bonds that bind the dermal filler gel together. This is done if there is overfilling or migration of dermal filler. Sometimes it is important to dissolve any filler before starting again as eventually placing too much filler in a certain structure can lead to a poor aesthetic result. Owen performs a skin prick test to reduce the likelihood of allergy for injecting the substance.

All injections entail some discomfort but for most people, this is much less than expected. In more sensitive areas such as the lips, Owen uses strong local anaesthetic and typically uses the smallest possible needles, alongside cooling and vibration to reduce the transmission of pain impulses through small pain fibres. Also, using a cannula in some areas means fewer needle entry points. Most people find that cannula treatment can be slightly odd but does not typically tend to be particularly painful.

Straight after the dermal filler procedure, there should be a noticeable improvement. It can take around two weeks or so for the dermal fillers to integrate fully into the surrounding tissue but straight away he will have a good idea as to how the result will look. In some areas such as the lips where there tends to be immediate swelling, it can be a little difficult to tell the final results straight away. For deep injections, you can see most of the effect immediately in most cases.

Yes, in general hyaluronic acid gels are incredibly safe. There is an exceptionally low risk of allergic reaction although they are mixed with local anaesthetic so there is a small risk of allergy from this. A tiny number of patients (around 0.05%) go on to experience lumps forming in the filler over many months or years and this can be treated with certain medical approaches such as saline steroid injection and ultimately filler dissolving with hyaluronidase. As mentioned above, Owen only uses fillers with FDA approval and a strong evidence base for safety.

Post-procedure care is essential and Owen makes himself personally available to deal with any side effects or complications, whenever these may occur. This includes out-of-hours emergency care in the unlikely event that this would be needed.