Filler Touch-Ups: When You Need Them and When You Don’t

Dermal fillers offer to refresh your appearance by plumping your lips, reducing wrinkles, or refining facial contours. The results might look appealing, but most fillers eventually dissolve or disperse. You’ll need touch-ups if you want to maintain them. 

At Pure Bliss Medspa in Sandy Springs, Georgia, aesthetic nurse practitioner Asha Hill, NP, uses gel-like Juvéderm® fillers to refresh your appearance according to your specifications. Juvéderm fillers can last for over a year and give you natural-looking results. 

Maybe your original results have faded, or perhaps you want your fillers to provide a more dramatic change. Either way, you might be considering filler touch-ups. Here’s everything you need to know about touching up your fillers.

Why fillers aren’t permanent

Juvéderm fillers are primarily made of hyaluronic acid (HA), a substance that exists naturally in your skin, joints, and eyes. HA attracts water molecules, which helps it keep certain parts of your body plump and lubricated.

Your body eventually metabolizes (breaks down) the injected HA filler, which is why results aren’t permanent. At that point, you can usually get more fillers to refresh the result if you decide to do so.

Factors that matter

Several factors can influence how long HA fillers last in your skin. 

Filler type

While all Juvéderm fillers are HA-based, they’re not all exactly alike. Pure Bliss Medspa offers several Juvéderm products including Juvéderm XC for moderate-to-deep wrinkles, Juvéderm Ultra Plus XC for deep wrinkles, and Juvéderm Voluma XC to boost and volumize the cheeks. 

Juvéderm Voluma lasts for about two years, but you can get touch-ups at the one-year mark. Ultra and Ultra Plus last for about a year, but you can get touch-ups at 6-9 months. Talk to Asha about which filler you have and when to consider filler touch-ups.

Filler location

Where you place the filler also impacts how long it lasts. For example, filler in the lips doesn’t typically last as long as filler in the cheeks or nasolabial folds.

Areas that move a lot tend to hold fillers for the least amount of time. That’s why your lips, which move when you speak, don’t stay plump as long as other areas.

Aftercare

There are steps you can take to help your fillers last so you can delay getting touch-ups. Maximize the life of your fillers by avoiding activities that cause them to break down, like smoking or spending too much time in the sun. 

When to avoid filler touch-ups

Sometimes it’s best to avoid getting more filler. You should wait a little longer for a touch-up if your results still look like they did initially as getting too much filler at once can lead to filler fatigue, or more wrinkling and sagging in the treatment area. 

You should also avoid getting more filler if you still have side effects from the initial treatment like bruising or swelling. Skin problems unrelated to your fillers, like a sunburn, can also delay your touch-up time. 

Is it time for a touch-up? 

Asha can help you decide if it’s time for filler touch-ups or if you can hold off for a while longer. Call Pure Bliss Medspa at 678-515-3653 or book your visit online today.