Orka
To rest in her arms, drowning in a pool of sorrow.
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A Concise Guide to Types, Uses & Risks of Fillers
By Orka
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Areas to target & Notes about them
3. Longevity & Maintenance
I. How long each type lasts
II. Maintenance tips
4. Risks & Side Effects
I. Why PMMA isn't popular
II. Migration
III. Tissue Stretching
IV. Vascular Occlusion
V. Granulomas & Nodules
5. Implants vs Fillers
6. TLDR
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1. An Introduction to Filler.
Filler is one of the most overhated procedures because of all the propaganda on tiktok about its side effects, and then going for implants over filler.
While implants are a better alternative to filler, filler isn't as evil as people are making it sound.
A Concise Guide to Types, Uses & Risks of Fillers By Orka
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Areas to target & Notes about them
3. Longevity & Maintenance
I. How long each type lasts
II. Maintenance tips
4. Risks & Side Effects
I. Why PMMA isn't popular
II. Migration
III. Tissue Stretching
IV. Vascular Occlusion
V. Granulomas & Nodules
5. Implants vs Fillers
6. TLDR
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1. An Introduction to Filler.
Filler is one of the most overhated procedures because of all the propaganda on tiktok about its side effects, and then going for implants over filler.
While implants are a better alternative to filler, filler isn't as evil as people are making it sound.
Filler Type | Consistency | Duration | Reversibility | Collagen Stim. | Migration Risk | Best for | Brands | Price range / ml |
Hyaluronic Acid (HA) | Thin & Thick (Multiple Options) | 6-18 Months | Yes | Mild | Medium (5-8%)* | Lips, tear troughs*2, fine lines, cheeks, chin, folds | Revolax, Restylane, Belotero, Teosyal, Juvederm | 400-800$ US 250-500€ EU |
Calcium Hydroxylapatite (CaHA) | Thick, paste-like | 12-18 Months | No | Strong | Low (<3%)* | Deep wrinkles, nasolabial folds, marionette lines, cheeks, temples | Radiesse | 600-1000$ US 300-600€ EU |
Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) | Microspheres in gel | 8+ Years | Only Surgery / Steroids | Moderate | Low (1-2%)* | Deep wrinkles, acne scars, strong structural correction | Bellafill | 800-1200$ US 800-1000€ EU |
Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLLA) | Liquid Suspension | 2-3 Years (multiple sessions) | No | Very Strong | Very low (<1%)* | Cheeks, temples, general volume restoration | Sculptra Aesthetic | 700-1000$ US 400-700€ EU |
*Migration rates depend heavily on how much you're getting injected and where. More about this topic in the Risks & Side Effects Category
*2 Tear Troughs is filler for your undereye
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2. Areas to target & Notes about them
Popular Areas of application
Undereye
If you've got shit undereyes like I do, undereye filler or fat grafting is the equivalent of fire to cavemen.
Makes you look healthier, younger, cleaner, its perfect.
I wouldn't recommend DIYing undereye filler, make sure you get somebody who knows what they're doing, since there's nerves in your eyes which are extremely delicate and if damaged can have serious side effects & long term damage (Skin necrosis, blindness, etc.)
If you've got shit undereyes like I do, undereye filler or fat grafting is the equivalent of fire to cavemen.
Makes you look healthier, younger, cleaner, its perfect.
I wouldn't recommend DIYing undereye filler, make sure you get somebody who knows what they're doing, since there's nerves in your eyes which are extremely delicate and if damaged can have serious side effects & long term damage (Skin necrosis, blindness, etc.)
Nose
If your nose is a failo then the first thing you'll think of is rhinoplasty, which is reasonable, but filler can replicate or give a better result than rhino.
Her dorsal hump was in the way, and instead of getting rid of the hump, she added filler to the tip of her nose and made the rest of it be inline with the hump.
Not to mention this is a cheaper procedure relative to rhino, and you could (in theory) DIY it aswell.
If your nose is a failo then the first thing you'll think of is rhinoplasty, which is reasonable, but filler can replicate or give a better result than rhino.
Her dorsal hump was in the way, and instead of getting rid of the hump, she added filler to the tip of her nose and made the rest of it be inline with the hump.
Not to mention this is a cheaper procedure relative to rhino, and you could (in theory) DIY it aswell.
Jaw
If your jaw is narrow, downgrown or lacking in general, you can get filler there to build out width, sharpen the angle, and mask weak bone structure.
When placed on the mandible border (on bone), it holds shape well and doesn’t migrate like superficial injections.
Basically gives you a faux-genio or jaw implant effect without surgery, but obviously temporary.
If your jaw is narrow, downgrown or lacking in general, you can get filler there to build out width, sharpen the angle, and mask weak bone structure.
When placed on the mandible border (on bone), it holds shape well and doesn’t migrate like superficial injections.
Basically gives you a faux-genio or jaw implant effect without surgery, but obviously temporary.
Zygo / Cheekbone
Possibly one of the most sought-after areas for filler in this community, for a good reason.
Your zygos determine a large part of how dimorphic you are, how angular you are, and more important factors for facial aesthetics.
The man in the photo above looks like he got around 2.5-3ml of filler in his cheekbones.
Possibly one of the most sought-after areas for filler in this community, for a good reason.
Your zygos determine a large part of how dimorphic you are, how angular you are, and more important factors for facial aesthetics.
The man in the photo above looks like he got around 2.5-3ml of filler in his cheekbones.
Chin
In my opinion the most underrated area for application, look how the guy on the bottom acended by simply paying a few hundred for filler.
Chin filler isn't a replacement for sliding genioplasty, but it is an amazing alternative.
In my opinion the most underrated area for application, look how the guy on the bottom acended by simply paying a few hundred for filler.
Chin filler isn't a replacement for sliding genioplasty, but it is an amazing alternative.
Aside from the popular areas to get filler in, failos can be personalized or uncommon.
All clinics will accept requests for filler in these main areas, make sure you look at month-year long before & afters before deciding on a clinic to go to.
While there are many options for filler, and it seems as if its lego blocks that you can place anywhere on your face, it is not an amazing idea to get filler injected anywhere that isn't directly on your bone (with some exceptions). Most cases of filler migration result from somebody getting lots of filler injected superficially (Into soft tissue, not on the bone).
I will dive into this topic further in the Risks & Side effects section of this thread.
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3. Longevity & Maintenance
Hyaluronic Acid (HA): lasts 6-18 months depending on brand, area, and metabolism. Thicker HA sticks longer, while thin ones (Volbella, Silk) fade faster.
Calcium Hydroxylapatite (CaHA): about 12-18 months, sometimes a bit longer since it also stimulates collagen.
Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLLA): results build slowly & can last 2+ years, but you need multiple sessions upfront
Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA): semi-permanent, basically there unless surgically removed.
Maintenance tips:
You'll need touchups every 9-12 months for Hyaluronic Acid filler if you want it to look consistently the same.
Dissolving filler and resetting after 4-5 years will reduce the risk of bloating & migration
If you work out a lot, have a fast metabolism, or smoke a lot, you can expect your filler to breakdown a lot quicker than it would on an average person.
Areas with less movement (Jaw, Cheek, etc.) will last longer and not fade as much as they would on areas with more movement (lips, nasolabial)
labial).
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4. Risks & Side Effects
This section is likely what a lot of you are here for.
I. Polymethylmethacrylate Issues, why it's not popular
I'm sure that PMMA fillers spiked your interest once you saw they were semi-permanent.
You can imagine PMMA as a gel with small beads in it, the beads do not degrade or dissolve, which makes it semi-permanent (results for 8+ years), the main issue is the fact that well, it does not degrade or dissolve. This means that unlike HA and CaHA, if any mistakes happen during the injection process you might need to get triamcinolone or other corticosteroid injections to shrink the 'beads' that are within the gel, overall the dissolving process is more complicated than with HA or CaHA
Beads clumping together, Granulomas (inflammatory masses) and other issues that come with having beads inside of you are the main reason people do not go for PMMA, Along with the fact that if you inject it too superficially you will be able to see the texture of the beads.
The migration risks are also similar to the other material for filler, which is:
II. Migration
This is the primary reason for which most people these days are completely shut down to the idea of filler, they get told on tiktok by retards about how filler always migrates and gives you this bloated look afterwards. You have likely seen this exact photo countless times on ur fyp
*Example is from a person with Hyaluronic Acid filler
The truth is, the risks depend on how you inject your filler, superficial injections have the highest chance of migration, which is around 5% (still, really low), whereas injections near your bone (ex, for zygo implants, injections would be placed directly onto the bone), have a <2% migration rate.
The example above is from somebody who got over 12 syringes done, over a long period of time, without resetting even once (aka. an absolute retard)
As long as you avoid too many superficial injections, and make sure to reset // dissolve your (HA) filler and get new syringes every 5 or so years, you will be fine, and the migration rate will be negligeble.
III. Tissue Stretching
Another risk with fillers that is caused primarily by superficial injecitons, who woulda guessed.
Injecting new mass / things into yourself will force the skin around it to stretch, which means that after you remove the mass / things, the skin around it will be looser.
This is only a potential risk if you're getting 4-5ml+ of filler injected superficially (which, you should NEVER do.)
On top of this, the weight of filler (for example, in your cheeks and undereyes, where its mostly soft tissue) can lead to your skin being dragged downwards since well, gravity, This isn't a very common occurance, and you should not treat filler as some sort of building block, treat it more as touch ups for areas, that way you won't be injecting 4ml+ filler and won't have to deal with all these potential side effects! Amazing!!!1!!!!111
IV. Vascular Occlusion
Basically, if filler is accidentally injected into a blood vessel, it can block blood flow. No blood flow = no oxygen = tissue death (necrosis).
In the absolute worst-case scenario, if this happens near the eyes and filler travels upstream, it can even cause blindness.
The risk is very low if you’re injected by someone who knows what they’re doing.
HA fillers are safer here, because they can be dissolved if an occlusion is spotted early.
PMMA, CaHA, PLLA? Can't be. If one of those gets into a vessel, you’re gonna have to go through a bunch of drama to get rid of it
Symptoms to watch for: immediate blanching (skin turning white), severe pain, dusky/purple discoloration after injection.
If any of that happens then just ask to get it dissolved asap
V. Granulomas & Nodules
Basically, your body sees the filler (especially permanent ones like PMMA, or even CaHA) as a foreign object and the immune system walls it off, then boom, you’ve got a hard lump that doesn’t go away
Granulomas = inflammatory reactions (angry, red, sometimes painful lumps).
Nodules = just firm, hard little bumps you can feel under the skin.
Most of the time these show up months or even years later, which is why people get blindsided.
They can also be triggered by stuff like illness or stress when your immune system is acting weird.
Treatment
With HA, usually just dissolve it.
With PMMA, CaHA, PLLA it's not really easy. Sometimes triamcinolone (corticosteroid injections) can shrink them,
but in some cases you’re gonna need surgery or lasers.
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5. Implants vs Filler
Well well well, here's the part most people are looking for when they hear about filler.
I'll start it like this though, No, filler is not better than implants in most aspects
Implants are long-term and fully customized, as opposed to filler where you have to aim with a needle.
Price wise, filler is a great way to preview what you should expect with implants, but it shouldn't be treated as implants are.
Filler is for touch ups and rearrangements, if your cheekbones are flat, don't fix it with filler, get implants.
5 years of consistent HA filler = $6–10k. One implant surgery = $5–7k. Long-term, implants win economically too.
The only area I can fully suggest filler instead of implants in is your undereyes, something like fat grafting or filler will work a lot better at getting instant and good looking results for a few hundred euros, as opposed to implants where you need a fully customized implant, then 5k+ on surgery to get it done.
If you’re serious about reshaping your face structurally (cheekbones, jawline, chin), implants will always beat filler in the long run. If you’re just chasing touch-ups, camouflaging hollows, or testing how you’d look with stronger features, filler does the job temporarily without committing to surgery
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6. TLDR
(by GPT)
Filler isn’t evil — it’s just overused and abused.
Hyaluronic Acid is king: reversible, safest, and best for casual touch-ups.
PMMA/PLLA/CaHA: last longer but can’t be dissolved if things go wrong.
Main risks: migration (~5% if superficial, drops to <1% when injected on bone), tissue stretching if you overfill, vascular occlusion (rare but serious), granulomas/nodules (esp. with permanent fillers).
Don’t treat filler like Lego blocks — keep it subtle, reset/dissolve every 4–5 years.
Implants > filler for real structural changes (cheekbones, jaw, chin).
Filler shines for undereyes, minor asymmetry, and testing implant results.
Economics: 5 years of HA = $6–10k → same price as implants. Long-term, implants win
I would strongly recommend reading the entire thing if you're considering getting filler. Or if you're just bored.
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Tagging some of the smartest users I know
@aids @ybuyhgui @Sadist @BigBallsLarry
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