Octane Aesthetics Tech Forum: Strategy Over Syringes Leads 2025 Filler Rebound

“Flipping the Filler Script” was a hot topic at the 2026 Octane Aesthetics Tech Forum held January 8 and 9 in Newport Beach, California. The panel was moderated by Jason D. Bloom, MD, FACS, of Bloom Facial Plastic Surgery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and panelists included Shawna Chrisman, NP, Chief Aesthetics Officer of Advanced MedAesthetics Partners; Drew Fine, US General Manager of Obagi Medical; Mike Ramsburg, Associate Vice President of Digital Strategy and Operations at Allergan Aesthetics, An AbbVie Company; Lindsey Vandereb, Senior Manager Consumer Marketing and Brand Partnerships at Evolus; and Steve Yoelin, MD, FAAO, of Steve Yoelin Medical Associates in Newport Beach, California. 

Earlier in the conference, data shared by Guidepoint Qsight showed a 7% decline in the filler market in 2025. Despite this, aesthetic practices are seeing renewed momentum, driven by a shift toward more strategic use of hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers and stronger patient education. 

Chrisman said her practice doubled training sessions for dermal fillers in the past year, focusing on the temple region after new on-label indications for Juvéderm Voluma (Allergan Aesthetics) were granted in 2024. 

“You can drop 1.5 mL in each temple and really contour those angular cheeks,” Crispin said. “It is not about overfilling; it is about balance and undetectable outcomes.”

Panelists agreed the narrative around fillers is evolving. Dr. Yoelin shared that 2025 was his best year yet for filler, attributing this to a “problem-first” injection philosophy that mimics facelift mechanics with structural filler before addressing specific areas of concern.

Digital interest in fillers remains high. According to Google data shared by panelists, searches related to the filler category rose 11% in 2025. Yet, consumers remain confused: “Botox” was reportedly still the top search term in the filler category.

Practices appear to be adapting accordingly. Fine noted that filler promotions by clinics jumped from 20% to more than 50% in recent months.

“The pendulum has hit the wall,” Fine said. “Practices are re-engaging with the category, and we are seeing the sentiment shift.”

Chrisman added that filler is “part of the solution—not the entire solution,” and emphasized the importance of educating both providers and patients.