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Do Fillers Ruin Your Face As They Lose Their Effect?

This question is frequently asked, so I spend a significant amount of time in consultation helping my patients understand the specifics of how I place facial fillers. When filler is placed accurately and in harmony with your natural facial structure, I explain why the skin should not be overstretched and become loose. I’ll talk about how I use fillers in my practice, and how I make a point of showing my patients the anatomy that is important for understanding how I place fillers.

Do Fillers Ruin Your Face?

After the fillers have been metabolized, your appearance will be the same as if nothing had been done, not worse because you had filler placed.

Every day in my practice, I perform filler treatments for upper and lower eyelid hollowing, lip enhancement, facial lines, and acne scars. My experience as a facelift and facial implant surgeon also allows me to place long-lasting hyaluronic acid filler at the bone level. I use this Structural Volumizing technique to define the cheeks, jawline, and chin. By using this method, my patients appear more balanced rather than bloated and pillowy. [ Related reading: What Causes “Pillow Face” from Fillers, and How to Avoid it ]

Face Fillers Before and After

y lift before and after performed by Dr Prasad NYC
facelift without surgery before and after - y lift
y lift before and after performed by Dr Prasad New York City
Before and after Y Lift Facelift performed by Dr Amiya Prasad

Related article: Y-Lift

Importance of Filler Placing Technique to Avoid Overfilling or Stretched Face

I believe that people are concerned about looking deflated after filler is metabolized because they see too many overfilled faces. The effects of an overfilled face on the skin can be compared to what happens to people whose bellies become stretched as a result of weight gain. It stands to reason that if there is a lot of loose skin after significant weight loss, the same type of effect could result from the skin being stretched from overfilling the face. When I perform filler placement, this does not occur, as it all comes down to anatomy and balance.
how Dr. Prasad avoid pillow face - y lift before and after recovery
how Dr. Prasad avoid pillow face from fillers - liquid facelift or y lift before and after recovery
A few years ago, some well-known celebrities were dubbed “pillow faces” in the media. This was due to the fact that the doctors they saw used excessive amounts of filler in their cheeks to make them look younger. Instead, the filler spread beneath the skin, giving their faces a more rounded appearance. “How can these famous people who can afford the best look so bad?” patients will occasionally ask. I won’t speak for the celebrities or their doctors, but I can describe what I do that is unique.

Cheek Volume Enhancement

Let’s talk about cheek volume enhancement. I find that there are 2 basic scenarios we see in practice: one is a younger person with a relative genetic deficiency, and the other is a person who has lost facial volume from aging. What is the basis for this volume deficiency? – It’s the bone structure, as our facial appearance is most directly affected by your bone structure.
non-surgical face lift before and after
non-surgical facelift before and after

Approach to Filler Placement

The bone structure is comparable to the framework that supports your home. So I approach filler placement from the bone structure, using blunt cannulas at the bone level to deliver long-lasting hyaluronic acid fillers. This provides excellent support and definition to the skin beneath, but it is not the most commonly used approach.

Fillers are overly placed just beneath the skin to compensate for the expected spread of the fillers beyond the intended placement location. This causes people to appear bloated.

Achieving Natural-Looking Features

golden ratio illustration on female face
Using the Golden Ratio as a guide to examine the face for balance. The Golden Ratio can be found throughout nature, and is particularly well represented by the facial structure of models and actors. Structural Volumizing allows for precise filler placement without stretching the skin. When it comes to putting volume in areas where bone structure isn’t directly involved, like the lips, I focus on subtle correction to create definition and balance with the rest of the face. Essentially, the facial features should appear natural, as if nothing has been done to them.
how to get natural looking lip fillers before and after
natural looking lip fillers before and after

Conclusion: Understanding and Expecting Results

If you are unable to continue with filler placement after the fillers have been metabolized, your appearance will be the same as if you had done nothing, not worse because you had filler placed. It all comes down to knowing what features you want to improve, knowing the method being used, and the expected results.

Dermal Fillers Manhattan NYC and Long Island, New York

Dr Amiya Prasad is a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and Fellowship-trained oculofacial plastic & reconstructive surgeon. He’s been in practice in Manhattan and Long Island for over 25 years. He performs filler treatments every day in his practice. To schedule a consultation, fill out the form below, or you may call any of our offices at (212) 265-8877 in Manhattan, New York City; or Garden City, Long Island at (516) 742-4636; or Vienna, Virginia at (703) 356-1336.

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