Some people may experience some discomfort. Some fillers contain a local anesthetic to provide you with a more comfortable treatment experience. You and your healthcare practitioner may decide whether additional pain relief is needed.

Dermal fillers are generally intended for use in people over the age of 18 years. Ask your healthcare practitioner if you will benefit from treatment with a dermal filler. It is important when discussing your medical history to tell your practitioner everything, including all medicines that you are taking, any present and past allergies and their seriousness, and all current or past medical conditions you have had. Your practitioner will discuss potential side effects from the injection of the filler and how serious they may be. You should also inform your practitioner if you have received previous aesthetic treatments, both surgical and non-surgical.

Patients with a known allergy to the ingredients of the filler (which may include an anaesthetic) should not undergo treatment, nor should patients with bleeding disorders, or active skin disease such as inflammation, infection or tumours in or near the area to be treated. Discuss contraindications, warnings and precautions with your healthcare practitioner before dermal filler treatments.

Most dermal filler products have not been adequately tested in pregnant or breastfeeding women and are therefore not recommended if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding.

After the treatment you should receive advice on post-treatment care. It is normal to experience some post-treatment discomfort, such as redness, swelling, pain, itching, bruising or tenderness at the treatment site. These side effects generally disappear within one week after injection. See: What are the possible side effects?

You should discuss the potential treatment risks with your healthcare practitioner. Following treatment, there is sometimes a need for a touch-up treatment to achieve an optimal result.

Dermal fillers are non-permanent injectable products, and the effect gradually diminishes with time. Treatments can last up to 24 months, but vary depending on the treatment area, the product used, the number of retreatments, and the characteristics of the individual. In order to maintain the aesthetic result, additional treatments, or top-up treatments (see below), may be undertaken.