Injectable · volume and structure
Dermal Filler
A hyaluronic acid gel placed in a chosen plane to replace volume or support a structure that has flattened. It adds; it does not tighten. More of it is not a better result.
- Minutes
- 30–45
- Days of swelling
- 2–3
- Months
- 6–18
What it does
Hyaluronic acid is a gel your body already makes. The injectable version is cross-linked so it holds a shape, then breaks down over months. Where it goes matters more than how much goes in: the same syringe placed deep against bone reads as structure, and placed too superficially reads as swelling. That is why the assessment looks at the whole face in daylight rather than at the one line you came in about. We do this work at the Lonsdale Avenue clinic in North Vancouver, and the assessment comes before the syringe every time.
Dissolvable
Hyaluronic acid can be broken down with an enzyme. That is a safety feature first, and a change-your-mind feature second.
Placed by anatomy
Product goes into the plane that supports the structure, not into the line you can see in the mirror.
Built across visits
A conservative first treatment and a review beats one long session you cannot take back.
Usually a good fit
- Volume that has flattened — temple, cheek, tear trough, lip, chin or jaw
- Folds that stay put when your face is still
- You want a change that can be reversed if you dislike it
- You are willing to have the whole face assessed, even if you came about one line
Usually not
- Loose skin and heavy jowls — filler adds weight to something that is about laxity
- Active infection, or a cold sore in the area right now
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- A permanent filler placed elsewhere in the past — that needs a longer conversation before anything new goes in
- A photograph of someone else's face as the goal
Before
- No alcohol the night before
- Tell us about blood thinners, fish oil, anti-inflammatories and any history of cold sores — do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking whoever prescribed it
- Leave two weeks before an event; swelling and bruising need somewhere to go
- Come with clean skin
On the day
- 01AssessmentSitting upright, in daylight, without makeup. What you came in about, and what is actually causing it.
- 02PlanWhich areas, which product, how much, in what order — and what is deliberately left for a later visit.
- 03InjectionNumbing cream or local anaesthetic first, then a needle or a blunt cannula depending on the area.
After
- Swelling for two to three days, sometimes longer under the eyes
- Bruising is possible anywhere and common in lips
- No pressure, massage or facials on the area for two weeks unless you are told otherwise
- Sudden severe pain, skin turning white or mottled, or any change in vision means call us straight away — not tomorrow
What can go wrong
Filler is quick and it is still a medical procedure. Most of what follows is common and settles; the last one is rare and is the reason this is done by someone who knows the anatomy and keeps the reversal agent in the room.
- Swelling, bruising and tenderness for several days
- Lumps or unevenness that need massage, time, or dissolving
- Asymmetry — two sides of a face were never identical to start with
- A delayed inflammatory reaction weeks or months later, sometimes after an illness or vaccination
- Infection at the injection site
- Blockage of a blood vessel by product, which can damage skin or, very rarely, sight. It is treated as an emergency, which is why we ask you to call immediately rather than wait and see
Questions we get
Does it hurt?
There is numbing cream first, and most fillers contain local anaesthetic. Lips are the sorest area. It is uncomfortable rather than something to brace for.
How long does it last?
Six to eighteen months depending on the product and the area. Lips go faster than cheeks or chin, and an area that moves a lot goes faster than one that does not.
Will I look done?
That follows from the plan and the amount, and both are agreed with you before anything is injected. If you want a change nobody can name, say so — it usually means less product spread across more visits.
Can it be taken out?
Hyaluronic acid can be dissolved with hyaluronidase. It is not a casual undo, because it removes some of your own hyaluronic acid too, but it is the reason we work with this class of product.
How is it priced?
By the syringe, and the number of syringes comes out of the assessment rather than off a menu. You will know the total before we start; the current price per syringe is on the booking page.
I had filler somewhere else. Can you work over it?
Usually, once we know what it was and roughly when. Bring the product name if you have it. If it was a permanent filler, the answer changes.
How long is the downtime?
There is no recovery period in the surgical sense. Swelling generally runs two to three days and sometimes longer under the eyes; bruising is possible anywhere and is common in lips, taking a few days to a week. The area is left without pressure, massage or facials for about two weeks. Most people go back to work the same day or the next.
Book an assessment
Book onlineWho does this
Assessments and treatments at the Lonsdale Avenue clinic in North Vancouver are carried out by MMC’s own clinicians. Who they are, what they trained in and which treatments each of them does is on the team page.
Other treatments here
Everything listed here is offered at the Lonsdale Avenue address in North Vancouver. Names, durations and prices come from the clinic’s live schedule rather than from this page, so what you see is what is bookable today.
- HarmonyCa
- IV TherapyConsultation first
- Injectable Consultation
- Neuromodulator Treatment
- Skin Booster
- Thermage
- Ultherapy
Other places people start
These are sorted by what is bothering you rather than by treatment name. Each page says what actually helps, what does not, and when the honest answer is that nothing here is needed.
- Loose Skin After Weight LossLosing the weight is the hard part and you have done it. What is left is usually a skin problem rather than a fat problem, and those have completely different answers.
- Fatigue & Low EnergyThis is the concern where we are least likely to sell you anything, and we would rather say that at the top of the page than at the end of a consultation.
- Dullness & Uneven ToneDullness and dehydration are a texture problem, not a shape problem. That distinction decides which half of the menu is even relevant.
- Volume Loss & HollowsVolume loss is the change people describe as looking tired or gaunt without being able to name a line. It is also the one where over-treatment is most visible from across a room.
- Forehead & Frown LinesForehead and frown lines are muscle before they are skin. The question that decides your result is not the dose — it is whether the line is still only there when you move.
- Hooded Upper LidsThe line where this stops being an injectable question and becomes a surgical one is unusually clear, and you are entitled to be told which side of it you are on.
- Jawline & Contour LossThe most common reason people book here, and the one where the honest answer changes most with age. In your forties a device usually does it. In your sixties it usually does not.
- Nasolabial FoldsNasolabial folds are usually a symptom. Filling the fold itself is the most common way to end up looking heavy in the lower face.
- Stubborn Body FatA pocket that stays the same size while the rest of you changes. Usually the flanks, the lower abdomen, or under the chin. The useful question is not which machine to use — it is whether what you are looking at is fat at all.
- Under-Eye Hollows & ShadowsThe most common request here, and the one where the answer is most often no. Under-eye shadow has at least four causes and filler helps exactly one of them.