Dermal Fillers

Hyaluronic acid is found naturally in skin, where each molecule holds many times its own weight in water. In a dermal filler it is cross-linked into a smooth gel that keeps its shape once placed. Different gels have different firmness: a soft, flexible gel suits the lips and tear trough, while a firmer gel gives structure to the chin, jawline or cheeks. Helena chooses the gel for each area at your consultation.

Over months the body gradually breaks the gel down, so results are temporary and can be refreshed, adjusted or simply left to fade.

The lips are treated for shape and hydration as much as for size. Marionette lines and nasolabial folds appear where volume loss higher in the face lets the skin fold, and respond to support placed above them as well as into the line itself. The chin and jawline can be balanced to bring proportion to the profile. Temples and cheeks hollow with age and can make the whole face look tired. In the tear trough, a careful placement can soften shadows under the eyes with little to no downtime.

When several areas are treated together to balance the face as a whole, Helena calls it facial harmonisation and plans it as a sequence over more than one visit.

Treatment follows your initial consultation, where Helena will have taken your medical history, assessed your face and agreed the plan with you. On the day she cleans the skin, marks the area and applies numbing cream if needed; most hyaluronic acid fillers also contain a local anaesthetic. The gel is placed in small amounts with a fine needle or a blunt cannula, checking the result as she goes. Each area takes up to an hour.

You will see the change immediately, though mild swelling can exaggerate it for the first few days. The settled result is usually visible at around two weeks.

Yes. One advantage of hyaluronic acid fillers is that, where clinically appropriate, they can be dissolved with hyaluronidase, an enzyme that breaks the gel down within a day or two. Hyaluronidase is a prescription-only medicine, so dissolving is arranged by a prescriber after a face-to-face assessment. It is rarely needed, but knowing the option exists is reassuring for people having filler for the first time.

Results vary between individuals, and most filler simply fades on its own over 6 to 18 months depending on the area and the gel used.