Beauty

Facial fillers: All you need to know about looking fresh (not fake)

A little goes a long way

08.08.2017

By Terry Saw

Facial fillers: All you need to know about looking fresh (not fake)

“I’ve had all my fillers dissolved,” Courtney Cox bravely admits in an interview with New Beauty recently. Cox, 53, is among a string of celebs including Kylie Minogue, Gwenyth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, Sharon Osbourne and Nicole Kidman to hop off the ‘youth chasing’ bandwagon, ditching their obsession for facial fillers in favour of ageing naturally and more gracefully.

Cox also wore her heart on her sleeve in a Running Wild with Bear Grylls episode on the pressures of fame and unrealistic Hollywood expectations, which, luckily for us, we will not have to experience in this lifetime, but what does it leave the rest of us who may still want to give fillers a go for a little natural-looking boost to the skin without risking the potential addiction these celebrities have unknowingly developed over time?

We speak to Medical Director and Founder of Astute Clinic, Dr. Jason Yip on what to expect and how to toe the line when it comes to facial aesthetics procedures.

If fillers are so effective and supposedly natural looking, why are more people looking to reverse the effects of this procedure?

“Unfortunately in the western counterparts, there is a long list of celebrities and impressionable populations who have gone a little too far with facial fillers. They end up with rubber ducky lips or looking puffy-faced (over-filled syndrome), which is when you see facial expressions looking unnaturally tight or frozen after undergoing too many botox procedures. That seems to be the trend and it’s no surprise that they would eventually seek to revert to their original look, so as to not look ‘fake’ and look more like their natural self.

“However, a majority of patients out there who have had fillers done do look natural and, can and do look normal. In my current practice, we have never had any patients asking for reversion of fillers, simply because our goal is to ensure the results are always natural. We help our customers achieve a look that is younger and fresher – but ever so subtle so as to maintain their natural look. Hence we help them look better, not different.”

 

Is it possible to develop a resistance to fillers over time, hence fueling a possible addiction?

“There have not been any cases of filler resistance that I am aware of. In fact, some multiple sessions with some of my regular patients whom I’ve injected fillers into for years have shown improvement in their skin quality overtime with less wrinkles and sagging skin. Hyaluronic fillers have also been proven to stimulate local collagen production where they are injected.

“Filler degradation depends on the host – the patient’s lifestyle and metabolism rate, and also the character of the filler itself. To put it as simply as possible, the denser and highly cross-linked type fillers, the longer it lasts in the skin. Also, some patients can metabolize fillers more quickly than others, so the fillers also degrade more quickly.”

 

What are some of the different parts customers are requesting for fillers today?

“Basically anywhere you can think of: the joints, ear lobes, breasts, buttocks, penis, and even the labia.”

 

What are some of the treatments you offer or would recommend to someone who’s new to this, but still wanting to remain looking as natural as possible?

“I specialise in facial rejuvenation mostly, and so my focus is more on injectables to the face. The use of these facial fillers is to sculpt, contour, improve, lift and tighten saggy and tired skin, fill scars, plumping and restore suppleness to skin.

“At Astute, we use the Juvéderm® filler; a Hyaluronic Acid (naturally occurring sugar found in the body) based filler, which I personally think is one of the best in the market at present. It’s very consistent, has good lifting capacity and blends in very nicely with the skin giving very nice natural results. It can be used to treat and correct moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds, plump sunken areas of the face, augment to increase attractiveness, erase negative emotions such as sadness, fatigue, or generally just to make one look fresher and more rejuvenated. My patients are able to achieve more young-looking, natural results with immediate and long-lasting effects.”

 

Still have questions? Always consult a professional aesthetics doctor before making a decision. Private consultations are available with Dr. Jason Yip by appointment only at Astute Clinic, DC Mall. T: +603 2856 6188 / M: +6019 2211229

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