Demi Moore is rumoured to have had injectable dermal fillers
As the popularity of injectables continues to rise, more and more women look in the mirror and slump at the sight of their deep lines and wrinkles. Social acceptance and therefore availability of fillers has certainly increased, but should we be concerned about the safety of this relatively new cosmetic treatment?
Injectable dermal fillers have gained popularity in recent months - almost as much as Botox - and lip plumping seems to be all the rage. Non-surgical cosmetic expert, Peter Beard of SkinGenesis explains that when administered properly, they generally offer a safe means of winding back the clock and revealing a younger you. By injecting hyaluronic acid or collagen based fillers into the skin, deep lines and folds in the skin can be smoothed and the natural collagen structures in the skin can be protected from deteriorating too quickly.
However Peter warns that as with any cosmetic treatment, fillers are not without risks and on rare occasions, adverse reactions can develop. There are several key points to note when questioning the safety of this anti aging treatment. He says: "The first is to realise that there are two kinds openly available on the UK market: biodegradable dermal fillers (non-permanent) and permanent fillers, which both offer effective wrinkle treatment."
Peter explains that Permanent dermal fillers can contain Polyacrylamide and Polyalkylamide and have featured heavily recently in the media as these are where most of the problems lie. Permanent and non-permanent fillers are both based on the natural substances collagen or hyaluronic acid, and these can be broken down and reabsorbed by the human body. However permanent fillers also contain synthetic substances that are non-biodegradable and therefore become a permanent fixture of the body. This poses post-treatment problems because as the skin starts to sag, the permanent fillers remain intact, creating a rather unnatural, distorted look as the face continues to change shape.
Which? Magazine has previously suggested that the UK is the ‘guinea pig’ for the industry as there is currently no FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) equivalent in the UK to rigorously test new cosmetics treatments over long periods of time.
The Department of Health and the Healthcare Commission looked into tightening the restrictions in the UK, however they ultimately declared responsibility to the private health industry’s body, the Independent Healthcare Advisory Services (IHAS), which in turn said that there is little that can be done unless another agency, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), classifies fillers as medicines. This would mean they would be regulated, like Botox, under they Medicines Act and would only be administered by licensed medical practitioners. With little regulation, this means that anyone in the beauty industry can certify themselves to administer the treatments to unsuspecting patients.
You should be extra vigilant when deciding where to have dermal fillers. The reluctance of the Government to tighten regulation of the industry has created a ‘buyer-beware’ culture. Make sure you pick a clinic where dermal fillers are administered by qualified doctors and are a registered member of the Healthcare Commission.