What fillers do
Fillers are injectable gels or stimulators, placed for volume or structure. The products are registered with the Health Sciences Authority and placed by a doctor. Many people search for face fillers as though there were one product, but the material matters as much as the area. Some fillers can be dissolved. Others cannot.
A filler occupies space. It adds volume or projection, and it does not lift or tighten. It cannot act on muscle, so it is neither botulinum toxin nor a skin booster. Where excess skin is the main change, filler is not the first answer, and laxity is assessed for lifting instead.
Face fillers suit a face whose skin and ligaments still give support. Typical concerns are deflated cheeks or temples, a hollow tear trough, a short chin, a low nasal bridge or thin lips. If you are new to treatment, you will often be advised to begin with a reversible hyaluronic acid filler.
HA and CaHA: the main materials
| Material | Example | How it works | Dissolvable? | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyaluronic acid (HA) | Juvéderm, Restylane, Belotero | A water-holding gel that takes up space | Yes, with hyaluronidase | Lips, tear trough and fine contours, where reversibility matters |
| Calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA) | Radiesse | A gel carrier gives volume, then microspheres support collagen | No | Structure in the jawline, chin, nose and temples |
| CaHA within HA | HArmonyCa | HA gel gives volume, then microspheres support collagen | Only the HA part | Cheeks, midface and jawline |
| Polycaprolactone (PCL) | Ellansé | A gel carrier, then microspheres support collagen | No | Structure, where reversibility is not the priority |
| Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) | Sculptra | Works through collagen over months, with little volume on the day | No | Gradual volume where the face has thinned |
Area by area
| Area | Usual material | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Chin | Firmer HA, or CaHA or PCL where reversibility is not the priority | Support is placed on bone |
| Cheek | Firmer HA, or CaHA or PCL. HArmonyCa is an option | Diffuse midface loss may suit a biostimulator more than point-by-point filler |
| Temple | HA for a discrete hollow. Firmer HA, CaHA or PCL for structure | Arteries here connect toward the eye, so the vessel is marked and gel is injected slowly |
| Forehead | Cross-linked HA, deep on the bone, usually by blunt cannula | A high-risk zone. CaHA and PLLA are not preferred, as nodules show under thin skin |
| Nose | Usually CaHA or PCL. HA where a dissolvable option is preferred | A high-risk zone. Filler can straighten or raise a bridge, but cannot make a nose smaller |
| Tear trough | Soft HA only, in small amounts | A high-risk zone that swells more than bony areas |
Lips, hands, folds and lines
The six areas above are common questions, but they are not the whole picture. In the lips, soft HA is used in small amounts. Hands may be treated with HA, CaHA or Ellansé. Laugh lines, marionette lines, fine etched lines and depressed acne scars are sometimes helped, but only under the right conditions. Where volume loss is diffuse across the midface and temples, a biostimulator may be the more fitting choice. These are slower materials, and they build through collagen over months. Little research compares how much new collagen each material forms. So it is wise to be cautious about claims that one material builds more than another.
Dermal fillers Singapore: who should wait
Pregnancy or breastfeeding. Active infection, a cold sore or inflamed skin near the site.
Allergy to a component or to lidocaine, a bleeding tendency or blood thinners, autoimmune conditions, or a keloid tendency.
Any non-resorbable filler such as silicone. Earlier filler of any type may be scanned with ultrasound before treatment.
Biostimulators are not used in the lips or tear troughs. Some are also unsuitable with autoimmune disease, severe allergy or a keloid tendency.
What filler cannot do
A filler cannot lift tissue. Options for descended tissue are covered under thread lift and energy-based lifting.
Skin laxity needs a different assessment.
Lines from movement need botulinum toxin, not gel.
It can raise or straighten, but it cannot reduce.
No duration can be promised. It depends on the material, the area and the person.
Why placement matters
A filler is a product, and where and how it is placed matters, as well as what it is. A consensus group wrote that the majority of filler complications relate to sterility, placement, volume and injection technique. [6] This is why Dr Sin Yong plans filler by the face in front of him, and why he looks for earlier filler before he adds anything.
Dissolving filler
Hyaluronidase dissolves hyaluronic acid and nothing else. This is why material choice is a safety decision as well as an aesthetic one. If HA has been overfilled, the excess can be dissolved under ultrasound guidance, aimed at that excess and not the whole area. Radiesse, Ellansé and Sculptra cannot be dissolved. Dr Sin Yong may use the Sculpting mode of Time Freeze Laser LCLR® on settled excess of these 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 filler correction. Surgical removal is a separate discussion, with its own risks. Ultrasound also helps when your history is unclear, as it can locate earlier product before anything new is added. Correction of old filler is planned as its own step. See pillow face treatment if your concern is overfilling.
Vascular safety
The visit and recovery
Other risks
Beyond vascular occlusion, fillers can cause bruising, swelling, lumps, migration, and a bluish tint where HA sits close to the surface. Inflammatory nodules can appear months or years later. Duration is not simple either. Hyaluronic acid has been found on MRI years after injection, and other materials can also persist. No duration is promised, and results vary. Earlier filler is checked first for this reason, as old product may still be present.
What affects the fee
We do not publish fees. A written, itemised quote is given after consultation. The fee depends on the areas treated and how many, what the examination finds, the material and quantity, whether filler is combined with botulinum toxin or a biostimulator, and whether the plan is staged. Correcting earlier filler is costed separately. Filler is not claimable under MediSave or MediShield Life, and most private insurance plans exclude it.