Natural ageing can be a bit hard to accept. We all think we're going to do it gracefully but, when it actually comes to it, most of us search for ways to slow it down.
For those who don't wish to go under the knife, non-surgical treatments such as dermal fillers are a great choice. These safe and proven fillers can be used to treat facial areas, to temporarily add volume.
Cheek Fillers are particularly popular as they can make a huge difference to your overall appearance. Sometimes referred to as cheek enhancement, this treatment can improve the look of cheeks that have started to sag, or become sunken or hollow.
Defining the cheekbones has always been an important part of looking good. They give the face definition and make us appear younger and slimmer. Cheek fillers can help highlight the cheekbones.
Your cosmetic consultant will usually inject the dermal filler from the inside, filling in lost volume and giving you rounder cheeks. The added bonus here is that the treatment can also smooth out fine lines and wrinkles in the surrounding skin.
Cheek fillers are suitable for men and women. Ideally, you'll be in good overall health and not overweight. For some people, dermal fillers like this are a trial run before committing to surgery. For most, however, the great looking results are enough to keep them coming back.
Unlike surgical facelifts, dermal filler treatments are fast and require no general anaesthetic or downtime. Cheek fillers take around 30 minutes. Treatment should always be carried out at a spa or clinic that specialises in cosmetic injectables.
Once the filler has been injected your consultant will massage the treatment area to achieve a natural-looking result. You may experience a little tenderness or swelling afterwards but this should disappear in a couple of days.
A few patients experience temporary bruising from the cheek area up towards the eye. A little concealer will quickly cover this up.
As with all dermal fillers, today's cosmetic specialists prefer to use non-permanent products. It's much safer and, if you don't like the results, you know you're not stuck with it. In some cases, treatment can even be reversed.
Despite being non-permanent you should still get a good 6 to 12 months out of each treatment.
Most cheek fillers now are made from hyaluronic gel. This is a natural sugar that is already present in our bodies. Cosmetic injectables are designed to replicate the function of this substance, restoring volume in the face.
It's believed that the injections themselves can boost collagen production. This helps make the treatment even more successful. The reason our faces start to sag and sink is that our body's ability to produce collagen and elastin slows down with age.
The choice of dermal filler depends on the area being treated. For example, a much softer product is used for the lips. In the cheeks, however, a much denser product is required, as it is being used to provide structural reinforcement.
When you book in with a cosmetic specialist for a consultation, he or she will most probably recommend combining cheek fillers with anti-wrinkle injections. It's a good combination and will give you longer lasting results.
The Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons says the use of dermal fillers and anti-wrinkle injections is on the rise because they are immediate, cheaper and require minimal downtime compared with surgery. They also offer more natural-looking results.
It seems most of us want to look years younger but we don't want it to be obvious that we've had treatment. The secret is not to leave it too late. We may think we don't need treatment until the lines and sagging get really bad but prevention is better than cure. The experts say we should seek treatment when wrinkles start to appear to better slow down the ageing process.
If you'd like to learn more about cheek fillers find a consultant in your area on Bookwell.