What are hyaluronic acid dermal fillers?
Hyaluronic acid dermal fillers are an injectable gel that adds volume and defines facial contours without surgery: lips, cheeks, chin, jawline, under-eye hollows and folds such as the nasolabial. Hyaluronic acid is a molecule your own skin already produces to hold water; it declines with age, and the filler restores it where it is needed.
Two features set it apart from other filler materials. It is temporary —the body reabsorbs it over months, so the result is not a permanent decision— and it is reversible: if a result does not convince or a complication appears, it can be dissolved with an enzyme called hyaluronidase. That safety net does not exist with permanent fillers, which Dr. Arístides Arellano does not use.
Areas that can be treated
Not every area ages the same way, and the filler is planned around what has actually changed in your case:
- Lips: hydration, border definition and volume, always seeking proportion rather than exaggeration.
- Cheeks: restoring the volume that flattens over the years and, once lost, makes the face look tired.
- Chin and jawline: projecting the chin and defining the contour, which also improves the profile and the neck.
- Under-eye hollows (tear trough): correcting the hollow beneath the eye that reads as tiredness; it is one of the most delicate areas and demands technique.
- Nasolabial folds and marionette lines: softening the creases that mark from the nose and the corners of the mouth.
- Deep hydration (skinbooster): improving the quality and luminosity of the skin rather than adding volume.
Techniques used by Dr. Arístides Arellano
A natural result depends less on the product than on how and where it is placed. The plan is built around the proportions of your face:
- Needle or cannula by area: the cannula —a blunt tip— reduces bruising and lowers the risk of injuring a vessel, and is preferred in areas such as cheeks and tear trough; the fine needle is reserved for precise touch-ups.
- Gels of different density: a more fluid product for lips and tear trough, a firmer one to project the chin or jaw. Using the wrong gel in the wrong area is a frequent cause of unnatural results.
- Topical anaesthetic and lidocaine in the gel: most products already include anaesthetic, so the discomfort is tolerable without additional injections.
- Vascular safety manoeuvres: slow injection, in the correct plane and with the precautions that avoid placing product inside a vessel — the complication that matters most to prevent.
- Hyaluronidase available in the office: keeping the enzyme that dissolves hyaluronic acid at hand allows a result to be corrected or a complication to be treated immediately.
- Whole-face assessment, not a single area: a "thin" lip sometimes looks better by projecting the chin, and the under-eye improves by restoring the cheek. The face is treated as a unit, not as one isolated line.
How is it performed?
The treatment is performed in the office, in a single session of 20 to 40 minutes, with no operating room or general anaesthesia. Topical anaesthetic is applied, the plan is marked on the face, and the gel is injected with a fine needle or cannula. Most patients resume their activities the same day.
Because the products include lidocaine, the discomfort is tolerable. There may be redness, mild swelling and, especially in the lips, some bruising during the first days. The result is visible immediately and finishes settling within one to two weeks, once the initial swelling subsides.
Every injectable procedure carries risk and requires a prior medical assessment. The most common effects —bruising, swelling, asymmetries or small nodules— are usually transient; the most serious, though infrequent, is occlusion of a blood vessel, which demands a physician who knows facial anatomy and keeps hyaluronidase at hand to act immediately. That is why who injects matters, not only what is injected. Results may vary according to each patient and their anatomy.
Who is a good candidate?
- Loss of volume: flattened cheeks, a tired look, folds that deepen as tissues descend.
- Folds already present at rest —nasolabial, marionette lines— that do not depend on movement.
- A wish to define lips, chin or jaw while keeping a proportionate, natural result.
- Realistic expectations. Filler restores volume; it does not remove skin or lift what has fallen. If the main problem is laxity, the answer is a facelift, not more product.
- Good general health, no active infection in the area to be treated, and no pregnancy or breastfeeding.
- An honest note: if what bothers you are expression lines —frown, forehead, crow’s feet—, those are treated with botulinum toxin, not filler; the two are often combined, but they are not interchangeable.
Recommended post-treatment care
After the application it is advisable to avoid intense exercise, heat —sauna, steam, direct sun exposure— and alcohol during the first 24 to 48 hours, and not to manipulate the area so the product is not displaced. Local cold and arnica help with bruising. Dr. Arístides Arellano schedules a review at two weeks to assess the settling and, if needed, to touch up. See the full guide: Post-surgical recovery and care.
Before and after
Most patients want to see before-and-after photographs before deciding. Out of respect for each person’s privacy, Dr. Arístides Arellano shows real cases —always with documented consent— during your in-person consultation, where you can review results from patients with a starting point similar to yours. Results may vary from patient to patient.
Approximate price
From approximately $6,000 MXN per application, depending on the areas treated and how much product your case needs. Approximate price — the definitive cost is set at your private consultation with Dr. Arístides Arellano.
About Dr. Arístides Arellano
Dr. Arístides Arellano is a plastic surgeon holding a specialty licence: he practises under a Mexican medical licence (D.G.P. 1125959) and a specialty licence in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery (0002008), both issued by the Directorate General of Professions (DGP), which reissued his certificate of professional standing in 2025. His career began before Mexico’s present-day specialty-board system existed: he belongs to the founding generation of plastic surgery in Puebla, the second generation of a surgical tradition started in 1971 by Dr. Francisco Arellano Ocampo. Trust is verified, not promised: both licences are public and anyone can look them up in the DGP’s National Registry of Professionals.
Related patient guide
If your concern is laxity and not only loss of volume, filler is not the answer: Facelift (rhytidectomy) — the page that explains when the face needs its tissue repositioned rather than merely filled.
Trust is verified, not promised. All 210 scanned documents —degree, licences, diplomas, publications and certificates, from 1977 to 2025— are open in Dr. Arístides Arellano’s credential archive, alongside an explanation of the difference between a specialty licence and a board certification.
Recovery · step by step
- Day 0Application in the office. Redness and mild swelling; result visible immediately. Normal activity can be resumed.
- Days 1–3Possible swelling and bruising, especially in the lips. Local cold and arnica help. Heat, exercise and alcohol are avoided.
- Days 4–14Swelling subsides and the gel integrates; the result finishes settling.
- Week 2Review to assess the settling and, if needed, to touch up.
- Months 6–18The product is gradually reabsorbed; the treatment is repeated when the result is to be maintained.
Frequently asked questions
How long do hyaluronic acid fillers last?
Between 6 and 18 months, depending on the area and the type of gel. The lips, being in constant movement, reabsorb faster; the chin or jaw, with denser gels, last longer. Being temporary, the result is not a permanent decision: it is repeated when you want to maintain it, or simply left to fade. Results may vary according to each patient.
Does the filler application hurt?
It is a tolerable discomfort. Topical anaesthetic is applied beforehand and the gels include lidocaine, which numbs the area as it is injected. With a cannula, the puncture and the risk of bruising are further reduced. Most patients describe it as uncomfortable, not painful.
Can hyaluronic acid be removed if I do not like it?
Yes, and it is one of its greatest advantages. Hyaluronic acid is dissolved with an enzyme called hyaluronidase, which reabsorbs the gel in a short time. This allows a result that does not convince to be corrected and, above all, a complication to be treated immediately. Permanent fillers do not offer this safety net, which is why Dr. Arístides Arellano does not use them.
What do I need, hyaluronic acid or botulinum toxin?
They solve different problems. Hyaluronic acid restores volume and defines contours —lips, cheeks, folds—. Botulinum toxin relaxes the muscles that produce expression lines, such as those of the frown or the forehead. They are often combined, but they are not interchangeable: filling an expression line with hyaluronic acid, or placing toxin where volume is missing, does not work. The assessment defines what fits your case.
Do fillers replace a facelift?
No. Hyaluronic acid restores lost volume, but it does not remove excess skin or reposition fallen tissue. If the main problem is laxity —hanging skin, a descended facial oval—, no filler corrects it, and loading a face that actually needs a facelift with product produces a bloated, unnatural look. At the consultation you will be told honestly what fits your case.
Is it safe to have hyaluronic acid fillers?
It is a safe procedure when performed by a physician who knows facial anatomy. The most common effects —bruising, swelling, small nodules or asymmetries— are transient. The serious complication, though infrequent, is occlusion of a blood vessel; that is why it matters that whoever injects can recognise it and has hyaluronidase available to act immediately. Who applies the product weighs as much as the product itself.
How much do hyaluronic acid fillers cost in Puebla?
It depends on the number of syringes your case requires and on the areas to be treated; defining the chin does not cost the same as correcting several areas of the face. The brand and density of the gel also matter. That is why the price is defined at the consultation, where how much product you need is established first. Buying a syringe blindly rarely matches what a specific face requires.
Every case is different. Discuss yours in a personal consultation.
Book a consultation on WhatsAppEvery figure published on this site is approximate and is not a quote. Any procedure or treatment first requires a private assessment consultation with Dr. Arístides Arellano —$800 MXN, charged separately— and it is at that consultation that the definitive cost of your case is determined.
Educational content; it does not replace a medical consultation. Results may vary from person to person.