Why is filler treatment so expensive?

Updated: May 14, 2022

Filler has been used widely and frequently by aesthetic physicians, dermatologists, plastic surgeons to treat patients for different diagnosis. For eg: plastic surgeons use filler to fill up a sunken area on the body after an bad accident. Or, aesthetic physicians use filler to fill up areas of bone lost on patients' face. So, filler, the name itself is self explanatory, it is a medical device doctors used to fill something up.

What are the types of filler?

There are 2 main types of filler in the market. The most common one is made of Hyaluronic Acid (the same component of our human collagen), the other type is not made of Hyaluronic Acid. The second group of filler is created mainly to stimulate our own collagen production. They can be made of synthetic molecules or calcium based.

Hyaluronic Acid filler is abundant nowadays, widely available. But, are they safe? How to tell whether a filler is safe to be injected? The filler can be deemed safe only if it fulfills some basic criteria :-

Manufactured in a GMP certified factory
CE marked
Externally validated Sterile (No germs)
Externally validated on Purity (No dirt)
Post injection studies peer reviewed

There are many Hyaluronic Acid filler that do not meet this criteria and will cause serious complications if injected.

These unsafe fillers do not have many of the above criteria and are distributed in very suspicious means. Being unregulated, the safety of the patients are also not protected.

Some of the complications from these unsafe fillers are infection, lumpiness, hardening of surrounding skin, swelling, and disfigurement.

Filler is the ingredient.

In an appendix removal surgery, the patient is charged RM 8,000 . But the cost of the sutures and gauze is only less than RM100. Why is that so?

Yes, the patient is actually paying for the skill and experience of the doctor to perform the surgery safely and accurately.

Similarly, filler itself is just an ingredient we aesthetic physician use to beautify your face. Our experience and skill will be part of the bill too.

A similar treatment can be slightly cheaper elsewhere, but will they come out as safe? Will they turn out like what you have in mind?

A Picasso's drawing was never priced by the cost of the paper and paint, and will never be.