A woman receiving a cosmetic lip injection from a medical professional wearing gloves.

Dermal Fillers

A silver box of Teosyal RHA 4 on a page about dermal fillers at dr caroline warden's doctor led aesthetic clinic in hale, altrincham/south manchester
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Benefits

Treatment Time

Restores volume, smooths fine lines & wrinkles, plumps the skin to add ‘lift’

30 minutes

Downtime

Results

Minimal. Some mild swelling and bruising.

Immediate

Longevity

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Price

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£295 per ml for a single session with exosomes or NCTF

Lasts from 6 months to years

Dermal Fillers

Photo of dr warden on a page about dermal fillers at dr caroline warden's doctor led aesthetic clinic in hale, altrincham/south manchester

What are dermal fillers?

Dermal fillers are injectable treatments designed to restore volume, smooth out wrinkles, and enhance facial contours. Made primarily of hyaluronic acid which is a substance naturally found in the skin, they provide immediate and very natural-looking results (in the right hands). They are commonly used to treat areas such as the cheeks, temples, lips, nasolabial folds, chin and jawline

How do dermal fillers work?

Dermal fillers work by replenishing lost volume and stimulating collagen production. Once injected beneath the skin, the filler attracts water and integrates with the tissue to create a plumper, smoother appearance. The effects are visible immediately and improve over the following days as the filler settles.

What are the benefits of dermal fillers?

Photo of boxes of teoxane dermal fillers on a page about dermal fillers at dr caroline warden's doctor led aesthetic clinic in hale, altrincham/south manchester

Dermal fillers offer a range of aesthetic benefits with usually minimal downtime. These include smoother skin, improved facial symmetry, enhanced features such as lips or cheekbones, and a more refreshed and youthful appearance. Treatments are quick, tailored to your facial anatomy, and can be adjusted over time to maintain natural-looking results.

Which filler brand do we use and why?

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At Dr. Caroline Warden Aesthetic Clinic we exclusively use Teoxane fillers because of their exceptional safety profile, scientific formulation, and consistent, long-lasting natural looking results.

1. RHA Technology: Teoxane fillers are based on resilient hyaluronic acid (RHA) which closely mimics the body’s natural hyaluronic acid. This preserves the natural structure of hyaluronic acid better than traditional methods. This allows the filler to move more dynamically with facial expressions, leading to a more natural look.

2. Longevity and Performance: RHA fillers are designed to be durable yet flexible, lasting longer while adapting to facial movement, especially in dynamic areas like around the mouth or eyes.

3. High Purity and Safety: Teoxane is highly pure which can reduce the risk of inflammation or other side effects.

4. Tailored Products: They offer a range of fillers (RHA 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) tailored for specific areas and depths of injection, allowing for precise, customized treatments.

5.  Swiss Manufacturing: Teoxane is based in Switzerland and known for strict quality control and advanced biotechnology standards

Are there any risks to be aware of?

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While FDA approved dermal fillers are generally considered safe when performed by a fully-trained medical professional, as with any treatment, there are always potential risks. Risks can include swelling and bruising, infection, lumps, or asymmetry.

Rare but serious complications, such as vascular occlusions, can occur if dermal fillers have not been properly administered. Certain treatment areas can increase the risk of this as they are more vascular, which is why we do not treat the temples or the forehead. The risk of vascular occlusion highlights the importance of choosing a doctor with in-depth knowledge of facial anatomy, whom can identify complications early on, and whom are legally able to hold stock of the emergency dissolving agent required if a vascular occlusion occurs, or stock of adrenaline, in the highly unlikely event that a patient experiences anaphylaxis. 

All potential risks will be discussed at length during your consultation, and we are more than happy to answer any questions that you may have.

What can you expect during your dermal filler appointment with us?

Photo of dr warden on a page about dermal fillers at dr caroline warden's doctor led aesthetic clinic in hale, altrincham/south manchester

Before the procedure

  • Pre-appointment you will be asked to complete an online medical form which we will go through with you during your consultation. This is to make sure that you are medically suitable for the procedure, that there are no medical contraindications, and that you are available to return to the clinic at any point post treatment within the two weeks. This is in the very rare event that Dr. Caroline has to immediately assess and treat any complications that have arisen.

  • No special preparation is usually needed, but we always advise avoiding certain supplements (fish oil, vitamin E, ginkgo biloba, garlic supplements) for up to a week prior to your treatment. This is to minimise the risk of bruising.

During the consultation

  • Your appointment will begin with a detailed consultation. Dr. Caroline Warden will talk through your expectations and your goals, the procedure itself, the potential risks, and discuss your relevant medical history.

  • Everybody’s underlying bone structure is different and typically there is some asymmetry to each individual’s face. This is why tailoring the placement and the volume of the product used, is crucial to achieving a natural-looking result, inline with your unique facial features. Dr. Caroline will evaluate your facial anatomy and discuss the treatment plan with you based on this analysis.

  • If you are medically suitable and you are happy to go ahead with the treatment we will then ask you to read and sign a consent form, and take some before photos. Unless you have consented for us to use them, these photos are purely for your records and will not be published anywhere. 

  • Most patients experience minimal discomfort thanks to the built-in local anesthetic in the filler. If you are having lip filler, or dermal filler injected into certain areas however, you have a numbing cream applied prior to your procedure, as these areas can be a bit more sensitive.

  • The treatment itself is relatively quick and involves a series of injections. We talk through everything that we do, whilst we are doing it. Dr. Caroline injects in stages. As you will be able to see the immediate result, we will provide you with a mirror so that you can assess if you are happy with the placement of the product. This helps our patients to feel more in control of their treatment.

Photo of the treatment room on a page about dermal fillers at dr caroline warden's doctor led aesthetic clinic in hale, altrincham/south manchester

After the Procedure

  • Following the procedure we will take some ‘after’ photos for your records, and to show you the side-by-side before and after images for you to compare your result against. Your photos are not shared unless you have consented for us to do so.

  • We will talk through our aftercare advice, and provide you with both a digital and a physical copy to take home with you. You will also have Dr. Caroline’s private number to contact her if you have any concerns or questions.

  • Will will be in direct contact with you post-procedure to see how you are getting on. Post-treatment you very much remain under our care. We typically will book you in for a complimentary face-to-face consultation post-treatment, to asses your results in person, however this is not necessary and if you are happy with your results, and feel that you do not need to attend.

This varies depending on your goals and the areas being treated. Many patients achieve their desired look with just one session, while others may have a gradual build-up for optimal results.

How many dermal filler treatments are required?

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Why is there so much negative press surrounding dermal fillers?

Bad filler is more noticeable, and good filler goes mostly undetected

Dermal fillers have gotten a really bad reputation over the years, and this is mainly because we tend to only notice bad aesthetic work rather than good. Poor dermal filler work is easy to identify on those around us, and is often dissected in the press and online because negative stories tend to garner more public attention than positive ones.

Good dermal fillers are harder to spot in comparison. Whilst they noticeable rejuvenate an individual’s appearance, the seamless, strategic placement of this aesthetic work should remain almost undetectable, in the sense that it is difficult to specifically identify dermal filler as having been one of the key reasons why this person looks so good for their age. The perceived stigma around having had dermal fillers, even when they look amazing, often means that a lot of patients choose not to disclose when they have had this treatment done.

It is viewed as riskier treatment

As dermal fillers can cause complications if administered incorrectly by an inexperienced practitioner, this spreads fear around the use of fillers, further contributing to their poor reputation.

This is particularly prevalent whilst parts of the UK aesthetic industry remain woefully unregulated.

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What is the difference between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ dermal filler work?

Beauty is subjective and some patients may purposefully seek out a more enhanced, exaggerated and augmented look.

This goes against our ethos as we only specialise in a natural-looking, restorative aesthetic.

If you are wondering what some of the differences are between poor, detectable aesthetic work and great, undetectable aesthetic work, here are some key reasons why dermal fillers can look unnatural:

1. Overuse of Fillers

The most common reason is simply too much product has been used. When too much filler is injected, especially in areas like the lips, cheeks, or under the eyes, it can distort our natural facial proportions. This results in a ‘puffy’ or ‘pillow-faced’ look. It is absolutely vital that you choose a practitioner who is willing to say no to you. Dermal filler can potentially last for years. It is not something that needs to be regularly topped up. Less will always be more when it comes to dermal filler.

2. Poor Injection Technique

Injector skill really matters. An inexperienced injector may place filler in the wrong layer of the skin or in anatomically inappropriate areas, which can lead to lumps, asymmetry, or unnatural contours. 

3. Ignoring Facial Harmony

A good injector considers the overall balance and proportions of the face. Focusing too much on enhancing one area (like the lips or cheeks) without maintaining harmony with the rest of the face, can make someone look unnatural.

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4. Perception drift

Perception drift is a term used in aesthetic medicine to describe what happens when a person gradually loses sight of what looks natural due to repeated cosmetic treatments.

This is especially true when it comes to dermal fillers and it’s not exclusive to patients. Unfortunately it happens to a lot of aesthetic practitioners too, so it’s important to choose an injector who reflects what you consider to be natural-looking. If you don’t like the work that they have had done on themselves, then it is highly likely that you will have differing opinions on what ‘natural-looking’ means.

How your aesthetic practitioner looks, is a good indication of the work that you can most likely expect to receive.

A woman receiving a cosmetic injection in her forehead from a healthcare professional wearing gloves.

5. Use of low-quality Fillers

Unlike high quality hyaluronic acid fillers, such as those produced by the brand Teoxane which we exclusively use, some low-grade fillers can cause more inflammation/swelling, integrate less well with the surrounding tissues and don’t move naturally with the skin. They can also be harder to dissolve in an emergency, and are more likely to lead to migration. Your practitioner should be able to explain the product they use and the reasons why.

6. Fillers used on patients who are too young

If you are in your mid-twenties, you are highly unlikely to have had any natural volume loss, so adding filler to the mid-face is more about augmentation of the cheeks, then about rejuvenation of your appearance. This can give an unnatural, distorted appearance that can age a younger patient, because you are adding volume and projection to an area that already has volume.

At Dr. Caroline Warden Aesthetic Clinic we almost exclusively use dermal filler to restore natural volume loss, although we also use it for specific cases where there is a noticeable asymmetry in a patient’s natural features.

A woman receiving a cosmetic injection in her cheek, with a healthcare professional wearing gloves administering the injection.

Why choose Dr. Caroline Warden for your dermal fillers?

As a medical doctor Dr. Caroline brings a wealth of advanced anatomical knowledge, clinical expertise, and the ability to personalise your treatment both safely and effectively.

She can manage complications and adjust your plan based on real-time clinical assessment, giving you peace of mind and superior results.

Only doctors and dentists in the UK are legally allowed to hold stock of the emergency reversal agent for dermal fillers and adrenaline for anaphylaxis.

We only use the highest grade and scientifically backed products and adhere to strict medical protocols, ensuring the highest standards of care. 

You will be given thorough aftercare advice and have access to Dr. Caroline Warden’s private number, and are able to contact her at any time if you have any concerns or queries. 

Photo of dr warden on a page about dermal fillers at dr caroline warden's doctor led aesthetic clinic in hale, altrincham/south manchester

Dermal Filler Before and Afters

Close-up of a woman's face showing before and after images of lip enhancement, with the right side showing plumper, more defined lips.

Your lips, just more hydrated and defined! Always respecting the individual anatomy.

0.5ml of premium hyaluronic acid placed to crisp up the borders and then tiny amounts injected in the tubercles (natural pillows in your lips)

Side-by-side comparison of a woman's face before and after skincare, showing reduced pigmentation and smoother skin texture on the right.

2ml of premium hyaluronic acid dermal filler placed in the midface and nasolabial folds to naturally restore and soften lines in the lower face

Close-up comparison of a person's lips before and after a cosmetic treatment, showing smoother and more hydrated lips on the right.

Your lips, just more hydrated

Side-by-side comparison of a woman's face before and after skincare, showing reduced signs of aging and improved skin texture.

2mls of premium hyaluronic acid to help restore and support the under eye (midface filler) with a small about in the nasolabial folds to soften the lower face shadows

Dermal Filler Treatment FAQ’s

Photo of the treatment room on a page about skin boosters such as profhilo, redensity 1 and NCTF by fillmed at dr caroline wardens doctor led skin & aesethetic clinic in hale, altrincham/south manchester

Ready to book your consultation with us?

We look forward to meeting you