Second only to Botox, fillers are the backbone of non-surgical aesthetic treatments. They are an extremely effective way of adding volume to deeper layers and hydration to superficial layers of your skin. Modern hyaluronic acid fillers are safe and controllable. They wear off slowly but should you not like the effect they can also be dissolved by an injection of hyaluronidase. The most popular areas are the lips, corners of the mouth, nasolabial lines, cheeks, tear trough and lateral brow. As the fillers need to be injected there is some discomfort. This can be reduced with local inaesthetic. Occasionally there can be some bruising. Most of my patients seem to prefer no local inaesthetic at all for all areas other than the lips. They find the numb sensation more unpleasant than the stinging of the injection. After the injection, the area is usually red and swells a little for the first few days, before settling down. The effects are immediate and last from 6 to 9 months for the thinner fillers and up to 2 years for the thicker fillers. It is important however to use the right filler in each location, as too thin too deep is poor value, and too thick too superficial is a lump that will need dissolving!

I am personally not going to use any filler that I cannot dissolve. There may be longer lasting results with Sculptra and Radiesse, but the fact that I could not remove any excess filler tips the results for me. The Q-Med range are excellent, as is the Teosyal range, Belotero are incredibly good, and I've no problem with Juvederm.The Restylane family of products is among the world’s most widely used dermal fillers. With Restylane Lidocaine and Restylane Perlane Lidocaine consumers can now get rid of any unwanted wrinkles and experience more comfort during a treatment that is quick, safe, and long lasting and I think can all be used very successfully. The key is to use the right thickness filler for the depth and effect you want to achieve and in the precise anatomical structure. I charge full price for the first syringe and subsequent syringes are less. I do not like the overfilled look and would rather put in too little filler than too much. I therefore offer all my patients the option of returning after two -three weeks for extra filler at the second syringe price. This ensures there is no financial cost of using less filler.