What are dermal fillers made of?
A filler offer names a product, and the product is made of an ingredient. This page reads one source on two ingredients and lists what to ask before a visit in Saline, Michigan.
Two ingredients named by the source
my.clevelandclinic.org lists off-the-shelf fillers and begins with this line: "The types of off-the-shelf fillers include: Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a naturally occurring acid in your skin."
It then describes a second type: "Calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA) is a type of filler that consists of a substance you have in your bones."
What those lines ask of you
Both lines name an ingredient and say where the body already has it. When a filler is offered to you, ask for its ingredient by name and check it against these two.
Steps before you choose
- Ask which filler the clinic plans to use and what it is made of.
- Ask whether it is a hyaluronic acid product or a calcium hydroxylapatite product.
- Ask what the clinician would use instead if you decline that ingredient.
- Ask for the product name so you can look it up yourself.
Further reading on filler ingredients
For hyaluronic acid specifically, a PMC paper compares non-cross-linked and cross-linked hyaluronic acid dermal fillers. Two clinic pages cover the wider category: Penn Medicine on dermal fillers and Yale Medicine on soft tissue fillers.
Who to ask if the wording is unclear
Ask the injecting clinician to explain each term, such as hyaluronic acid or calcium hydroxylapatite, in plain words before you agree to treatment.