At CosMedic Clinic for our lip treatments we use Juvaderm ultra from Allergan, Belotero Shape, Intesne, Contour and Balance from Merz Aesthetics and the RHA1 and RHA2 from Teoxane.

The dermal fillers we use are made from hyaluranon, typically known as Hyaluronic Acid (HA). Hyaluranon is a carbohydrate, or sugar complex that is naturally present in the skin but declines with age. It promotes collagen formation and skin hydration and holds and attracts water.

Hyaluranon in dermal fillers is made by bacteria in a laboratory and is crosslinked to form a clear gel like consistency which is designed to act like our own hyaluranon. 

We only use dermal fillers from reputable companies that are FDA approved, Medsafe approved for use in New Zealand and are made of hyaluranon so that they can be dissolved if necessary. We do not use permanent dermal fillers as these are not able to be dissolved. We offer a range of dermal fillers of different thicknesses and cohesively so they can be tailored to the individual but for the lip area we only use soft dermal fillers.

You cannot be treated with dermal fillers if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or allergic to any of the ingredients including local anaesthetic.

If you have an autoimmune condition, you may not be a candidate for dermal fillers, and we will need further information to assess your suitability. We will not treat you if you have permanent filler or if you have previous filler in the treatment area that requires dissolving.

You will need to delay treatment if you have any active infections around the area to be treated including for example oral thrush, cold sores, active acne, or skin infections, if you are unwell or have recently recovered from an illness or if you have planned dental treatment or surgery within 4 weeks of your treatment and any vaccinations or overseas travel or travel to very remote areas within 2 weeks of your treatment. All patients are required to have a consultation prior to treatment and this will be discussed in further detail at this time.

As we use soft dermal fillers for lip augmentation, they will generally last 6 months to 1 year, although there are some cases where dermal fillers have still been seen on ultrasound several years later and others where it has been metabolised it in as soon as 3 months, although this is rare. Duration is dependent on the product used, the area injected and the individual person. Most people will get around 9 months from their initial treatment and it is recommended that to maintain results this is reviewed at 6 to 9 months and further treatment then planned if required.

Further volume to the lips can be added after 6 weeks minimum, however we will only add more filler if we believe it will not distort the lips and will remain natural looking. It may be recommended that you wait 6 to 9 months until further volume is added and build volume more gradually, particularly if you have a very thin lip. This will all be discussed with you at your cosmetic consultation and at follow up reviews and determined based on the individual.

No. Our aim is always to create a natural and normal looking lip. Our treatments are subtle, and we do not follow trends as this can increase risks and lead to overfilling, ledges, migration, and distortions of the lip. No two lips are the same and we are all unique so too should our lips be. If you have a very thin lip, we are not able to give you a very full lip but can gradually increase volume and create a nicer shape while respecting the normal function of the lip.

The short answer is yes, although everyone’s pain tolerances are different. Dermal filler itself is not typically stingy and does have a small amount of local anaesthetic in it but some of the injections can be a little stingy and there are certain areas that hurt more than others such as the lips. We use a very fine needle for lip injections and are gentle in our injection technique to make the treatment as comfortable as possible. We will also numb your lips with a strong topical anaesthetic cream prior to treatment.

We allow approximately 1.5 hours for this treatment. This includes consent, checking medical history, photography, cleaning the skin with antiseptic, applying numbing cream to the area which is then left on to take effect, facial assessment, doing the injections, discussing aftercare, rebooking and payment. You will not be subject to injections for the entirety of this time. We always like to allow extra time to offer a more relaxed environment. If treatments are rushed this can increase the likelihood of complications and effect the overall treatment outcome.

Please ensure that you arrive to your appointment makeup free and with a clean face.

No makeup for the remainder of the day and you will need to avoid any strenuous exercise, hot tubs, saunas, swimming pools for the next week. No international flights for 2 weeks or travel to very remote areas. No dental treatments for 4 weeks.

You may look a little red and have some mild swelling after the treatment particularly to the lips. We do our best not to bruise you, but this is not a guarantee, and you should always prepare for and expect bruising. Bruising can last for up to two weeks and we do not advise dermal fillers inside of 2 weeks before any big event, ideally you would want to wait 6 weeks to allow time for the filler to settle.

We will provide you with more detailed post care instructions to take home with you after your appointment and will send out information in the weeks preceding your appointment. It is also advised that you avoid exposure to UV rays, the sun and extreme temperatures for 2 weeks.

As with all medical treatment, there is always the possibility of side effects and potential complications. In most cases, these are temporary and resolve after a couple of weeks. These can include pain at the injection site, redness, swelling, bruising, lumps, and bumps, itching and discoloration.

Very rarely, filler can be injected into a vessel which could lead to permanent scarring and needs to be treated promptly with a dissolving enzyme which we always have in clinic. There have been extremely rare reports of blindness and stroke with filler injections. Any injector that offers dermal filler should have the dissolving enzyme available.

Although you can never eliminate the possibility of these rare events, it is very important that you go to an experienced injector who has been trained in anatomy and techniques to minimise risks and has protocols in place to manage such events should they occur. You are within your rights to ask about their experience and training and to see their emergency protocols. Your injector should provide you with an after hours contact and should be contactable and available should you need them outside of hours in the following days.

After any dermal filler treatments, we give our patients instructions on what signs and symptoms to look for and contact details should they need to contact us for a review.

If you are concerned about bruising it is advisable that you avoid alcohol for a week either side of your treatment and ibuprofen along with the following supplements, evening primrose, vitamin E, turmeric, fish oil, omega’s, garlic, ginger, ginkgo, and ginseng. If you are on any blood thinning mediation and medication prescribed to you by your Dr, please do NOT stop taking this and discuss with us. From the following day, you can use arnica or hirudoid cream topically to speed up the healing process and LED therapy for healing post treatment. This can also be done pretreatment to accentuate healing. 

If you are unwell, have recently been unwell or have had or have any scheduled surgeries or dental treatment in the 2 to 4 weeks either side of your treatment date you will need to contact us as we may need to delay treatment.

If you are concerned about bruising it is advisable that you avoid alcohol for a week either side of your treatment along with the following supplements, evening primrose, vitamin E, turmeric, fish oil, omega’s, garlic, ginger, ginkgo and ginseng. If you are on any blood thinning medication and medication prescribed to you by your Dr, do NOT stop taking this and discuss with us prior. From the following day, you can use arnica or hirudoid cream topically to speed up the healing process and LED therapy for healing post treatment. This can also be done pretreatment to accentuate healing. 

If you are unwell, have recently been unwell or have had or have any scheduled surgeries or dental treatment in the 2 to 4 weeks either side of your treatment date you will need to contact us as we may need to delay treatment.

We usually have a waitlist for lip filler patients and will not see any patients for dermal fillers without first having a cosmetic consultation to ensure you have all relevant information to make an informed decision. We therefore do not allow online bookings for dermal filler treatments.

If you are an existing patient and have not yet spoken to us about this treatment, you will need need to book a free 15 minute consultation to further discuss dermal fillers, check suitability and give recommendations and pricing.

You can book here.

Dermal fillers should only be performed by a Dr, Dentist, or Registered Nurse trained in cosmetic medicine. Registered Nurses working in the field of cosmetic medicine must have oversight from a Dr with specific qualifications such as Dr’s who are a member of NZSCM. As with all our injectable treatments, your treatment will be performed by a Registered Nurse trained in cosmetic nursing. Our cosmetic nurse Jaime has been working in the industry for over 13 years and has oversight from Dr Henryk Poczwa, member of NZSCM and owner of the Vein and Skin Clinic in Wellington. Dr Poczwa visits Invercargill regularly and meets with Jaime.

There are varying levels of training and experience in the industry so please ask your injector questions if you are unsure. We are very transparent about this and happy to answer any questions.

Lip filler treatment can be a stand-alone treatment or combined with other services to further enhance your treatments and meet your aesthetic goals. A personalised treatment plan can be created at your cosmetic consultation. Treatments typically combined with lip filler include:

Medical grade skincare - prescribed for your individual skin care needs to improve skin health and quality improving the overall result of your treatments and aiding recovery time.

Botox and Xeomin (Anti-wrinkle injections) – to reduce muscle contraction and smooth out the overlying skin, softening lines, and wrinkles, and preventing the formation of deeper lines.

Profhilo (bioremodelling) - used to provide deep hydration and improve mild to moderate skin laxity. Profhilo also works well as a preventative treatment as it stimulates fibroblast cells to increase collagen and elastin formation and has been shown to preserve fat stem cells under the skin lost with aging. This is not a volumising product like dermal fillers.

IPL photorejuvenation - to reduce redness, rosacea, pigmentation, sunspots and improve skin tone.

Dermal Filler - to volumise areas that have lost volume over time and fill deeper lines where reduced muscle contraction is not recommended.

Tixel Resurfacing – Tixel is an energy-based skin resurfacing treatment used to reduce lines and wrinkles, improve pigmentation, skin texuture, scarring and stretchmarks including scarring from acne and in the treatment of active acne. Unlike other treatments it can be used safely around the delicate eye area, an otherwise difficult area to treat. Tixel bridges the gap between microneedling and fractional ablative laser, but with less downtime than laser.

DermaFrac (microneedling with serum infusion) - combines collagen induction therapy with needling, suction to aid in lymphatic drainage and serum infusion in a quick, low pain, low downtime, and effective treatment. Used to improve skin texture, hydration, brightness and reduce the appearance of pigmentation, dark spots and acne.