Understanding Dermal Fillers and Facial Aging
Dermal fillers offer a minimally invasive solution to restore lost volume, enhance facial contours, and reduce wrinkles.
With their ability to provide a more youthful appearance, injectable fillers have become popular for people looking to smooth fine lines, enhance facial features like thin lips, and combat signs of aging without surgery. But what happens when you stop getting fillers?
Let’s explore the journey of dermal fillers, what happens to your skin when you discontinue them, and what other options may be available.
At Beauty Aesthetics Toronto, we specialize in every dermal filler procedure. We use advanced techniques and high-quality products to help clients achieve and maintain their beauty goals.
Understanding Dermal Fillers: What Are They Made Of?
Dermal fillers:
These are injectable treatments designed to add volume and smooth wrinkles or out wrinkles by being injected beneath the skin. There are different types of dermal fillers, each formulated to target specific issues. Some of the most common types include:
Hyaluronic Acid (HA) Fillers:
HA fillers, like Juvederm and Restylane, are made from a naturally occurring substance found in the body that helps retain moisture, providing volume and a plump, hydrated appearance. Most HA fillers are temporary, lasting between 6 to 18 months.
Calcium Hydroxylapatite (CaHA) Fillers:
These are known as CaHA fillers. They are composed of a mineral-like compound found in human bones. They offer longer-lasting results (up to a year or more) and are especially effective for deeper wrinkles and nasolabial folds.
Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLLA) Fillers:
This semi-permanent filler stimulates the body’s own collagen production and is typically used to restore volume in areas with significant facial volume loss, such as the cheeks and jawline. PLLA fillers can last up to two years and continue to work overtime to stimulate collagen production.
Fat Injections: Also known as facial fat grafting, this method uses a person’s fat to add volume and enhance facial contours. Cosmetic surgeons often use this option for those looking for a natural component that doesn’t require frequent maintenance.
Dermal fillers can be used to smooth out smile lines, marionette lines, frown lines, and vertical lines around the mouth. By restoring the skin’s structure and fullness, they provide a more youthful appearance.
The Role of Dermal Fillers in Combatting Facial Aging
As we age, our skin loses elasticity, collagen production slows down, and we begin to see deep wrinkles, sagging skin, and lost volume in areas that were once firm and plump.
This process is due to natural shifts in the skin’s connective tissue and fat distribution, reduced hydration, and changes in skin cells.
Dermal filler injections can counteract these effects by restoring lost volume and smoothing fine lines to create a rejuvenated appearance.
By choosing injectable dermal fillers, clients can experience a more youthful, refreshed look without the need for invasive surgical procedures.
What Happens When You Stop Getting Dermal Fillers?
While the effects of fillers are temporary, it’s common for clients to wonder what happens if they stop getting them altogether. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect when you discontinue filler treatments:
1. Gradual Return to Original Appearance
Since most HA and soft tissue fillers are temporary, stopping filler treatments allows the body to absorb the filler material naturally over time. This process leads to a gradual return to your pre-treatment appearance rather than any sudden change.
Depending on the type of filler used and the specific area, it may take 6 to 24 months to fill and treat deeper wrinkles.
2. Potential for More Noticeable Signs of Aging
When you stop getting fillers, the natural aging process continues. While fillers don’t accelerate aging, stopping them may make the signs of aging more noticeable as facial volume and structure diminish. Wrinkles, sagging skin, and skin folds that fillers were used to treat will slowly reappear.
It’s worth noting that fillers, especially hyaluronic acid ones, have been shown to stimulate collagen production somewhat. So, stopping them may not return you entirely to your pre-filler state but may lead to an increased appearance of aging over time.
3. Loss of Volume and Skin Elasticity
Fillers temporarily support the skin’s structure and connective tissues by adding volume where it has been lost. Once fillers dissolve, however, these areas may again lose volume, especially in regions affected by age-related changes like the cheeks, lips, and jawline.
Clients who discontinue filler injections may notice a loss of youthful fullness and a return to the appearance of thin lips, deep wrinkles, and hollow areas around the eyes or cheeks.
4. Returning to Natural Facial Anatomy
For clients concerned about looking “overfilled” or unnatural, stopping fillers allows the face to return to a more natural appearance over time. Since the filler gradually dissolves, this transition to one’s original facial anatomy is typically smooth and involves no drastic changes.
Options After Stopping Fillers: Maintaining a Youthful Appearance
If you’ve stopped receiving fillers but still wish to maintain a youthful look, several options can help you continue your skincare journey:
1. Skincare and Non-Invasive Treatments
Investing in a high-quality skincare routine with ingredients stimulating collagen, like retinoids and peptides, can help slow down aging signs. Clinical and aesthetic dermatology treatments, such as chemical peels, micro-needling, and laser therapy, can enhance skin’s texture, improve elasticity, and smooth fine lines.
2. Collagen-Stimulating Treatments
For clients seeking a boost in collagen production without fillers, treatments like microneedling and radiofrequency encourage the body’s collagen to renew the skin and smooth deep wrinkles naturally. These non-invasive options can help with wrinkle reduction and smoothing deep wrinkles.
3. Facial Fat Grafting and Fat Injections
If you’re interested in a more semi-permanent solution, facial fat grafting is an option that uses your fat to restore lost volume. Fat injections can provide a youthful appearance with long-lasting results, though they are more involved than dermal fillers and require recovery time.
Cosmetic surgeons can advise on whether this outpatient surgical procedure might suit your needs.
4. Non-Invasive Skin Tightening
Non-invasive skin tightening treatments like ultrasound therapy can help maintain facial contours and lift areas where sagging skin becomes more apparent. After stopping fillers, these non-invasive treatments can offer subtle, gradual improvement for those concerned about skin laxity.
Benefits of Dermal Fillers and Why People Choose Them
Dermal fillers are popular because they provide effective, customizable, and safe solutions to various aging concerns without surgery. At Beauty Aesthetics Toronto, our cosmetic and plastic surgeons and specialists offer various filler options to achieve natural-looking results. Here are some key benefits of filler injections:
- Immediate Results: Filler injections offer quick results, allowing clients to see an immediate improvement in facial volume, smoothness, and overall appearance.
- Customizable: Fillers allow for personalized treatment plans, helping clients achieve the best possible enhancement for their unique facial features.
- Natural Components: Many fillers, such as hyaluronic acid fillers, use a naturally occurring component, which makes them safe and well-accepted by the body.
- Minimal Downtime: Most dermal filler procedures are quick outpatient procedures with minimal recovery time, making them convenient for those with busy schedules.
Are Dermal Fillers Right for You?
For those considering fillers, the best first step is to consult a trusted specialist, such as the cosmetic surgeons and skilled team at Beauty Aesthetics Toronto. During a free consultation with a cosmetic surgeon, patients can discuss their goals, concerns, and preferences to determine whether fillers align with their needs.
If you’re worried about the maintenance or long-term effects of fillers, our team can help you weigh the pros and cons and explore alternative options that may better suit your lifestyle or beauty goals.
Closing Thoughts: Embrace Your Natural Beauty, With or Without Fillers
Choosing to stop fillers doesn’t mean losing the beauty and confidence you’ve cultivated. Whether you continue with fillers or embrace alternative methods, there are countless ways to age gracefully and maintain a natural appearance.
At Beauty Aesthetics Toronto, we’re dedicated to helping clients find the path to self-confidence that suits them best. We offer personalized advice, knowledge, and the highest standard of care.
Ready to explore your options? Contact Beauty Aesthetics Toronto today to book your consultation and take the first step towards maintaining your radiant, youthful look—no matter where you are in your skincare journey.
