How Many Syringes of Dermal Filler do you Need?

It has been documented that after the age of 35 we lose approximately 5 to 10% of facial volume every 5 to 10 years. While lifestyle and genetics can determine how old someone looks, and make a younger person appear older than their years and vice versa, in general the rule of thumb is that one syringe is used per decade of life. For instance, that would mean that a woman of 30 would benefit from an average of 3 syringes, while a woman of 40 would need an average of 4 syringes, and so on.

Not only do we lose facial volume with age, but the natural supports of the face slowly begin to deteriorate, leading to a transformation in facial features, many of which can be improved by the addition of dermal fillers. Overall, the aging face transforms from the “Triangle of Youth” to the “Square Face of Age”, in which the volume which was concentrated in the mid-face in one’s youth, slowly descends to the lower face. More specifically, facial aging includes the development of:

• Deflated temples
• Hollow teartroughs
• Eyebags
• Flattened cheeks
• Sunken midface
• Nasolabial folds
• Jowls
• Marionette lines

DESIRED RESULT:

The amount of dermal filler you will need also depends on the aesthetic that you are hoping to achieve. Many people prefer a more natural look, but there are some patients who want certain facial characteristics to be more prominent. For instance, one person with thin lips may be content with a small amount of lip filler, while another person with thin lips may want a lot of lip filler to create full, luscious lips.

Many people are impressed with the dramatic transformations their favourite celebrities undergo over the years. Oftentimes, a celebrity’s before photo is extremely different from their after photo. Many of them have not only turned to plastic surgery to improve their appearance, they have also continually invested in a significant amount of filler to achieve their desired look. Some patients think that they can just receive one syringe of filler and get dramatic results such as those achieved by celebrities, when in fact, a major change would require many more syringes, which is often prohibitively expensive.

FACIAL ANATOMY:

Everyone has different facial characteristics and will therefore benefit from different dermal filler placement. For instance, someone with a long, narrow face will likely have flatter cheekbones, and would need to have a more significant amount of dermal filler placed in their cheekbones to provide fullness to the mid-face. Someone with thin lips will usually request lip fillers, while some patients have full lips naturally, and can ther