Dr. Dean Kane Fillers Q & A
Q. Is my skin just too thin for fillers? I’m 36 years old and am dealing with reduced volume in the tear trough area. Over the past few years, I’ve gotten Restylane and Juvederm fillers from three different doctors. Every time resulted in noticeable lumps that needed to be dissolved. I’ve also regularly received fillers for the nasolabial folds; those have worked really nicely and I plan to continue getting them. Should I take this as a sign that my under eye area is simply too thin for fillers, or is there something I’m missing?
A. This is common concern. Thin skin does make it tougher to hide the positive qualities of hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers but there are other issues to consider:
- while the molecule used in HA fillers is the same, the chemical linking and cleaving of the molecules promote the individual projection, fill or spread of the product and therefore its interaction in your tissues.
- each injector has a wide breadth of experience, knowledge, talent and skill.
- each injector will choose a different grouping of fillers for patient injection
- each patient is different with less or more challenging concerns and desires.
That said,
- smoother, less linked and smaller particle HA’s do best in thinner dermal skin like that in the tear trough.
- more projecting HA particles belong deep near the bone, and
- more volumizing fillers generally do best in the subcutaneous, subdermal and muscle layers.
- Such layering and choice of the proper HA product leads to the best results.
- Each injector will have their own techniques and experience to achieve the desired result.
Choose your injector(s) wisely. There are other options to consider in facial filling, skin firming and overall anti-aging. In general, a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, ENT Facial Surgeon or Dermatologist will have better understanding of the use of these evolving facial fillers.
