Dermal Fillers: Achieving Natural, Subtle Results

What Makes A Dermal Filler Treatment Look Natural?

One of the most common concerns we hear from patients considering dermal fillers is that they do not want to look as though they have had filler.

It is an understandable concern. Exaggerated lips, excessively prominent cheeks and the characteristic “overfilled” face are highly visible. Subtle, well-performed filler treatment is much less noticeable, precisely because it does not announce itself.

We have discussed this before in Dermal Fillers. The Problem with Only Noticing the Bad Ones.

But what actually makes the difference between filler that looks natural and filler that looks obvious?

It is not simply a question of using less. Natural-looking dermal filler depends on understanding facial anatomy, proportion and ageing, and using filler only where it improves the balance of the face.

Natural-Looking Filler Is Not Simply About Adding Volume

The face changes gradually as we age.

We lose collagen and elasticity, but ageing also affects the deeper structures of the face. Fat changes in both volume and distribution, and the underlying bone itself changes. The support that once helped maintain facial contours therefore becomes reduced.

The result may be flattening of the cheeks, hollowing, deeper folds around the mouth or a less clearly defined jawline.

Dermal filler can restore some of this lost support. That is very different from simply making an area bigger.

Used thoughtfully, filler can replace a relatively small amount of volume in a strategically important area and improve the way the surrounding tissues are supported. The objective is not to create new facial features, but to work with the ones that are already there.

This distinction between restoration and enlargement is fundamental to natural-looking treatment.

For a fuller explanation of filler itself, read What Are Dermal Fillers and How Do They Work?

What Does a Natural Dermal Filler Result Actually Look Like?

A natural result should remain in proportion with the rest of the face.

That means the cheeks should not immediately draw attention to themselves. Lips should still look as though they belong to that person. The jawline should not appear artificially sculpted, and normal facial movement and expression should remain convincing.

The improvement should be difficult to identify precisely. A face can simply look a little less tired, better supported or more balanced.

This is one of the peculiarities of good aesthetic treatment: the better the result, the less obvious the treatment itself may be.

Why Does Dermal Filler Sometimes Look Unnatural?

There is rarely a single reason.

Too much filler is an obvious cause, but an unnatural appearance can also result from placing filler in the wrong area, repeatedly treating one feature without considering the rest of the face, or attempting to correct something for which filler is not the appropriate treatment.

Problems can also develop gradually.

A treatment may look perfectly reasonable in isolation. Further filler is added months later, and then a little more again. If the face is not reassessed properly each time, a series of individually modest treatments can eventually alter facial proportions.

This is one reason why previous treatment should never simply be repeated automatically.

• The question at each appointment should not be “Where did we put the filler last time?”

• It should be “What, if anything, would improve this face now?”

• Sometimes the answer will be more filler.

• Sometimes it will be a different treatment.

• And sometimes the best answer is to do nothing.

Does Natural-Looking Filler Mean Using Less?

We often talk about the principle that “less is more” in aesthetic medicine, and it is a useful counterbalance to excessive treatment. But it should not become another formula.

Using too much filler can certainly produce an unnatural result. That does not mean that the smallest possible amount is automatically the best treatment.

An inadequate amount of filler placed in the wrong area is not subtle treatment. It is simply unlikely to achieve very much.

The appropriate amount depends on the face, the area being treated and what the treatment is intended to achieve.

For some patients and some areas, a very small quantity may be sufficient. Meaningful restoration of structural support elsewhere may require more.

The important principle is therefore not minimum volume, but appropriate volume. Enough to achieve the intended improvement, without adding volume simply because more can be added.

Facial Balance Matters More Than Individual Lines

Patients understandably tend to focus on the feature that bothers them.

It may be a nasolabial fold, a line at the corner of the mouth, a hollow beneath the eye or loss of definition around the jaw. But treating the place where a line appears is not necessarily the best way to improve it.

The face is a three-dimensional structure. Changes in one area will influence the appearance of another, and restoring support elsewhere may sometimes produce a more natural improvement than filling the line itself.

Equally, not every line needs correcting. Lines, folds and shadows are part of a normal face. Attempting to remove every sign of ageing can paradoxically make a face look less natural rather than younger.

The aim should be improvement, not eradication.

Good Dermal Filler Treatment Requires Judgement

Knowledge of anatomy is essential for safe filler treatment, but anatomy alone does not determine whether a result will look natural.

The practitioner also has to judge facial proportions, understand how the face has changed with age and decide whether filler is likely to improve the concern being treated.

Product choice, amount, depth and precise placement all matter. But perhaps the most important judgement is knowing when filler should not be used.

There are concerns that filler cannot improve satisfactorily. There are faces that do not need additional volume. And there are occasions when further treatment would detract from a result rather than enhance it.

Knowing when to stop is part of performing filler well.

Natural Results Should Still Look Like You

The purpose of subtle dermal filler treatment is not to create a different face.

At its best, treatment restores some of the support and balance that has gradually been lost while preserving the features, proportions and expressions that make someone recognisably themselves.

That is why good filler can be surprisingly difficult to spot.

People may notice that someone looks well, refreshed or perhaps less tired. They should not necessarily be able to identify what has been done.

Natural-looking dermal filler is therefore not defined by how many millilitres are used or by following a particular treatment formula.

It comes from appropriate treatment, in the appropriate place, for the appropriate reason and the judgement to know when enough is enough.

If you are considering dermal filler and want practical advice about choosing a practitioner, discussing your aims and reducing the risk of an overfilled result, read How Do I Make Sure My Dermal Filler Results Look Natural?

For more information see dermal filler treatment at our Surrey clinic

Consider Your Next Step

A consultation is where every good treatment starts.

It provides an opportunity to discuss what concerns you, assess whether dermal filler is appropriate and understand what treatment could realistically achieve. There is no obligation to proceed.

At The Cosmetic Doctors Company, every consultation and every treatment is carried out by one of our experienced doctors.

To arrange a consultation, please telephone, email or use our contact form.