Lets dig into FACTS_Circulating stories about filler side-effects

Hello, this is your Dr.Kim from Gowoonmom Clinic. 

Today, I want to address some scary stories that speculate around fillers and fillers moving around the body freely. 

Regardless of the area, one of the most commonly asked questions regarding filler side effects are ... 

"Doesn't the face turn weird after a while with the filler moving downwards?"

My answer is..

"NEVER! NEVER do fillers move downward." 

It's funny though isn't it? 

If this is the case, where did the rumor of fillers falling downward come from?

From now, I'll dig into the truth and lies of such speculation. 

<<<<<<<<<<Truth 1 about filler side-effects>>>>>>>>>>>

There are things we need to know about aging first. 

It's very natural for changes to occur in the face area. 

We say 'saggy skin' as slang, but more incredible things happen inside the skin. 

Our facial bones become thinner and become smaller.

The muscle layer also becomes thinner causing wrinkles. 

As fat shrinks, the fibroblasts supporting adipose tissue stretch and droop down. 

Naturally, the skin becomes thinner and saggy, as you know.

To introduce a study that focused on the changes that come with aging...

(Lambros V. Facial Aging: A 45-year, 3D population study. Plast. Recons. Surg. 145:921, 2020) 

You can differentiate the one in their 20s and 70s, right? The change seems very natural (apparently it's the average face of a person in their 20s and 70s) 

The procedures we call lifting, anti-aging, focus on restoring all of the above tissues and moving each tissue back to where it used to be.

Relaxation (Botox removes muscle wrinkles)

Refilling (Fill areas that have less volume due to bone and fat reduction through filler or fat transplantation)

Reposition (Replace the sagging fat/muscle/skin layer upward through thread lifting)

Resurfacing (Use a laser to soften the uneven skin surface that occurred due to wrinkle pores)

Among these, please focus on 'Refilling'. 

"Let's say someone lost fat in their cheeks after entering their 40s and put in fillers 'that last permanently'" 

Let's say they put it in their front cheeks and side cheeks. 

Question) How will this person's face turn when they hit their 50s? 

<Hint> 

Let's take a look at the most obvious changes we could observe in the face of someone in their 20s and 70s 

Changes in front cheeks create laugh lines and side cheeks turn into marionette wrinkles.

I'll ask the question again) 

What will happen to the fillers put in the front and side cheeks after 10 years? 

(As I said 'permanent' fillers before, it won't disappear) 

Answer: 

It goes down together with the fat tissue, muscle tissue, and skin tissue that held the filler. This makes sagging tissue more prominent than people who have aged without any treatment.

Hold up! Some could say it is in fact the filler that moves down.

But it's actually the tissues that held the filler moving. 

But aging looks more prominent as the saggy area has more volume. 

I want to stress once again that it's not the filler that moved, but the tissue that held the filler that moved. 

So the lesson here is not to use permanent fillers. 

The representative procedure for permanent fillers is 'fat transplants'. 

Of course, the lasting period for fat transplants is different depending on the person. Some say it lasts 6 months, and some say it's still the same after 10 years. 

It won't be much of an issue if it goes away in a month, but if it sticks well and it lasts even when you're 90, imagine how saggy the heavy area will be. 

So the conclusion is to not receive permanent fillers or fat transplants in areas that show obvious tissue movement! 

(This is only a personal opinion) 

Areas such as the forehead and chin doesn't have much tissue movement, so it doesn't really matter if you receive fat transplants or permanent fillers. 

But let's use hyaluronic acid fillers for areas that have obvious tissue movements. That's how we can respond to the constantly changing face and aging. 

<<<<<<<<<<Truth 2 about filler side-effects>>>>>>>>>>>

There was a filler named 'Amazing Gel' that was once sold in China. 

Despite the official approval from China's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, there were constant side effects because the filler kept moving in the body. 

So there was a filler that actually moved around the body (although they're not in the market anymore) 

Fillers that were put in the cheeks fell down to the neck area, and fillers put in breasts went down to the stomach area. Not only did it move, but it created infections all over the body. Can't believe such filler was actually approved by the government...this is why Chinese people can't trust Chinese-made fillers. 

Have your mysteries been solved now?

Don't be scared without knowing the facts!