Fillers vs. Facelift – Which is right for you?
Whilst dermal fillers and facelifts both have one common goal – to help you look more youthful and refreshed – they are two very different routes of treatment. Cosmetic surgery involves scalpels, anaesthesia, time spent in the hospital, and a fair amount of recovery time afterwards. On the other hand, injectables are non-invasive treatments that usually take under an hour to perform, and you should be able to resume normal daily activities afterwards.
If you’re concerned about facial ageing and wish to fight the effects of gravity, you may be considering either dermal filler or facelift treatments. Knowing the differences between the two is the first step in deciding which is the best option for you.
What happens to the face as we age?
As we age, the skin becomes less firm and springy as the production of collagen (which keeps it firm) and elastin (which keeps it bouncy) decreases. This occurs because of several factors, such as sun exposure, the constant movement of facial muscles and general ageing. The decrease in collagen and elastin starts in your mid-twenties, picks up speed in your forties, and becomes unavoidably apparent in your fifties or around the time of menopause, when the drop in hormone levels means that collagen production tails right off. This reduction in collagen and elastin means that the skin doesn’t bounce back so quickly from being pulled into expressions and becomes wrinkled more easily.
Do I need dermal fillers or a facelift?
Revolumising the face can work wonders to restore youthful softness, and this is where facial fillers, gels that are injected into the face, come in. You may have heard of ‘liquid facelifts’ or the ‘8-point facelift’ which involve the strategic placement of dermal fillers in various areas of the face to rebuild lost volume, balance features and lift its contours.
They can be used to replace lost volume in the cheeks and lips, the hollows under the eyes, and the temples (an area that you not many notice but becomes more hollow as we age). Hyaluronic acid fillers sit beneath the skin and attract water which helps them hold their shape and, over the following weeks, integrate with your skin’s tissues and become part of your face. They can also smooth and reshape a bumpy nose, lift the eyebrows, or add structure to a face by strengthening a weak chin or an ageing jawline.
They’re also helpful in balancing asymmetry – sometimes, adding just a spot of filler in the right please can even things out and help you look more balanced.
Fillers will last between six and eighteen months before they are broken down by the body, depending on the type of filler used, where it was injected, and your own metabolism.
On the other hand, a facelift is an invasive surgical procedure that reverses many of the signs typically associated with facial ageing. In particular, it can remove excess skin and reposition the deeper tissues in the face. There are several facelift procedures and techniques, and they may also be combined with a neck lift or eyelid surgery for optimum results.
A good candidate for a facelift is a mature patient concerned about facial ageing but whose skin still has some flexibility so it can ‘snap’ back to its facial contours.
Dermal fillers are ideal for those with mild to moderate sagging and can also be combined with non-surgical skin tightening procedures such as the Profound RF, which works exceptionally well in combination with injectables because whilst one is lifting and providing structure to the facial contours, the other tightens and smoothes loose skin and pulls everything back to its rightful place.
Ultimately, the treatment for your requirements is up to you and your practitioner, but it also depends on your individual concerns and the results you’d like to achieve. If you’re starting to see the effects of skin laxity, a slight tweak with fillers may be all you need to rebalance the area. However, if the effects of loose skin are more pronounced, the Profound RF is in a league on its own when it comes to non-surgical skin tightening.
And if your ageing concerns are more severe, you may see optimal results with a surgical facelift.
When choosing the right procedure for you, it’s essential to do your research, read articles, speak to qualified medical professionals and most importantly, read patient reviews. If you’d like to talk to a practitioner about our various non-surgical treatment options, you can book a consultation here.
Disclaimer: Please be aware that results and benefits may vary from patient to patient taking into consideration factors such as age, lifestyle and medical history.
