Restore volume and shape, subtly
Dermal fillers are gels injected under the skin to restore volume and shape, and they suit adults who want to look rested rather than different. At our Arlington Heights office, that means lips, cheeks, the jawline and chin, the folds around the mouth, and the backs of the hands. Many people need less than they expect, so we start conservatively.
$650
per syringe, from
At a glance
Dermal fillers- Appointment
- 30 to 60 minutes, numbing included
- Downtime
- Swelling and possible bruising, settled by about two weeks
- First results
- Right away, under the swelling
- Full results
- Judge at 2 to 4 weeks
- Sessions
- 1, with a check at two weeks
- Cost
- From $650. About $163 per payment across 4
What to expect
What the appointment is like
Plan on thirty to sixty minutes, and the injecting is the short part. Every product we use has lidocaine mixed in, and for extra comfort we add numbing cream or ice on top, sometimes a dental block for the lips. Then the gel goes in through a needle or a blunt cannula. Cheeks mostly feel like pressure; lips are the one place people describe a dull ache.
Consult
We’ll look at your face in daylight, at rest and moving. Together, we’ll sort what’s deflated from what’s dropped, pick a product, and agree on an amount. Often less than people expect.
Numbing
We remove your makeup, take photos, and apply numbing cream or ice for 15 to 20 minutes. Lips sometimes get a dental block for extra comfort.
Injection
We place small amounts through a needle or a cannula, checking symmetry in the mirror with you. Expect ten to twenty minutes of actual injecting.
Before you leave
A cold compress, written aftercare, one more look at the areas together, and your two-week check booked before you walk out.
Results
A predictable timeline
You’ll see volume immediately, then swelling masks the result for about a week. The real shape shows at two weeks, when we reassess and add product only if the plan called for it. Radiesse is the exception, because its collagen effect keeps building for months.
Day 0
Immediate volume
Volume plus swelling. Lips may look fuller than planned while swollen.
Days 1 to 3
Swelling peaks
This is when a bruise shows if you’re going to get one.
Week 2
Two-week check
Lumps and firmness soften as the shape settles. We add a little more only if the plan called for it.
Months 6 to 18
Gradual fade
Volume fades gradually, lips first. Book a touch-up whenever you notice it.
What it costs
Clear pricing, planned by the visit
Your cost depends on how many syringes, which product family (Voluma, Volux, and Radiesse cost more than the softer gels), how many areas, cannula versus needle, and whether the two-week touch-up is part of the plan. Syringe count has the biggest effect on cost.
- How many syringes
- Which product family
- How many areas
- Whether the two-week touch-up is included
By product family
HA fillers & Radiesse
$650
per syringe, from
- Versa, RHA 3 & RHA 4
- $650 / syringe
- Restylane range & RHA 2
- $800 / syringe
- Typical lips or cheeks
- $650 to $1,700
- Dissolving filler
- $350
Results last 9 to 18 months depending on the product and the area. A small non-refundable deposit holds your booking and comes off your treatment.
Book your Dermal fillers appointmentSimilar purpose, different options
Filler or something else?
Filler is often confused with Botox and PRF under the eyes. The right choice depends on whether the concern is a line that moves, volume that has been lost, or skin that has thinned.
| Dermal filler | Botox | PRF under the eyes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it fixes | Volume loss, static folds, lip shape | Lines made by muscle movement | Crepey, thin under-eye skin |
| What goes in | A hyaluronic acid or calcium gel | A botulinum toxin injection | Your own platelet-rich fibrin |
| When you see it | Right away, settled at 2 weeks | 3 to 7 days, full at 2 weeks | 4 to 8 weeks, judged at 3 months |
| Lasts | 6 to 18 months by product | 3 to 4 months | Often fades by 6 months |
| Reversible | HA yes, Radiesse no | No, it wears off | No, it's your own tissue |
| Sessions | 1, sometimes a second at 2 weeks | 1, repeated 3 to 4 times a year | 3, about 4 weeks apart |
What it fixes
- Dermal filler
- Volume loss, static folds, lip shape
- Botox
- Lines made by muscle movement
- PRF under the eyes
- Crepey, thin under-eye skin
What goes in
- Dermal filler
- A hyaluronic acid or calcium gel
- Botox
- A botulinum toxin injection
- PRF under the eyes
- Your own platelet-rich fibrin
When you see it
- Dermal filler
- Right away, settled at 2 weeks
- Botox
- 3 to 7 days, full at 2 weeks
- PRF under the eyes
- 4 to 8 weeks, judged at 3 months
Lasts
- Dermal filler
- 6 to 18 months by product
- Botox
- 3 to 4 months
- PRF under the eyes
- Often fades by 6 months
Reversible
- Dermal filler
- HA yes, Radiesse no
- Botox
- No, it wears off
- PRF under the eyes
- No, it's your own tissue
Sessions
- Dermal filler
- 1, sometimes a second at 2 weeks
- Botox
- 1, repeated 3 to 4 times a year
- PRF under the eyes
- 3, about 4 weeks apart
Botox is for lines made by a muscle: the forehead, the frown lines, and crow’s feet. If the line vanishes when your face is at rest, Botox is likely the right choice. If it’s still there when your face is relaxed, it’s become a fold, and that calls for filler, or both.
PRF under the eyes is for the tired look with no real hollow behind it. It uses your own blood, works gradually, and takes three sessions. Filler under the eye is immediate and lasts longer, but it belongs only in a true hollow with good skin over it.
Is it right for me?
Who it’s for, and who it isn’t
Filler can be a good fit for adults 22 and older with volume loss in the cheeks, temples, chin, or jawline, folds that sit there at rest, thin or uneven lips, or visible tendons on the backs of the hands. Many of our filler patients are 30 to 60 and want a subtle, natural-looking change.
A good fit for
- Volume loss in the cheeks, temples, chin, or jawline
- Folds that sit there even at rest
- Thin or uneven lips
- Visible tendons on the backs of the hands
Not recommended
- Loose skin that has slid rather than deflated (threads or Morpheus8)
- During pregnancy or breastfeeding, absolutely contraindicated
- A history of anaphylaxis, lidocaine allergy, or prior HA reaction
- An infection or cold sore near the site
Common risks are bruising, swelling, tenderness, and lumps. The rare but serious one is vascular occlusion. We use HA in higher-risk areas because it can be dissolved with hyaluronidase, and keep Radiesse to the jawline and hands.
In detail
What it treats
Filler restores volume where it has been lost, or adds it where there was never much to begin with. Here’s what it can do in each area.
Lip augmentation is the most requested filler treatment, and also the one most often overdone. Most patients ask for better shape, a little more upper lip, a defined border that holds lipstick, or better symmetry. The amount of filler used depends on your anatomy and goals. Your provider will recommend the appropriate amount during your appointment. Approved lip products include Juvederm Ultra XC and Volbella XC, Restylane Kysse and Silk, RHA 3, and Versa Lips+. Lips swell more than any other area, so wait until the swelling settles before judging your result.
As the cheek loses volume, it can flatten, a shadow can show under it, and the fold from nose to mouth looks deeper than it really is. Restoring the cheek often softens that fold without treating it directly. Juvederm Voluma XC, Restylane Lyft and Contour, and RHA 4 are approved for the cheeks.
A recessed chin or a soft jawline can make the lower face look less defined. Juvederm Volux XC and Radiesse (+) are approved for the jawline, and Voluma XC, Restylane Lyft, and Restylane Defyne for the chin. The nasolabial folds and marionette lines are a good match for filler once they’re there at rest. If they only show when you smile or frown, that’s about muscle movement, and Botox is the better tool.
When tendons and veins stand out on the backs of your hands, that’s volume loss, and Restylane Lyft and Radiesse are both approved for it. One consideration with Radiesse in the hands, per Merz: hand nodules “can last up to 1 year.” Hollow temples are approved for Voluma XC and Restylane Contour.
The FDA “recommends against” filler in the nose, the forehead, the area between the brows, and the neck, per the FDA’s dermal filler page. We don’t offer filler in those areas.
The under-eye area needs extra care. The skin is thin, and filler placed incorrectly can show as a bluish tint or a puffy ridge for a year. Only three fillers are approved for under-eye hollows: Juvederm Volbella XC, Restylane Eyelight, and RHA Redensity Eye. We use one of those for a true hollow with good skin over it, and we recommend PRF under the eyes for crepey, tired skin (you can read more in how long PRF under the eyes lasts).
How it works
Most of what we inject is hyaluronic acid, a crosslinked sugar that binds water and physically holds space under the skin. It fills a cheek the day it goes in, then your body naturally breaks it down over months. It’s also reversible: an enzyme called hyaluronidase dissolves HA filler if something ever needs undoing.
Radiesse works differently. It’s made of calcium hydroxylapatite microspheres in a carrier gel. The gel gives volume at first, then the microspheres act as a scaffold that stimulates your own collagen as the gel is absorbed, per Merz. It’s firmer and lasts longer in the jawline and hands, but hyaluronidase doesn’t dissolve it, so once it’s in, it stays until your body clears it.
The FDA describes fillers as “medical device implants approved by the FDA for use in helping to create a smoother and/or fuller appearance in the face,” for adults 22 and older (a few older approvals say over 21). Each family has its own approved areas and its own duration figure.
| Type | Approved for | Maker’s duration figure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juvederm | Hyaluronic acid | Folds, lips, cheeks, chin, temples, jawline, under-eyes (Volbella XC only) | Voluma XC “up to 2 years,” Ultra XC and Volbella XC “up to 1 year,” per Juvederm |
| Restylane | Hyaluronic acid | Folds, lips, cheeks, chin, temples, hands, under-eyes (Eyelight only) | Eyelight “through 18 months,” per Galderma |
| RHA | Hyaluronic acid | Dynamic folds, lip lines, lips, cheeks, under-eyes (Redensity Eye only) | “Up to 15 months” in dynamic folds, “1 year in lipstick lines,” per Teoxane |
| Versa | Hyaluronic acid | Nasolabial folds, lips (Lips+) | See the maker’s label |
| Radiesse | Calcium hydroxylapatite | Folds, backs of the hands, jawline (Radiesse (+)), décolleté lines when diluted | “Up to 2 years,” and not studied beyond 1 year in the hand, per Merz |
Juvederm
- Type
- Hyaluronic acid
- Approved for
- Folds, lips, cheeks, chin, temples, jawline, under-eyes (Volbella XC only)
- Maker’s duration figure
- Voluma XC “up to 2 years,” Ultra XC and Volbella XC “up to 1 year,” per Juvederm
Restylane
- Type
- Hyaluronic acid
- Approved for
- Folds, lips, cheeks, chin, temples, hands, under-eyes (Eyelight only)
- Maker’s duration figure
- Eyelight “through 18 months,” per Galderma
RHA
- Type
- Hyaluronic acid
- Approved for
- Dynamic folds, lip lines, lips, cheeks, under-eyes (Redensity Eye only)
- Maker’s duration figure
- “Up to 15 months” in dynamic folds, “1 year in lipstick lines,” per Teoxane
Versa
- Type
- Hyaluronic acid
- Approved for
- Nasolabial folds, lips (Lips+)
- Maker’s duration figure
- See the maker’s label
Radiesse
- Type
- Calcium hydroxylapatite
- Approved for
- Folds, backs of the hands, jawline (Radiesse (+)), décolleté lines when diluted
- Maker’s duration figure
- “Up to 2 years,” and not studied beyond 1 year in the hand, per Merz
These are label figures, and lip results usually fade sooner than any of them. The products we stock follow our online booking menu, which lists the Restylane line, the RHA collection, Versa, and Sculptra.
Afterwards
Downtime and aftercare
The main thing to plan around is swelling, not pain. On day 0, you’ll be puffy and a little tender, and lips can look fuller than planned. That’s swelling from water and gel, not the final result. Days 1 to 3 are the peak, and that’s when a bruise shows if you’re going to get one. From days 4 to 14, firmness and small lumps soften and the shape settles. Allergan lists redness, swelling, tenderness, firmness, lumps, bruising, and itching as the common effects, and says “most will resolve within 30 days,” per Juvederm.
For the first day, keep makeup off the needle sites for 12 to 24 hours, use cold compresses, and avoid pressing on the area. For two days, skip hard workouts, alcohol, saunas, and hot yoga, and sleep on your back if you can. For two weeks, hold off on facials and dental work. Beforehand, skip aspirin, ibuprofen, fish oil, and alcohol for a few days if your doctor agrees. Don’t stop a prescribed blood thinner for a filler appointment.
Allow two weeks before photos or an event. If your event is sooner, we recommend scheduling filler after it.
Why here
Why Arlington Heights
Our office is in Arlington Heights, on the east side of Arlington Heights Road, about 200 yards south of Dundee Road (Route 68), a block and a half south of Buffalo Grove High School, in the single-story brown brick building. Look for Suite C, and check the address before you park, since there are several similar complexes on this stretch. The lot is free and right outside the door, with no meters and no garage.
Swelling settles in about two weeks, so book filler at least two weeks before a graduation, wedding, or holiday event. Our nurse practitioner does every filler injection here. You’ll find directions and the map on the page for our Arlington Heights office.
Questions
Common questions, answered
Dermal fillers are gels injected under the skin to restore volume or shape. Most are hyaluronic acid, a sugar that binds water and holds space, sold as Juvederm, Restylane, RHA, and Versa. Radiesse is calcium hydroxylapatite, which also stimulates collagen. The FDA approves each for specific areas in adults 22 and older. Results show right away and can last anywhere from months to a couple of years.
A half syringe is exactly that, half the gel in a standard syringe. The amount of filler used depends on your anatomy and goals. Your provider will recommend the appropriate amount during your appointment. A full syringe adds real volume. Half versus full is the biggest cost driver for lips, followed by the product.
Lips are the most sensitive area we inject, but with numbing, it’s a pinch and a dull ache rather than sharp pain. The products contain lidocaine, we add numbing cream or ice, and some people get a dental block for extra comfort. The injecting is over in minutes, and afterward your lips will feel swollen and tender. Swelling peaks in the first 24 to 48 hours and takes about a week to settle, which is normal.
No. There’s no safety data for any dermal filler in pregnancy or breastfeeding, and a 2022 review in the Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery classes fillers as absolutely contraindicated in pregnancy. We don’t inject during either, but you’re welcome to book a consult once you’ve finished nursing.
The FDA approves dermal fillers for adults 22 and older, with a few older approvals written for over 21. We follow the label and treat adults only. If you’re younger than that, we’ll ask you to wait.
Wait a day or two. Pursing your lips around a straw puts pressure on fresh gel, and our aftercare asks you to avoid pressing or massaging the area for the first day or two. You’ll find the exact window on your written aftercare sheet.
Both are hyaluronic acid, both are approved by the FDA for lips, cheeks, chin, and folds, and both dissolve with hyaluronidase. Each family has a firmer gel for structure (Voluma XC, Restylane Lyft), a softer one for lips (Volbella XC, Kysse), and one for under-eye hollows (Volbella XC, Eyelight). We’ll choose based on the area you’re treating, not the brand.
Almost always hyaluronic acid, a sugar your body already makes, crosslinked into a gel so it lasts months instead of days. Lip products such as Juvederm Volbella XC, Restylane Kysse, RHA 3, and Versa Lips+ also contain lidocaine to numb as they go in. Radiesse isn’t approved for the lips, and we don’t put it there.
Syringe count comes first, and that depends on how much volume has gone. Next is the product: Voluma XC, Restylane Lyft, and Radiesse are the firmer, longer-lasting, higher-priced options. Then there’s whether it’s cheeks alone or cheeks plus the folds below them, and whether a touch-up is planned. We’ll go over the numbers at your consult.
Our nurse practitioner does every filler injection at the Arlington Heights office, under medical direction. You’ll meet your injector at the consult, and the same provider sees you at two weeks. Our estheticians don’t inject.
Hyaluronic acid fillers can be dissolved. Hyaluronidase breaks them down, usually within a day or two, and we’ll talk through that option at your consult. That isn’t true of every filler, though: Radiesse and Sculptra are not dissolvable. If reversibility matters to you, tell us and we’ll use an HA product.
Keep exploring
Related treatments
Botox
$14 / unitBotox, Dysport, Xeomin, Jeuveau, and Letybo to soften lines made by movement, from $14 a unit.
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Under-eye PRF
$550 / sessionYour own platelet-rich fibrin, injected under the eyes over three sessions for crepey skin, dark circles, and mild hollowing.
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PDO thread lift
From $1,000 / sessionDissolvable sutures placed under the skin to lift early jowls and a softening jawline, and to build collagen.
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Start with a consult
Tell us what you’d like to work on. We’ll assess your skin and goals, walk you through your Dermal fillers options, and give you a clear plan and price before anything begins.
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