Body Fillers

AKA:
• Injectable Boob Job
• Injectable Butt Lift

What are Body Fillers?
For those of us looking to create curves, body fillers do exactly what it says on the tin - they're fillers for your body. Most commonly used for breast and buttock augmentation, they can also be used in hips and calves.

Who is suitable for Body Fillers?
If you've been thinking about a boob job, but don't fancy full-on surgery, or just want to go up one or two cup sizes, body fillers could be the answer.
They also provide a really great non-surgical solution for Buttock Augmentation - buttock implants can be a nightmare to recover from, while injectable treatments represent very little downtime.
Body fillers are also particularly good curve creators for those of you who aren't candidates for Fat Transfer, because you don't have enough fat elsewhere.

What are Body Fillers like?
Although this is a non-surgical treatment, you should make sure that it is carried out in sterile conditions, as any complications which do arise from body fillers tend to be associated with infections at the site of injection, rather than an issue with the filler itself.

A local anaesthetic will be administered first to ensure that treatment is as comfortable as possible, then a very small incision is made and the product is injected behind the tissue.
The whole process usually takes about 30 - 40 minutes and a short dose of antibiotics may be prescribed to minimise the chances of infection.

There are two major players in the UK body filler market at the moment, Macrolane and Aquamid. Macrolane is a hyaluronic acid based filler from the makers of Restylane.
Macrolane represents a temporary solution and will need to be re-injected after nine to 12 months.

Aquamid is a more long-term solution. Made from 97.5 per cent water and 2.5 per cent polyacrylamide, it is not broken down by the body over time, like Macrolane, but actually biointegrates with your tissue, so collagen fibres grow into the injected product. Current studies show 90 per cent patient satisfaction after five years.

Beware though - if you are looking to increase your bust by more than a cup size or two, body fillers won't be the right option for you, and Aquamid cannot be used in the breasts at the moment, although some surgeons say it's only a matter of time.

What happens after Body Fillers?
There may well be some swelling or bruising, so although it is often advertised as a ‘lunchtime' treatment, it is advised to restrict your activities immediately post treatment - don't go straight to the gym to show off your pert new bum!

Any swelling or bruising should have calmed down within a week and you should be able to hit the treadmill again after a fortnight. Before then, you may feel a little tender in the treated area.

Will I have a scar?
Nope. As with most non-surgical treatments, any tell-tale signs disappear within a couple of weeks, after which no one will be any the wiser.

Cost
The cost of body fillers will depend very much on the area you want to have injected and which product you go for.

As a rule of thumb, the larger the treatment area, the more you will pay, and Aquamid tends to be more expensive than Macrolane - although you do only need to pay once.