The procedure varies with the filler your dermatologist will use, the part of the body to be treated, and your medical history. Here are some general guidelines about what you can expect:

• Most filler treatments take between 15 and 30 minutes and require one office visit.
• Before getting the injections, you may need ice, an anesthetic applied to the skin, or a nerve block (an injection). This varies with the filler and area to be treated. Hands generally do not need anesthesia; lips often require a nerve block.
• The filler is then injected into the area, often giving you several injections to produce the best results.
• You may feel a stinging or burning sensation as the filler is injected.
• A few fillers require allergy testing to make sure you do not have an allergic reaction.
• If you need allergy testing, you must wait for the results from the allergy test before you can get the filler.
• If your own fat will be used as a filler, the entire treatment can often be completed in one day. You will first have a procedure called tumescent liposuction, which safely removes a small amount of fat from another area of your body. The fat removed from your body is then processed so that it can be injected into the area that needs more fullness.

Most patients can return to their everyday activities after leaving the office. To reduce any redness and swelling from the injections, your dermatologist may recommend icing the area for 15 to 20 minutes before you leave. Before you leave the office, you should be able to apply makeup.

• Wait until the next day to exercise or do any other strenuous activity.
• Stay out of the sun and do not use a tanning bed or other type of indoor tanning.
• Avoid touching the treated area for three days, unless you receive instructions to massage the area.
• One filler, poly-L-lactic acid, requires you to gently massage the treated area for about 5 minutes several times a day for 1 to 2 weeks. Your dermatologist will tell you if you need to massage the area.

This varies with the filler. Most fillers do not cause downtime. Be sure to ask your injector whether you will have downtime. Some bruising, redness, and swelling is to be expected but can be lessened by taking arnica and eating fresh pineapple. Prior to having injectables it is advised to avoid using vitamin E and Ibuprofen as they cause thinning of the blood and create more bruising.

This also varies with the filler. Most fillers fill the skin, so they produce immediate—or close to immediate—results. A filler also can stimulate your body to produce collagen, but this takes time.

To get natural-looking results, the person injecting the filler must have expertise in placing the filler. It is best to take a conservative approach to increasing volume and fuller lips for a more natural look.

Most fillers offer temporary results and require repeat treatments to maintain the results. Temporary fillers offer one key advantage. These can be injected as needed to replace lost fullness. This is advantageous because no matter what we do, our skin continues to age. Other stimulators last longer as they increase your own collagen and elastin. Fat transfer generally lasts approx. Three years or longer.