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When Medical Spas, or aesthetic doctors talk about “fillers” they’re referring to a gel-like substance that is injected under the skin to fill in, or smooth out, parts of the body or face. For younger generations, this practice is considered normal, and today it’s increasingly popular. For those of my generation, it’s often considered, well, weird!
We think of it as some new-fangled invention designed to mess with the natural order of things. There’s a lot to unpack here, so for now, I’m simply going to focus on the history and the science of fillers.
Believe it or not, it was invented a long time ago and, like so many of these inventions, it was not originally designed for the pursuit of aesthetic perfection.
Early experiments
The practice actually emerged very quickly after the invention of the hypodermic needle! (It seems we humans can’t resist the urge to poke ourselves with new things to see what happens!) And women weren’t the only ones subjected to these experiments that ran through the mid- to late-1800’s. Both genders were “treated” for palatal and urinary fistulas, hernias, nasal defects and genital abnormalities. One early patient had Vaseline injected in order to “correct the absence of a testicle.” Fascinating!
Back then, the material options were pretty limited, so paraffins and Vaselines were used, and initially appeared to be successful…until they weren’t. It turns out these mineral oils aren’t too welcome in our intimate spaces and some pretty disastrous results occurred after a relatively short amount of time. Similar outcomes followed with the invention of silicone, which was trialed in the mid-1900’s.
The science took a small step forward in the 1970’s with the discovery of bovine collagen, but this still represented a substance too “foreign” for our human anatomy to enjoy and resulted in several problems that limited its scope.
Natural Solution
Finally, in the 2000’s we discovered that we could make and use substances that our own bodies produced, and, hey presto, we had a sustainable solution.
These days the science is syncing up with our natural systems in a way that takes out the “experimental” aspect to the practice.
Sugars that are found naturally in our connective tissue can be used to boost our personal supply, or to stimulate the kind of collagen production that diminishes with time. The latest generation of dermal fillers use modified hyaluronic acid, (a substance naturally found in the body) to create a soft, smooth gel that integrates into the tissues.
As you all know by now, my personal mantra is “keep it natural,” and fortunately, the very process itself is moving in that direction. These days, the people who use these products are not pursuing an extreme aesthetic alteration. Those swollen lips and distorted cheek bones are losing out in favor of simple maintenance. For individuals seeking modest improvements through minimally invasive means, modern fillers can safely meet that need when used judiciously.
I respect every individual’s personal approach to health and beauty, and I even defend those who have no grooming habits at all! Each of us has a unique sense of “self” that we reinforce with our daily, weekly and monthly habits. New products and techniques are simply a part of this human process. Personally, I’m thrilled to be working in this field at a time when natural ingredients can be used to create natural results. Those days of paraffin implants are thankfully a thing of the past!