Fillers in Qatar: The Best Plastic Surgeon shares her thoughts on the Newest Beauty Trend

Beauty has been a topic that is taking the world by storm. Ageless beauty or the anti-aging medicine market has been estimated globally to be worth 122.3 billion US dollars in 2013.

New reports have shown that the compounded annual growth rate of the anti-aging market is 7.8% between 2013 and 2019, and is projected to be worth 191.7 billion by 2019 in the US alone. Imagine its popularity right here in Qatar?!

One of Qatar’s best plastic surgeons, Dr. Iman Al Haj, specialist in hair loss and anti-aging medicine, talks about the origins of fillers and their rise to popularity in Doha.

“Fillers or the need for fillers has been an old concept of esthetics, which is the need to replace lost tissue over the years,” said Dr. Al Haj. In order to understand the benefits these wonderful fillers are offering, we need to understand what they are and how they came to be.

What Are Fillers?

Fillers in language are defined as “a thing put in a space or container to fill it”. However, in beauty/plastic surgery/dermatology, fillers are “gel-like substances that are injected beneath the skin to restore lost volume, smooth lines, and soften creases, or enhance facial contours.”

Essentially, they are substances made up of substances that are soft and injected into the skin to fill the space caused by ageing or sagging of the skin. They are not completely permanent so they are a quick and cost-effective way to look younger without surgical treatments, according to the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery.

History Behind Anti-Aging Fillers

“Fat, as a great available source, was the first to be known to mankind,” said Dr. Al Haj. “However, it is a surgical procedure where anesthesia of some kind is needed, and patient has to be in his/her best health to undergo the procedure.”

Considering the fillers injection can be done to almost every part of the body, it is mostly preferred in the face. More specifically under the eyes, lips, cheeks, face, and fillers for acne scars. Dr. Al Haj specializes in these right here in Doha, Qatar!

However, according to Dr. Al Haj, injecting fat almost diminished in 1970 when the invention of collagen revolutionized the anti-aging medicine as a substitute for fat to fill those small areas under local or topical anesthesia. “It was wonderful alleviated imperfection and dentition beauty forever,” said Dr. Al Haj.

“It was made out of beef,” she added, explaining that it needed to be skin tested and the patient had to come back “in 2 to 3 weeks to make sure no reaction had happened. Nonetheless patients still experienced, unfortunately, terrible complications due to reaction to the animal products, including: infection and long term granuloma/nodules with resultant deformity,” said Dr. Al Haj.

Due to the lack of medical advancements these cases would end badly due to inaccessibility to surgical removal most of the time according to Dr. Al Haj.

A New Era of Ageless Beauty!

“The invention of hyaluronic acids fillers was the best that happened in early 2003. An inert material made in the lab compatible with a normal occurring structure of the skin. The only disadvantage was the longevity of the product and cost,” said the plastic surgeon. “Though the filler is made under so many names and brands, the basic structure was always the same with a great safety window.”

Of course, like any product, making fillers last longer made them pricier, and according to Dr. Al Haj, “It can be used anywhere in the body but the human breast due to safety issues. Fillers definitely changed the aging face forever.”