Dermal fillers

Most hyaluronic acid fillers last 6 to 18 months, depending on the product and the area. Lips and the mouth break down faster than cheeks or jawline. Biostimulators such as poly-L-lactic acid can last around 2 years.

Conservative dosing in the right hands reads as a well-rested version of you, not a different face. Overfilling is the main reason results look obvious, which is why we often stage appointments rather than do a lot at once.

Most fillers contain a built-in numbing agent, and we apply a topical anaesthetic beforehand. You feel pressure and a brief sting. Most people describe it as tolerable rather than painful.

Hyaluronic acid fillers can be dissolved within minutes using an enzyme called hyaluronidase. Calcium hydroxylapatite and biostimulator fillers cannot be reversed and must wear off naturally, so we choose them carefully.

Filler is a day case, so the trip is short — about 3 days, with 1 in-clinic review before you fly. The reason to stay local is safety, not luxury: rare vascular problems appear within minutes to hours, and being nearby means we can treat them promptly. Talk to the surgeon before you travel.

Light activity is fine the same day. Short flights are usually fine after a day or two, but we prefer you wait about 7 days where you can, since cabin pressure can briefly worsen swelling.

A good consultation looks at facial balance rather than treating one line in isolation. Many people start with one to two syringes and reassess at 2 weeks before deciding whether to add more.

Filler is postponed or avoided if you have an allergy to any filler ingredient, an active cold sore or skin infection near the area, a connective tissue disease, or undiagnosed or uncontrolled diabetes. Realistic expectations about what an injectable can change matter just as much — the consultation is where we confirm both.

Apply ice packs or a cold compress on and off through the first 24 to 48 hours to ease swelling and discomfort. Beyond that no special regimen is needed — consistent skin care and a balanced diet help the result last as long as it can.

Yes. Filler restores volume but does not lift loose tissue, so patients with more skin laxity sometimes pair jawline filler with a facelift for a more defined, longer-lasting result. The consultation covers whether one, the other, or both fit your anatomy.

PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) is a permanent filler made of non-absorbable microspheres. Because it cannot be dissolved or adjusted if a problem develops, we work with resorbable options instead — hyaluronic acid, calcium hydroxylapatite, and poly-L-lactic acid.

It adds volume along the jaw, defines the transition between jawline and neck, and gives the angle of the jaw a sharper, cleaner line. It can also even out mild asymmetry and soften the look of early laxity and fine lines around the jaw — but it does not lift genuinely loose skin.

It can smooth mild jowling and sharpen the border around a small fat pad, which is often enough. But where there is a genuine double chin or real skin laxity, filler only adds weight to a lower face that is already heavy — submental liposuction removes the fat, and a neck lift or facelift repositions the muscle layer and takes up loose skin. The consultation is where we say which of the three you actually need.

Filler suits mild asymmetry, early jowling, and modest chin height, and it is reversible — many people use it as a test drive before committing to anything permanent. An implant is the honest answer for a chin set well back, because correcting real bone recession with injectable volume takes so much product that the result turns soft and puffy rather than sharp. Practically, filler is a short outpatient visit, while an implant means a 5 to 7 day trip covering consultation, surgery, and post-op checks before you fly.

The implant sits in a pocket cut to its exact shape directly on the bone, beneath the muscle, and is anchored with fine medical screws. That fixation is what stops it sliding, and it is why the pocket is made no larger than it needs to be. Shifting is uncommon, and where it happens it is corrected by the same route inside the mouth.

Expect noticeable swelling and a tight sensation across the lower face for the first 3 to 5 days. Because the incisions are inside the mouth, you stay on liquids and soft food for 5 to 7 days and rinse with a prescribed antiseptic mouthwash after every meal to protect the stitches. Most people are back at desk work at 7 to 10 days, and the final contour appears as the last swelling fades over 3 to 6 months.

The technique is the same; the shape being aimed at is not. A male jawline is usually asked to read wider and more angular through the mandible, with a strong chin carrying the lower face. A female jawline is more often asked for a smooth, uninterrupted line from the earlobe down to a finer, contoured chin that balances the mid-face. It comes down to where the volume is placed and how much of it — which is what the consultation settles before anything is injected.

Implant surgery is done under general anaesthesia or deep twilight sedation — filler itself needs only topical numbing. The micro-incisions sit inside the lower lip and are closed with self-dissolving oral sutures, so there is no external scar and no stitches to come out later.