In recent years, filler appeared to have fallen out of favour, with aesthetics devotees looking for alternative ways to plump their complexion and smooth lines and wrinkles.
Biostimulators and polynucleotides were touted as the fresh approach for a youthful look, but the tide appears to be turning once more, with fillers rising back in popularity.
But doctors are quick to point out that it was the look that filler became associated with that went out of fashion, rather than the procedure itself. "Well-judged filler never really went out of fashion, excessive or inappropriate use did," laments Vicky Dondos, co-founder of respected aesthetics clinic Medicetics.
© Getty ImagesAesthetics expert Dr. Aggie Zatonska of the Atelier clinic agrees. "Patients are increasingly wary of fillers because they don't want to be associated with the very 'obvious' image that has become so recognisable: overinflated faces, projecting lips, puffy or 'pillow' faces and, in some cases, a distortion of normal facial anatomy.
"They see those results and understandably become fearful that filler will make them look unnatural or change who they are. That's due to poor technique and the incorrect amount of product used/or abused - not due to the filler itself. Correctly used, considered amount of filler can give great and natural results."
Indeed, it's the rise in subtle, almost undetectable filler, that is driving clients to book in for the treatment again, with the Cosmetic Skin Clinic, who has outposts in London, Buckinghamshire, Northampton, Bournemouth, Lymington and Maidstone, reporting an increase in filler treatments compared to last year.
A turn in the tide
As well as looking 'overdone', Vicky cites product migration, filler persisting longer than expected and the complications that can occur when treated by a practitioner with limited anatomical knowledge, as well as counterfeit and poor-quality products, that caused concern around filler – so what was it that drove clients back to the treatment for filler?
1. Increased education
Education is in part responsible for the filler renaissance we're in the midst of. "Patients are more educated now, they want subtlety, and they're returning to a treatment that, in the right hands, should mean nobody can tell you've had anything done at all," says Dr. Victoria Manning, cosmetic doctor at The Cosmetic Skin Clinic.
© Getty ImagesDr. Liesel Holler, who runs clinics in London and Chislehurst, agrees. "Patients are more educated. They have seen the pillow-face era, they have watched dissolving videos, and they are arriving in clinic with much clearer ideas about what they do - and do not - want. 'Subtle' and 'undetectable' are no longer boring words. They are the goal."
2 Evolved technique
The best aesthetics practitioners now think structurally, injecting where support has been lost, where volume has shifted or decreased, and where a small amount in the right plane makes a meaningful difference.
One such technique is referred to by Dr. Bibi Ghalaie, Teoxane Faculty Member, as 'whisper fillers', which sees feather-light doses injected into the face to enhance the skin's natural texture, hydration, health and glow. "It's your skin on its best day, every day," says Dr. Bibi. "Unlike traditional fillers that focus on deep lines or lost volume, this technique works just beneath the skin's surface, improving quality, bounce, and radiance from within.
"Results are subtle yet transformative; skin appears plumper, smoother, and more hydrated without tell-tale puffiness or any altered contours."
© Getty Images3. A change in direction
The final reason for our restored confidence in filler lies with the conversation around filler, which has matured into wanting to look like ourselves on a good day - not like a filtered version of someone else.
Indeed, aesthetics expert Dr. Elizabeth Hawkes told us that she can't remember the last time any of her clients told her they wanted to look younger. "People want to look healthy now," she confirms.
The new techniques combined with a fresh way to talk about filler has transformed our perception of the treatment, proving filler was never the problem. Overfilling was. Injected thoughtfully, by someone medically qualified, with the right expectations, it remains one of the most useful tools in aesthetic medicine, according to doctors.
'I changed my mind about filler'
One person who about-turned on her opinion on filler was model is 50-year-old model Magdalena Angeli.
"I used to live in Miami, where I saw a lot of people who had clearly had aesthetic work done, and some of the results really frightened me.
"You'd see faces that looked overfilled or unnatural, with lumps and bumps beneath the skin, and I'd always wonder what had gone wrong. Was it the treatment itself, or was it the person performing it?
"Seeing celebrities with very obvious cosmetic work only reinforced those fears. I was worried that filler would make me look artificial or somehow change the character of my face."
Upon turning 50, Magdalena began to feel differently about ageing. While she still considered filler to be off the table, she felt it was "the right time to explore something that could subtly refresh my appearance, while still looking completely natural."
She continues: "My only goal was to look like myself - just fresher, more rested and rejuvenated."
Magdalena booked in with Dr. Maude Calveley at Mayfair's Ouronyx clinic. With Dr. Maude's guidance, Magdalena felt comfortable enough to book in for injectables, with a treatment plan that took place over three appointments.
"Treatment was slow, by design," Dr Maude says. "We had a consultation followed by a week for her to reflect before her first treatment [which was a] full-face Botox, enough to soften but never freeze - and 5ml of hyaluronic acid filler, placed mainly in the front of the cheeks to restore the deflated fat compartment, into the marionette area, and along the chin and jawline for support."
Magdelena returned for two follow-up appointments, having 7ml of filler across three sessions - barely more than a teaspoon. "Spacing treatment out like this lets each layer settle and integrate into the tissue before deciding whether anything more is warranted.
Every addition is considered and justified with the patient. That's how you avoid overfilled faces, and ever having to dissolve."
Magdelena's reaction? "The treatment was even better than I expected. The initial swelling settled after around three days, and even then, I could already see that I loved the results.
"After about 10 days, everything looked completely natural. My cheeks looked subtly lifted, my jawline and chin were more defined, and overall I looked fresher and more rested.
"What I loved most was that I still looked like me. There wasn’t a dramatic change, I just looked like a better, more refreshed version of myself.
"The best way I can describe it is that I looked as though I’d just come back from a wonderful holiday. I genuinely feel I look younger now than I did in my thirties, after having my first child. It has made me feel so much more confident.
"Having a clear treatment plan made a huge difference. I knew exactly what was going to happen, why each step was being recommended and that nothing would be rushed.
"When you’re nervous about filler, I think that reassurance and trust are everything. Once I felt that Dr Maude understood me and what I wanted to achieve, I felt completely confident in her hands."
