What fillers are
Dermal fillers are medical devices injected to add volume or support structure. In Singapore they are Class D, the highest-risk device class, and must be registered with the Health Sciences Authority. Some can be dissolved. Others cannot, and this difference is worth understanding before you agree to treatment.
Filler is a tool for volume. Used where volume is the real problem, it may help. Used for sagging, it can add weight without lifting anything. This guide is general information, and your plan depends on an examination.
Dermal fillers Singapore: the main materials
| Material | Example | Can it be dissolved? | Often used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyaluronic acid (HA) | Juvéderm, Restylane, Belotero | Yes, with hyaluronidase | Lips, tear troughs, fine contour |
| Calcium hydroxylapatite | Radiesse | No | Jawline, chin, nose, temples |
| CaHA in HA | HArmonyCa | Only the HA part | Cheeks, midface, jawline |
| Polycaprolactone | Ellansé | No | Chin, jawline, temples, backs of hands |
| Poly-L-lactic acid | Sculptra | No | Diffuse volume loss |
Common areas
HA is used where a true hollow is present.
Structural areas, where product is placed for support.
HA is used. CaHA, PCL and PLLA are not for lips.
CaHA or PCL is usually used for support, with HA where a dissolvable option is preferred. Filler cannot make a nose smaller.
Filler may be considered for folds from midface volume loss. Very soft gel or a skin booster suits fine etched lines.
How it is done
Pillow face and how to avoid it
An overfilled look often comes from anatomical mismatch and repeated treatment. HA can remain after its visible effect fades. Earlier filler may therefore still be present when you think it has gone. Where history is unclear, ultrasound helps to locate it. Overfilled HA can be treated with ultrasound-guided hyaluronidase, aimed at the excess and not the whole area. Our pillow face page explains this. Temporary asymmetry after treatment is common, and it is not a reason to add more product.
Who should wait or be cautious
Pregnancy, breastfeeding, active infection, cold sores, or inflamed skin near the site.
Allergy to a filler component or lidocaine, bleeding tendency or blood thinners, autoimmune conditions and keloid tendency.
Non-resorbable fillers such as silicone. Layering new product over them raises nodule risk.
Not treated with filler first. Laxity is assessed for lifting, and marked excess is referred to a plastic surgeon.
What filler cannot do
Filler cannot lift tissue, tighten skin or act on muscle. It does not lift jowls or make a nose smaller. It does not replace a skin booster or botulinum toxin, which act differently. It can support a depressed acne scar after subcision, but it does not treat ice-pick or boxcar scars. CaHA is not for lips, tear troughs or the glabella. PLLA is not for lips, tear troughs or fine lines. Our thread lift vs fillers guide explains the choice for sagging.
Risks, including vascular occlusion
Vascular occlusion is the serious risk. It occurs when filler blocks a blood vessel. Warning signs are skin that blanches white, turns dusky, purple or net-like, and pain out of proportion to the injection. These need urgent assessment by the injecting doctor or at A&E. A change in vision or eye pain means calling 995 straight away. The highest-risk zones are the nose, glabella, forehead and tear trough. HA occlusion is treated with urgent high-dose hyaluronidase, which is kept on hand wherever HA is injected. Cannulas and slow, low-volume injection may reduce the risk, but they do not remove it. Other risks are bruising, swelling, lumps, migration, a bluish Tyndall tint under thin skin, and inflammatory nodules that can appear months or years later. Read our warning signs guide before treatment.
Recovery and removal
Swelling, tenderness and some bruising at entry points are expected. Lips and tear troughs swell more than bony areas. On the day, avoid rubbing, make-up over injection points, strenuous exercise, saunas, steam and alcohol. For several days, avoid facial massage, firm pressure and heat treatments until advised. HA can be dissolved with hyaluronidase after ultrasound and a skin test. CaHA, PCL, PLLA and silicone cannot be dissolved. Biostimulators go in a deep plane and not in the superficial dermis. Firm lumps from these may be treated with the Sculpting mode of Time Freeze Laser LCLR®, without an incision, after ultrasound mapping, though we found no published study of this use and laser heat has its own risks. Inflamed lumps are treated medically first. See Ellansé and Sculptra lumps.
How fees are worked out
We do not publish prices, in line with Singapore's advertising rules. Fees depend on the number of areas, what the examination finds, the material and quantity, whether another injectable is combined, and whether treatment is staged. Correcting earlier filler is costed separately. A written, itemised quote follows your consultation. Filler cannot be claimed under MediSave or MediShield Life, and most private insurance excludes it.