The procedure is always performed by Dr Safvat, not a nurse, in the rooms at our Sydney clinic (Miranda) or our Southern Highlands clinic (Bowral). The average procedure will only take 30 minutes and patients are free to go home or return to work afterwards. The actual injections only take a few minutes but most of this time is used for assessment, explanations, preparation, and planning.
A topical anaesthetic can be applied before injection for maximum comfort. The dermal fillers used by Ethique Plastic Surgery have anaesthetic inside them, which provide immediate numbness once injected.
Patients should avoid any activities that could raise their blood pressure after their procedure as this could make any bruising or swelling much worse. Direct sun exposure should also be avoided for several days after a filler appointment and sunscreen should always be worn until your next session.
Dermal fillers are one of the safest and most effective ways to rejuvenate the face without surgery, provided they are administered by a qualified and experienced medical professional.
Dermal fillers require specific training because injectors need detailed and thorough knowledge of facial anatomy, muscles, and nerves. Plastic surgeons are recommended for administering dermal fillers and anti-wrinkle injections because they already have this knowledge and have undergone specialised training.
The results are immediate; however, there will be some gradual improvements over the days following your procedure. Temporary fillers can last between six to nine months depending on the area that was treated. The rate at which a patient metabolises the filler will also determine how long the results last.
If the dermal fillers have been combined with anti-wrinkle injections, patients will need to wait several days for the effects of the anti-wrinkle injections to take effect.
Dermal fillers are ideal for men and women who want to reverse some of the common effects of ageing, particularly volume and collagen loss. Patients should also be in good physical health and shouldn’t smoke as this could impact results. It’s also important to have realistic expectations about what can be achieved.
Dermal Fillers: Treatment Areas
The areas that are most commonly treated include:
- Lips. Adds volume and creates more definition
- Cheeks. Enhances natural contours and adds volume
- Mouth. Lifts the corners of the mouth
- Tear Troughs. Adds volume and refreshes the undereye area
- Naso-Labial Folds. Reduce the appearance of smile or laugh lines
- Marionette Lines. Fill in the lines that run between the corners of the mouth and the chin/jaw
- Hands. Reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles on the hands
Complications
Overall, the product we use for Filler Injections is safe and has a proven track record. Added to this, having Dr Safvat himself do the injectables minimises risk. However, as with any sort of medical treatment there are some potential, although rare side effects:
- There may be some common injection-related reactions including redness, swelling, mild pain, itching, bruising and tenderness at the injection site. These reactions are generally mild to moderate and usually resolve a few days to weeks after treatment.
- The face has a super-rich network of blood vessels. Rarely it is possible for the filler to get into one of the segmental blood vessels of the skin and block it. This will cause moderate to severe pain and a blistering rash (similar to shingles rash) near or at the injection site. It is important to contact Dr Safvat immediately as it is possible to dissolve the filler with another injections and reverse most if not all of this. If this is not done in a timely manner it may cause some necrosis and ulceration in the skin.
- Even a rarer side effect is when the filler is taken to the retinal artery through the rich network of the blood vessels and cause blindness. There are some areas that are more at risk of this and Dr Safvat will discuss this with you.
- Inflammatory reactions are rare but consist of redness, swelling and hardening of the injection site that may persist for several months (rare).
- Very rarely you may experience infection/abscess, granuloma, discolouration, hypersensitivity reactions, atrophy/scarring etc.
NOTE: Anti-Wrinkle Injections are not recommended for pregnant or breast-feeding women or for those intending to become pregnant or breast feed.
Dr Safvat will discuss the potential complications and side effects with you during the consultation prior to administering the injections.