By Nasrin Mani, M.D.
When you first look at someone, the eyes should be the first feature you notice. As facial contours change with age, or there are genetic factors in place, the eye area loses its draw and the attention shifts downward. Fillers reverse or correct existing volume deficiencies easily and in many cases instantly.
To bring attention back to the eye, the key focus areas for fillers include
- the temples
- submalar (midface) area
- hollowing around the eye
What generally happens in aging is a loss of volume. When volume is replaced, then the other age issues are far less apparent. Folds can sometimes be entirely eliminated by restoring the volume above them – both filling and lifting.
Selecting the right filler is as important as selecting the right location for placement.
- Under eye hollowing is best accomplished with Restylane instead of Juvederm when choosing a Hyaluronic gel so there is no Tyndall effect (blue cast)
- Temples can be re-volumized with a variety of gel fillers or Sculptra. Voluma is a new entry into long term fillers and is a potential choice in this area.
- Overall facial volume issues are excellently treated with Sculptra since this product creates a self-collagen building response. For athletes who tend to have thinner faces, Sculptra is the magic “go to”.
- New Voluma is the most recent entry into the filler family and is a midface and cheek product that lasts up to 2 years!
- Artefill can be a long term option for specific facial areas for the experienced filler patient
Once volume issues are taken care of, it’s much easier to tweak results with more superficial injections that minimize wrinkles and lines (Belotero comes to mind for fine wrinkles.)
Although it’s tempting to self-select fillers based on what you may have read in magazines – or based on price – in the end, the best and most lasting results are based on selecting the right area to fill and selecting the right filler for that area.