Your lips have thinned a little over the years. The lines from your nose to the corners of your mouth have deepened, and lipstick has started to bleed into the fine lines above your top lip. Dermal fillers can soften these changes, and we place them at our studio in Lakeview, Chicago.
Dr. Erin is certified in dermal fillers through the American Academy of Facial Esthetics. Dentists work with the lips and the muscles around the mouth every day, so filler is placed to suit how your lips move over your teeth when you talk and smile.
“I never want to make someone feel like we're doing more than is truly needed. If we recommend something, I want them to know it's because it genuinely matters to them.”
Dr. Erin Cho
What can dermal fillers do?
A dermal filler is a soft gel placed under the skin to add volume. Most are made of hyaluronic acid, a substance your body already makes to hold moisture in the skin. Over months, your body breaks it down.
Around the mouth, fillers are used to add a little fullness or balance to the lips, soften smile lines (the folds from the nose to the corners of the mouth), lift the lines that pull down from the corners, and fill fine lines above the top lip. They can also shape the chin.
Fillers and Botox often get mixed up. Fillers add volume where it's been lost. Botox relaxes a muscle so it stops creasing the skin. Some people have both.
What happens at a filler appointment in Chicago?
It starts with a conversation about what you'd like to change, and a look at your medical history. We'll tell you what filler can do for you, and what it can't.
Then the area is cleaned and numbed. Many fillers also contain a local anesthetic. The filler goes in small amounts through a fine needle, with pauses to check the shape. We never do more than you need. The result still looks like you, and you can always add a little more at a later visit.
You look in a mirror together before you leave, and go home with aftercare instructions.
“Dentistry to me is where science, precision and artistry meet, using that blend to restore not just teeth, but how a person feels about themself.”
Dr. Erin Cho
How long do fillers last, and what's recovery like?
Most people go straight back to their day. Swelling, tenderness and small bruises are common for a few days, especially in the lips, so wait a week or two before judging the result. Ice helps. Skip hard exercise and alcohol for the first day.
Hyaluronic acid fillers often last from about six months to over a year, depending on where they go and which product is used. Lips move a lot, so filler there fades sooner. If you don't like the result, this type of filler can be dissolved with an enzyme.
Serious complications are rare, but they happen. Choose someone trained in the anatomy of the face.
Tell us first if you:
Are pregnant or breastfeeding
Have a cold sore or skin infection near the area
Have reacted to filler before
Have a bleeding disorder or take blood thinners
Our dentists
Our founder, Dr. Erin Cho, and Dr. Ashley Choi, both trained at the University of Illinois Chicago.
