Should I Get Dermal Fillers to Help Me Look Younger?

A common question I often get from my clients (particularly those in their 40s and 50s) is “should I put fillers in my face to bring back some volume. I’ve heard that just a very small amount of it, but I’m nervous, as I still want to look like myself. Do you think I should do it?” If this sounds familiar, read on as I have a definite opinion on this subject matter.

I always ask these clients, “Why do you want to get fillers? Is it because you’re feeling self-conscious simply because your doctor suggested it? Or is it because you hear other people are getting them and feel like it’s the thing to do and you don’t want to miss out?” We all want to look our best so it’s understandable that people want to seek out procedures that will help them look younger, but I believe that some doctors may have a personal reason for suggesting fillers—money. Services, such as fillers and Botox, are profitable to them because they are not covered by insurance. It’s hard to know the true intentions and integrity of any person, but the best doctors are the ones who don’t push these services on anyone and everyone. Sadly, I feel like they are few and far between these days. As women, we are very vulnerable when it comes to someone suggesting that we don’t look our best. I can’t tell you how many times a client has said, “I thought I was aging pretty well, but my doctor thinks I need fillers. Renée, do you think I do?”

I also explain to my clients the possible risks involved when getting fillers. They are as follows:

You WILL look different. My clients who want fillers still want to look very natural. They want to look like themselves, but the whole purpose of fillers is to change your face to make you look different. Fillers alter your appearance by changing the shape of your face. Sure, a small amount of filler is intended to only make a subtle difference, but it’s still all about creating change so you have to really decide if you’re up for the change—whatever that may be.

If you do decide to go for it, you can always use my trick for keeping a cosmetic procedure a secret for making the change not look so obvious.

You may not be able to remove it once it’s in. Some fillers like Sculptra and Artefill, once it’s in, there’s no going back—at least for a while until it wears off. What happens if you hate it? For those with husbands, there is nothing worse than your spouse commenting on how you look strange or unnaturally full-faced. My client, actress Lisa Rinna, has publicly spoken about how she started to lay off fillers when her husband, actor Harry Hamlin, told her to do so. “He said I was looking like a freak!” she said. While I do have a lot of clients who absolutely love the way their faces have improved with fillers, I also have clients who really regret it. However, you’ll never know the outcome and if you like it until you actually do it. (Note: fillers like Restylane and Juvederm can be dissolved with hyaluronidase to reverse it if you should not like the look it gives your face.)

There are always risks. When you inject a substance into your face, there is always a risk of a negative reaction. This is the main reason why I don’t personally do fillers. What if something went horribly wrong? What if I had an allergic reaction and caused serious disfigurement to my face? I’m in the appearance industry and my skin is always judged, so is this a risk I’m willing to take? My answer is no. There are plenty of less risky things I can do to improve my appearance and I choose to do them instead. Read seven ways to look younger.

I have been an esthetician for the last 27 years and, as someone who looks at faces very closely every day, I know the skin definitely loses volume as time goes by. Fillers are certainly an option for reversing the loss of volume. However, what you have to understand is looking younger for your age isn’t only about adding volume into your face. It’s about creating the smoothest texture possible for your skin so lines, wrinkles and pore size can be kept to a minimum. It’s also about keeping the skin looking even-toned to keep discoloration at bay. This all can be done effectively by using a product with retinol long term, using products exclusively for your skin type, getting professional facials, laser treatments and chemical peels, as well as wearing sunscreen faithfully. Simply put, taking the best care of your skin will yield amazing, natural-looking results. Finally, it’s also about other components of your appearance, such as how you dress, how you wear your hair, the bounce in your step and the confident attitude you give off to the world. I believe this is the real truth about looking amazing for your age. I talk more about this here.

I’m not at all against fillers, in fact many of my clients who have had them look really great. I just truly believe that before deciding to get them, you should give it some serious thought and make sure this is a path you want to go down and that you’re doing it for the right reasons. And most importantly, that you truly would gain a lot of benefit from getting them.