Dermal fillers have become increasingly popular in recent years, as they offer a non-invasive and effective way to temporarily smooth out wrinkles and fine lines, restore volume to sunken areas of the face, and improve the contours of the cheeks or lips. Unfortunately, the rise in popularity has also led to an increase in inexperienced injectors performing medical treatments on unsuspecting patients, resulting in “failed” treatments. Fortunately, there are a handful of options for correcting bad filler treatments. In some cases, a bad result is simply due to the fact that the filling is misplaced. It is possible to add small amounts of strategically placed filler to reshape and contour the injected area for a beautiful result.
This takes advantage of the pre-placed filling volume and does not require a complete re-start or replacement of the entire product. In other cases where the hyaluronic acid filler has been incorrectly injected into the wrong tissue layer or when the area has been overfilled, the filler must be removed or reduced. Fortunately, we have a product called Hylenex (hyaluronidase) that can dissolve hyaluronic acid-based fillers in a matter of hours. This injection is placed directly into unpleasant collections of filler to remove part or all of the filling. It takes experience to know how much Hylenex should be placed in a given area, but the dose can be adjusted so that from a small amount of filler to the entire syringe can be drawn in one treatment session.
The right approach requires a deep discussion between you and your doctor to know exactly how much Hylenex should place in which area of the face. Choosing to reverse a hyaluronidase filler treatment is very low risk, and any filler injections you undergo later will not be affected. If you've been thinking about trying dermal fillers, you might have heard of celebrities who recently chose to dissolve their fillers. For example, some patients make the mistake of entrusting their treatment to a novice or unqualified professional, and end up paying for it when the doctor injects too much filler, places the filler in the wrong place, or does not properly handle the filler to produce symmetrical results. In certain patients, a steroid shot may help reverse the effects of some of these fillers to some extent, but the only sure way to “undo” these results is to wait for the body to absorb them. Over time, the filler will be metabolized, at which point you might even decide to undergo another round of dermal filler injections.
Hyaluronic acid-based fillers are particularly attractive due to their ability to dissolve if something goes wrong - differentiating them from other types of fillers. Sold under brand names such as Hydase, Hylenex and Vitrase, hyaluronidase enzymes are very effective in dissolving hyaluronic acid-based facial fillers. However, fillers containing animal-derived ingredients have potential for causing allergic and inflammatory reactions and have fallen out of use. Fillers containing synthetic ingredients such as silicone cannot be completely removed from lips since surrounding tissue absorbs them.
