It seems soft tissue fillers are the sporks of aesthetic medicine. Their handy dual purpose was revealed in a study exploring how dermal fillers volumise and lift.
Injectable fillers are generally used – and licensed – for adding volume to lines and folds, as well as for lip augmentation. These new findings confirm anecdotal reports that fillers can also provide lift during facial rejuvenation treatments.
“Quantifiable, objective” cadaver study
Published in the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery journal, this international study involved doctors from Saudi Arabia, Germany and the USA.
Due to what the team felt was a “dearth of objective data” in this area, this cadaveric study aimed to produce “quantifiable, objective” research.
It involved 20 hemifaces obtained from 10 newly deceased Caucasian body donors. Of these, there were seven women and three men, with a mean age of 83.5 ± 6.8 years.
Each half face was injectected with dermal fillers and the effects were assessed afterwards using three dimensional surface scanners.
Fillers “can induce lifting”
Results showed that injections “increased the local surface volume” in all but one area and “created local (but not regional) lifting effects”.
The findings were recorded as follows:
Medial face injections:
| Area | Increase in Local Surface Volume (cc) | Lift amount (mm) |
| Forehead | 0.67 | 1.11 |
| Medial mid-face | 0.56 | 0.11 |
| Perioral regions* | 0.87 | 0.74 |
Lateral face injections:
| Area | Increase in Local Surface Volume (cc) | Lift amount (mm) |
| Temple | 0.45 | 0.57 |
| Lateral mid-face | 0.02 | 0.81 |
| Jawline | -0.38 | 0.29 |
It was also noted that the lateral face injections “created additional regional lifting effects by co-influencing neighboring lateral facial regions, which was not observed for medial face injections.”
What this means for injectors
The study authors concluded, therefore, that dermal fillers do both volumise and lift, stating:
“Whereas temporal deep supraperiosteal injections have limited lifting effects, the combined effects of subdermal injections of the temple, lateral midface, and mandibular angle can induce lifting effects of the total lateral face.”
This has a number of ramifications for injectors, one being considering this when a patient requests both filler and botulinum toxin.
Due to the potential lift soft tissue fillers can give, depending on the areas involved, it can be worthwhile administering filler first. This is because the lifting effect may reduce the amount of botox required.
The Harley Academy Level 7 Diploma in Botox and Dermal Fillers will equip you with the knowledge and practical skills to determine where to treat and in which order. This high level, hands-on training will give you a thorough grounding in the most popular injectables. From facial anatomy and how to avoid complications, to choosing the correct product and needle techniques.
Our expert trainers will provide you with a Master’s-level education in aesthetic medicine, so you can go on to practice safely and effectively, using these tools to create ethical aesthetics artistry.
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