Injectables
Dermal Filler in North Spokane where you once had it
Filler replaces volume you have lost, using a synthetic form of a sugar your body already makes and already breaks down.
What filler actually does.
Liz’s advice is not to overthink it. Filler replaces lost volume where you once had it, and that is most of the story. The product is synthetic hyaluronic acid, which your body already makes on a routine basis and already breaks down.
Filler does improve fine lines, but it doesn’t change your skin’s texture or tone. If texture or tone is what bothers you, microneedling or a peel is the conversation.
“Don’t overthink dermal filler. It simply replaces lost volume where you once had it.”
Liz Gilroy, ARNP
- What it is
- Synthetic hyaluronic acid, from the Juvéderm® and Restylane® collections
- Results
- Volume the same day, settling over two to four weeks
- How long it lasts
- Six months to two years, depending on the product and where it goes
- Reversible
- Yes. Hyaluronic acid can be dissolved
- Downtime
- Bruising is the common one. No makeup and hands off your face for the first twelve hours
Where it goes.
Filler restores balance in the places volume tends to leave:
- Cheeks, where flattening pulls the rest of the face down with it
- Chin, for profile and proportion
- Jawline, for definition that has softened
- Lips, which have a page of their own, because they are their own conversation
There is also a point Liz calls your filler threshold. Past it, more product stops looking like more volume and starts looking unbalanced, because the features of a face are no longer in proportion with each other. If you have reached yours, she will say so.
“I have a natural lean when it comes to filler. Less is more.”
Liz Gilroy, ARNP
Before you come in.
- Skip over-the-counter blood thinners for a few days, where that is appropriate for you. Fish oil counts. So do aspirin, ibuprofen and anything else in the NSAID family. They make bruising more likely.
- If you take a prescription blood thinner, do not stop it. Bring your full list to the consultation and Liz will go through it with you.
- Alcohol is worth avoiding, before and for five to seven days afterwards. It is inflammatory, and inflammation is what makes swelling and bruising worse.
- Come with a clean face if you can. You are leaving without makeup either way.
How the appointment goes.
You start with a consultation
Liz looks at your face at rest and moving, asks what bothers you, and tells you whether filler is the answer to it. If you have reached your threshold, or if what you are describing is really a skin problem, she will say that instead of booking you in.
What it feels like
All the filler we use has lidocaine in the product itself. Most people call it uncomfortable rather than painful.
Hands off your face for twelve hours
This is the one Liz repeats week after week. The dirtiest things most of us own are our hands and our phones, so sanitize your phone and leave your face alone for at least twelve hours.
No makeup afterwards
None on the day. Most of us reuse brushes for months without washing them, and makeup harbors bacteria, which is an infection risk on skin that has just been injected.
It settles over two to four weeks
You have the volume immediately, but it softens as the swelling goes. Give it the full two to four weeks before deciding what you think, and call us if anything looks uneven once it has.
What it costs.
Filler is priced by the syringe, and how many you need depends on how much volume has gone and where it went from. One syringe in a cheek does something different from one in a jawline, so a number quoted off a website would be a guess. At your consultation you will get the count and the total before anything happens.
What people ask.
This is the question Liz gets every single time. Depending on the product, filler is FDA approved for somewhere between six months and two years. She is careful to call that a guideline and not a promise, because everyone breaks filler down at a different rate, and her own read is that your genetics and your lifestyle decide most of it. Lips move constantly and tend to go faster. Cheeks and the jawline usually hold longer.
Almost everyone says this before Liz has a chance to raise it. Her answer is that she doesn’t love crazy either and is certainly not going for it. Conservative placement is the whole approach, and she would sooner build up over a few visits than overfill in one.
Yes. Everything we use is hyaluronic acid, which can be dissolved with an enzyme if you hate it or if something needs correcting. That is a large part of why Liz uses it.
Less than people expect. All the filler we use has lidocaine in the product itself.
The volume is there the same day. It takes about two to four weeks to soften and settle, so the face you see on day one is not the one you keep.
Then Liz may tell you no. There is a point she calls your filler threshold, past which more product stops reading as more volume and starts looking unbalanced. She would rather say that out loud than take the booking.
Book with Liz Gilroy, ARNP.
New patients start with a consultation. You’ll hear what we recommend, what it costs, and whether we think you need it at all.
