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Dermal fillers have a long history and their evolution continues. The unique and seemingly miraculous ability of Hyaluronic Acid (HA) to provide long lasting hydration is shifting the focus of non-surgical rejuvenation. Prior to HA’s dominance, collagen and other volumising filling agents were constrained to ‘filling.’ They could restore volume but had little, if any, impact on the quality of the skin itself. HA changed that by adding a bonus slow-release hydration benefit to the filling effect – and now what was an additional perk is taking over.
(Recap: What is HA? – Hyaluronic acid is a polysaccharide already present in the body. It’s a sugar molecule found in connective tissue and the skin with profound hydrating properties – which unfortunately begins depleting in the mid to late twenties. Unbelievably, each molecule of hyaluronic acid can retain 1000 times its weight in water – meaning a tiny amount has an enormous hydrating capacity).
HA based dermal fillers are available in a variety of ‘thicknesses’ which are deployed for different facial areas and injected at differing depths. These varieties go under different names in different markets and are approved variously across Europe and US states. Generally, the thicker the consistency the more volume the filling agent can provide, and so is used to fill deeper folds and administered deeper into the skin. Thinner filler is used to correct more shallow lines and wrinkles at a shallower depth – and it’s this approach which is gaining fans. HA based filler can now be so thin as to be virtually liquid and injected in small amounts across the face – not to ‘fill’ per se, but to provide long lasting, internal hydration which improves, primarily, the quality of the skin as opposed to its contours. Slow-releasing HA can provide a serum-like effect from within, a perfect longer term solution to ageing or even to winter weather.
As we focus on wrinkles and volume loss we often lose sight of the ageing effects of dry and depleted skin. If we’re concerned about dryness we reach for a moisturiser and often mistake moisturisation with hydration. Rather than forming a barrier on your skin to keep existent moisture locked in, hydration is the process by which moisture is added to the skin tissue itself. The skin’s natural barrier can be damaged by external elements along with the ageing process, leaving it more vulnerable to fundamental moisture loss. So while the additional barrier provided by moisturising can be helpful, nothing compares to the ‘moisture injection’ which is hydration. Second to natural hydration – the capacity for which declines with age – HA rich injections are the most effective and long lasting way of ensuring the skins optimum moisture balance is retained.
If you’re thinking about Dermal Fillers or just concerned about the general quality of your skin, talk to your practitioner about the different Dermal Filler options available and which of these profoundly hydrating products might be suitable for you. At Santi we are more than happy to discuss the specific results you would like to see from Dermal Filler treatment and can design a bespoke approach which will address multiple concerns with the one procedure.