Dermal filler

Juvederm, Restylane and RHA are families of hyaluronic acid gel. Each product has a job: some lift a cheek, some define a jaw, some are soft enough for the lip. Sydney chooses by area and by how your face moves. The gel contains lidocaine, so it numbs as it goes in.

Numbing cream first, then pressure and a few brief pinches. The lidocaine in the gel takes over within a minute.

Swelling for two or three days, most in the lips. No makeup for twelve hours. No hard exercise, heat or alcohol for a day. The settled result is at two weeks.

• Pregnancy or breastfeeding
• A history of severe allergies or allergy to lidocaine
• A bleeding disorder, or blood thinners without a plan
• Active sores, rash or infection at the site
• Immune suppressing medication

Sydney goes through this with you before anything starts.

Wrinkle relaxers the same day. Sculptra for broad volume in a separate session. Morpheus8 or UltraClear two to four weeks apart.

Six months to two years depending on the product and the area. Cheeks hold longest, lips shortest. Most people plan a refresh every twelve to eighteen months.

Both are hyaluronic acid. The right product is about the area and the result you want, which Sydney decides in the chair.

Bruising and swelling are common and short. Rarely, filler can block a blood vessel. That is why training in facial anatomy matters and why the dissolving enzyme is always in the room.