The choice you make affects the outcome. Permanent fillers are made of silicone, and while they may seem attractive due to their supposed lifetime duration, they cannot be easily adjusted. Over time, aging will affect the skin and bones, and facial bones will shrink and atrophy. This is why Juvederm treatment is long-lasting, but not permanent.
The body naturally breaks down the filler over time, and it can also be dissolved with a simple administration of hyaluronidase. This offers the long-term effects of a more permanent filler without the irreversible compromise. Dermal fillers are a popular way to rejuvenate a face with reduced volume or to improve certain facial features, such as the lips or cheekbones. In the past 10 to 15 years, the number of minimally invasive cosmetic procedures performed in the US has grown exponentially.
Millions of dermal filler injections are performed each year in the US alone. There are many excellent dermal fillers on the market today, each with unique features. As minimally invasive procedures become more popular, the FDA is developing and approving new dermal fillers relatively regularly. When it comes to determining which filler may be best for a person's needs, most patients want to know how long a filler will last on their face once injected. Fillers are commonly classified as temporary, semi-permanent, or permanent.
Hyaluronic acid fillers such as Restylane or Juvederm are considered temporary and last from 6 months to 2 years depending on the filler used and the location of the injection. Temporary fillers require repeated injections to maintain the desired result. Radiesse (calcium hydroxylapatite) and Sculptra (poly-L-lactic acid) are commonly considered semi-permanent fillers, but they generally last 18 to 24 months and resorb over time. As facial movement increases in areas such as the lips or cheeks, it causes the filler to break down and dissolve at a faster rate. Approved fillers based on temporary filling solutions are superior for numerous reasons compared to permanent filling options or even lip augmentation surgery. One of the disadvantages of permanent fillers is that there have been reports that a single injection of a permanent filler can develop foreign body-like cells, such as nodules. Temporary dermal fillers and anti-wrinkle injections can be modified to accommodate natural facial changes over time. When patients return after 3 weeks of receiving a dermal lip filler treatment and say that the dermal filler is “gone”, it is usually because it has not dissolved.
Dr. Mobin Master points out that dermal filler can last much longer than dermal filler brands say. Permanent fillers leave no room for growth, adjustment, or manipulation as an individual changes or when other parts of the face and facial bones begin to atrophy. With more people choosing to undergo dermal filler treatments, there is a misconception that “the more dermal fillers are injected, the better”.
