PCL Filler 少女针
Singapore
A collagen stimulating filler that does more than add volume. It lifts.
And because it cannot be dissolved, placement is a one time decision.
What is PCL Filler?
PCL filler, polycaprolactone, known as 少女针 in Chinese, does two things on two timelines. A gel carrier gives immediate contour. Suspended in it are PCL microspheres, which the body gradually reabsorbs while stimulating collagen in the surrounding tissue, a response that peaks around twelve weeks.
PCL Filler
Hyaluronic Acid Filler
Neither is better in the abstract. Which one suits you depends on the area, your anatomy and what your goals are.
Why PCL Filler?
It is usually considered for one of four reasons.
The face reads tired rather than old
Hollowing at the temples, mid cheek or under eye that shows in photographs before it shows in the mirror.
The lower face has lost its scaffolding
Nasolabial folds, marionette lines and early jowling, where adding volume tends to make things heavier rather than lifted.
You want definition rather than volume
Jawline, chin and nose, where a firm material placed precisely does more than a soft one placed generously.
You would rather not repeat this annually
And you accept the trade off of a material that cannot be reversed.
Where Does PCL Filler Go?
The face is not one tissue. It is five, stacked: skin, superficial fat, the SMAS and muscle layer, deep fat compartments, and periosteum over bone. Each behaves differently, ages differently, and holds a filler differently.
PCL is a structural material, so it belongs in the deep planes. Against the periosteum for support, into the deep fat compartments for contour. Placed too superficially it reads as lumpiness. Placed without regard for which compartment has actually deflated, it adds weight where the face needed lift.
The vessels run through those same planes. The serious complication in any filler procedure is vascular, where material enters an artery. Avoiding it is a matter of knowing, by feel and by depth, where the vessels sit in the plane the needle is in.
The Lady Heart protocol
Most filler treatments work inward, filling the areas that look hollow. The Lady Heart protocol works the other way. It treats the outer contour of the face, placing PCL at anchor points around the perimeter so that the tissue inside is lifted rather than filled.
Mapped out, those anchor points trace a heart shape around the face: temple, lateral cheek, angle of the jaw, chin. Hence the name.
Why the outer contour. Adding volume centrally makes a face fuller. Restoring support at the perimeter makes it lifted. For anyone whose concern is that they looked heavier rather than younger after previous filler, that distinction is the entire point.
Who it suits. People with mid face descent and early jowling who want contour rather than volume. People who have had filler before and disliked the fullness. People who want the change to read as structure rather than as treatment.
What it involves. A full assessment of which support points have been lost, then placement across several sites in one session. The volume used varies, and anyone quoting a number before seeing your face is guessing. The gel gives immediate contour. The collagen response builds over about twelve weeks.
Lady Heart is a protocol developed by a PCL filler brand. Dr Isaac Wong, Founder and Medical Director of the Artisan Group, is an accredited PCL filler trainer and teaches the technique to physicians internationally.
The Artisan Method
Artisan's approach to PCL filler was developed in house by Dr Isaac Wong and the Artisan team of doctors. It is the protocol every doctor in the group works to.
Dr Isaac Wong
- Accredited CL filler trainer, 2016
- Asia PCL filler Advisory Board, 2016
- Injector, trainer and speaker for Sinclair in China, 2024 onwards
- Speaker, World Experts' Meeting, Barcelona, 2022
- Fifteen publications in peer reviewed journals on injectable technique and facial anatomy
