Filler

The process of the aging face is caused by the loss of volume in the face. This loss of volume is caused by loss of fat, bone, collagen and some elastic tissue. That’s what contributes toward the hollowing, sinking, sagging, the wrinkles, jowls, bags and so on. When you restore the volume that’s been lost, Dr. Schultz explains, “it’s sort of like blowing up a beach raft that’s been partially deflated. You see lines and furrows in the raft without its volume, but the moment you fill it back up and restore its volume, it’s nice and smooth.” That’s what fillers are doing for your skin. The best part? You’ll see immediate results. Fillers are instant gratification because by the end of the appointment, you’ll see and walk out the door with your beautiful results.

Dr. Schultz’s philosophy is to bring you close to where you used to be, but to never go someplace you’ve never been. He never wants you to look unrecognizable. Dr. Schultz says, “You see good filler every day, you just don’t know that you’re seeing it.” To get those beautiful, natural-looking results, Dr. Schultz uses the good judgment he’s developed over years and years of practice. He uses just enough filler to restore the proper amount of volume that’s been lost, making you look amazing for your age without making you look unrecognizable or silly.

There are two kinds of fillers: natural and unnatural. Natural fillers are made of material that is normally found in the body. This includes hyaluronic acid, which is the sugar found in the second layer of skin in the dermis and it’s the ingredient in most fillers today. Other fillers include lactic acid and fat harvested from the patient’s body to be put somewhere else on their body.

Dr. Schultz can accomplish the best results with hyaluronic acid, which is what we’re naturally losing in our face, and lactic acid.

Unnatural fillers have ingredients like silicon, plexiglass and bone derivatives in them. They don’t occur in the skin naturally and because of this, some people can have allergic reactions to them. They are also permanent, so if you do have an allergic reaction, it can become a big problem. For this reason, Dr. Schultz only uses natural fillers.

Hyaluronic-based fillers include Juvederm and Restylane. This type of filler can typically lasts for six months and can improve acne scars, cheek depressions, crow’s feet, frown lines, some facial scars, worry lines, smoker’s lines, marionette lines at the corners of the mouth and can even help redefine your lip border. Because hyaluronic acid is a protein already found in your body, these natural fillers are soft, hold their shape and do not form lumps. The result is a soft, pliable, more voluminous area.

Repetitive motion, sun exposure and the aging process in general will cause you to lose hyaluronic acid in your face. There’s nothing you can do to stop that loss process, although strict sun protection will help to some extent. Dr. Schultz advises, “I’ve never told a patient to not go out into the sun!” But of course, he recommends applying (and reapplying) sunscreen every single day to prevent the collagen and elastic tissue loss that occurs from sun damage.

As for bone loss, the only thing you can do is make sure you get calcium. And one thing you should absolutely never do? Facial exercises! If you’ve been told to wiggle and move your face to tighten your skin, it’s snakeoil, don’t buy it. Any movement of the face causes creasing and loss of skin elasticity. All in all, wrinkles and sagging are bound to happen, and that’s why natural fillers are an excellent way to combat the signs of aging.

You could be a great candidate for fillers if you’re physically healthy, you don’t smoke and you’re committed to maintaining good skin care. Whether you’re getting ready for a big, lifetime milestone or event like a wedding, a high school reunion or even a job interview, Park Avenue Skin Care sees an enormously wide range of people for fillers.

From younger clients in their teenage years who need to fix acne scars or chicken pox scars to people into their mid-to-late 80s, filler works for almost everyone. Dr. Schultz says, “All humans are subject to the same frailties of the results of the passage of time. And most of what we do filler for is age-related, some sun-related.” He adds, “You can’t stop the clock but sometimes you can turn it back.”

The only people who shouldn’t receive fillers are pregnant women or people who are immuno-suppressed, such as those on extremely aggressive chemotherapy treatments for cancer.

According to Dr. Schultz, 98% of his patients have fillers done in their face, including the cheeks, fine lines, lips, and their earlobes. And if you’re thinking “Yes to all of the above!”, the good news is that in one session, you can have multiple areas restored. Although the face is the most popular spot for filler treatments, it can be used elsewhere. When you have depressed scars that curve in or need breast reconstruction after cancer, filler treatments can help in these parts of the body as well.

The exact longevity of the treatment depends on a few things: the product used, location of the treatment and how your body absorbs the product. On average, fillers will last approximately six months before you need to come in again for your next appointment. You can make sure you’re getting the lasting results you crave by maintaining good overall health and, of course, keeping up a healthy skin care regimen with the right products for your skin type.

The short answer is, yes, they can. You may come in to lift your jowls and end up getting filler somewhere else on your face like your cheeks in order to create that lift. This approach is sometimes called anatomic filling. It works by filling the volume you’ve lost to restore the overall volume and youthfulness of your skin. Instead of treating each area in isolation, if you consider the face as a whole, you could treat one area and end up lifting another.

No, it’s not. Filler is just restoring the volume that’s been lost. Botox, on the other hand, stops muscles from moving and creating the lines, wrinkles and contours that come from that movement. The greatest value of Botox is to stop the creasing in the skin that creates wrinkles later in life. The earlier it’s started, the less likely you’ll end up with etched lines and creases as you get older. And then, when you do find a fine line or wrinkle here or there, you can always use filler to restore the lost volume.

There are many reasons to choose Dr. Schultz for your filler treatments, but two of the most important reasons are: technique and judgment.

Dr. Schultz’s technique is to do filler slowly and in small amounts. This creates an incredible, natural result. You can think of it like pixels on your computer screen — if you have a photo that’s 60 x 90 pixels versus one that’s 800 x 1000 pixels, which photo will give you more detail? Dr. Schultz ends up giving you a higher amount of smaller treatments, which in turn, creates much better detail.

Beyond his light touch and steady hand, over 30 years of treating patients has given Dr. Schultz incredible judgment. When he looks at the areas you’d like to treat, he knows just how much filler to use and the right place to put it to create the desired outcome. This kind of good judgment is a skill that must be developed over decades. Dr. Schultz’s good judgment is completely unique to him because it’s something he has perfected from over 150,000 patient visits.

And Dr. Schultz’s patients know this combination of technique and judgment is invaluable. So much so that they come in for consultations and when asked what they’d like done, they say, “I don’t know, whatever he wants me to do, I’ll do that.” That kind of trust is the Dr. Schultz difference.

If you’re thinking of coming in to get fillers, you couldn’t be in better hands. Read our Service Details to understand how the entire process works and book an appointment on our website or by calling 212-369-9600.

When you come in for fillers, there is no preparation necessary. Your appointment will take, on average, about 30-40 minutes. During the appointment, the area you’re treating will be cleaned, as well as any questions you have will be answered. The procedure will begin, which involves painless treatments into the areas you’d like to firm and plump. Then the tissue will be observed and we’ll add additional treatments if needed until the desired outcome is reached.

After your appointment, you’re free to go about your day normally, you can even apply makeup when you leave if desired — just being careful to not massage or apply pressure to the treatment area for a few hours following the appointment. For fillers, the results are immediate and the typical duration of effect last for approximately six months.