Instagram vs Reality – are fillers necessary for a picture-perfect face?
From world-famous celebrities like Madonna, Kim Kardashian and Emma Watson to local darlings Fann Wong and Jamie Yeo (she’s one of our loyal clients!)..
It’s no secret that even the most good looking superstars undergo cosmetic procedures like fillers to look young and achieve a sculpted face.
The good news: It’s possible to enhance our appearance in a minimally invasive way as they do.
The bad news: Reality almost always looks different from what we see online.
When it comes to modifying our appearance, many make the mistake of mirroring someone else’s look and treatments. Fact is we all have unique features and we require treatments for different problems at different stages of our lives.
This is especially true for fillers, if done wrongly by an inexperienced doctor who is unable to advise in your best interests, can result in drastic consequences.
What role do fillers play in anti-ageing, are all fillers the same, and how do you make fillers as safe as possible for yourself?
Allow me to explain.
How do fillers help with reversing ageing?
Fillers help to address one part of the ageing process, which is volume loss. Ageing happens in EVERY layer of the face, from the skin (loss of elasticity), fat pads (loss of volume and getting displaced), bone-resorption (reduced prominence of our facial features) and loosening of ligaments.
What fillers do is restore volume in these key areas. Depending on where they’re injected, they may have a lifting effect on top of the volumising effect.
Essentially, fillers can be used to:
- Enhance our appearance
- Restore youthful contour of the face i.e. more curves, less bony edges
With that said, the number of anti-ageing treatments today run the gamut; it is very important that you communicate your needs and expectations to the physician and together come up with a plan – and this may or may not involve fillers. Remember – you have the right to reject your doctor’s treatment plan if it does not align with what you desire!
What’s the best type of filler?
There are different types of fillers but the most commonly injected ones would be Hyaluronic acid fillers (HA fillers) – these involve introducing a synthetic version of HA in our skin to restore lost volume and increase hydration.
Fillers can also come in other forms such as PCL, Fat (autologous fat), Calcium hydroxylapatite (Radiesse), just to name a few.
When do fillers come in handy?
The perfect facial profile (using the golden ratio) is just a guide. Beauty is always subjective and my preference is to make subtle enchantments or tweaks while preserving the patient's individuality. This is achieved through:
- A thorough consultation
I look at the patient’s face contour first – do they have classic signs of ageing such as sagging skin, pigmentation, dilated pores and rough skin texture? More severe signs of aging will include sunken temples, sunken/hollow cheeks, a bony forehead, sagging jowls, deep nasolabial folds and eye bags.
- Address what’s realistic
Social media is known to be a toxic environment that unhealthily shapes someone’s perception of beauty. While that is true, I think it can be useful in helping me understand what a patient wants to achieve. For example, if they use Kylie Jenner’s lips as a reference, what they want is NOT actually Kylie Jenner’s lips (the size, at least) but thicker lips. From there, we’ll work together to help said patient achieve plumper lips that look good on THEM.
- Combination treatments
The best aesthetic treatment is one that uses a combination of treatments that work synergistically to create a harmonious facial profile. Personally, I like to use some fillers, some neurotoxin (botox) to reduce fine lines, and energy based devices for lifting and tightening. To reduce overfilling from fillers,
Do fillers make you age faster?
If injected wrongly, fillers drastically change the way you look – not forgetting the risk of overfilling. To maximise my patients’ safety, I tend to do energy based devices first before doing filler treatments. This allows me to use less product and give a more holistic improvement to the patients face.
For longevity, I recommend taking good care of your skin and health, protecting your skin from the sun with SPF from a young age and avoiding early collagen loss by adhering to a proper diet and minimising your exposure to oxidative stress from cigarettes.
