When one side of the face loses muscle bulk, it can look hollow and flat beside the other. Dermal filler replaces some of that lost volume and softens the difference, without any operation or recovery period.
Filler is a gel, usually made of hyaluronic acid, injected under the skin to add volume where muscle has thinned. In facial paralysis it is used to restore fullness in the cheek, soften a deepened fold and improve balance at rest. It does nothing for movement, and the effect fades over months.
Muscle that has lost its nerve supply gradually thins, and fat beneath the skin often follows. The result is a face that looks flatter and slightly sunken on the weak side, with a fold beside the nose that flattens out or deepens strangely. That difference is most obvious in photographs, and it bothers many patients as much as the loss of a smile.
Filler is a practical answer to that specific problem. Placed with care in the cheek, along the fold beside the nose or in the temple, it restores contour and lets the two sides sit more evenly. It can also give a little support beneath a drooping corner of the mouth, though the effect there is modest and should not be oversold.
Treatment happens in clinic and takes a short appointment. Numbing cream or local anaesthetic is used, and most fillers contain an anaesthetic themselves. The change is visible straight away, although swelling exaggerates it for a few days. Because hyaluronic acid gels can be dissolved with an enzyme injection, an unsatisfactory result can be adjusted rather than lived with.
Fillers suit people whose main concern is contour rather than movement, and who are comfortable with a result that fades.
The face is studied at rest and in motion, in good light and often on photographs. Areas of true volume loss are separated from areas that only look different because of pull.
A gel of suitable thickness is selected for each area, since a soft product suits fine lines while a firmer one supports the cheek. Quantities are agreed before starting.
Numbing cream is applied, or a small local anaesthetic injection is given. Most fillers also contain an anaesthetic, which makes the later injections more comfortable.
Filler is placed slowly through a fine needle or a blunt cannula, in small amounts at a time. Progress is checked in a mirror as the treatment continues.
You are seen again once swelling has settled, usually after a couple of weeks, and a small amount can be added if an area still looks under filled.
Swelling, tenderness and some bruising are common. The treated side may look overfull, and this settles rather than needing correction.
Swelling resolves and the true result becomes visible. Any small lumps usually soften, and the area feels more natural to touch.
The filler has integrated and the contour is stable. This is the fair point at which to judge whether more is needed.
The gel is broken down gradually by the body, so volume slowly reduces. Most patients return for a top up before the difference becomes obvious again.
Expect improvement in stillness only. At rest the two sides look closer, and photographs show the difference most clearly. As soon as the face moves, the asymmetry returns, because filler cannot contract. The effect also fades, so maintenance sessions are part of the arrangement rather than an unexpected extra. Overfilling is a real temptation and tends to look heavy, so a restrained approach usually ages better.
Most reactions are minor, although filler carries a small risk of serious complications that deserve honest mention.
Simple precautions in the first days reduce swelling and help the filler settle where it was placed.
It adds volume, nothing more. Movement requires a nerve or muscle procedure, and filler is used alongside that work rather than instead of it.
Hyaluronic acid gels break down over months, so the effect gradually fades and maintenance sessions are needed.
Overfilling reads as heaviness rather than balance. A restrained amount, reviewed after swelling settles, usually looks far more natural.
Most problems are minor, yet blockage of a blood vessel is a recognised and serious complication, which is why technique and prompt reporting matter.
At Elegance Clinic in Surat, fillers are offered within a facial palsy plan rather than as a standalone cosmetic sale, and Dr. Ashutosh Shah reviews whether surgery would serve you better first.
Filler is priced by the amount of product used and the areas treated, so the estimate is straightforward once the plan is agreed. Because the gel is absorbed over months, the likely interval between sessions is explained at the first visit, and you are told what a maintenance session tends to involve. Review appointments after treatment are included. A written estimate is given after assessment, and there is no pressure to proceed on the same day.
These are the questions that come up most often in consultation. If yours is not here, send it on WhatsApp and the team will reply, usually the same day.
Ask your question →No. Filler restores volume and improves how the face looks when still, but it cannot contract. Movement needs a nerve transfer, a muscle transfer or another surgical option, and filler is often used as a finishing step afterwards.
Several months in most cases, after which the gel is gradually absorbed. The exact interval varies with the product, the area and your own metabolism. Many patients settle into a routine of maintenance sessions once or twice a year.
Hyaluronic acid fillers can be dissolved with an enzyme injection, which is one reason they are preferred here. Minor unevenness often settles on its own within a fortnight, so review before any correction is usually advised.
Pricing follows the amount of product used and the areas treated, and a written estimate is prepared after assessment. Review appointments are included. The likely frequency of maintenance sessions is also explained so the yearly cost is clear.
Most side effects are mild, such as bruising and swelling. The serious concern is filler entering a blood vessel, which is uncommon but can affect skin or vision. Careful technique and immediate reporting of severe pain reduce that risk.
It is usually better afterwards, once movement and swelling have settled, because surgery changes the contours that filler was placed to correct. If surgery is not planned at all, filler can be used at any suitable time.
The aim is balance rather than obvious change. Conservative amounts placed where volume has genuinely been lost tend to look natural, whereas overfilling is what makes treatment noticeable to others.
Seeing patients from across the city and beyond: read about the practice on the plastic surgeon in Surat page, or check what a written estimate covers on the costs and insurance page.
