As with any cosmetic procedure, results from dermal fillers sometimes may not meet your expectations.

Perhaps the filler doesn’t look like you wanted it to. You wish you had asked for a more subtle look. There is a lump or a bump in the injection site. Or the filler has migrated to an area where it shouldn’t be.

There are a host of reasons why fillers can behave in unpredictable ways.

In the first two to three weeks post-procedure, the body is in healing mode caused by the trauma of the injection and can produce lumps, bumps, and swelling. In a small percentage of cases, a patient’s body simply reacts poorly to the product for no known reason, resulting in prolonged swelling or lumpiness. Something as simple as having a common cold can prompt our body’s immune system to respond to the filler with localized swelling, which typically resolves on its own.

So, what should you do if you are unhappy with your results?

• Contact your injector for a consult ~ Make an appointment for a follow-up with the person who performed the treatment and share your concerns. Allow them to address the issues and provide corrective work. Your original injector is the one most familiar with the details of your service and has the medical records on file to support informed recommendations. They can assess you in person and make an action plan to rectify your condition.

• Gather your treatment records if you choose to go elsewhere ~ If you are unhappy with the results and decide to seek a different provider, be sure to come to your consult armed with your treatment records. Your next injector must see what products and amounts were used to develop the safest plan for dissolving. Your injector can review your injectables history and learn what results you wish to achieve once the filler is dissolved. We can then develop a custom plan for you to achieve those goals.

• Schedule a corrective filler dissolve service appointment ~ It can take multiple dissolve appointments before we can start with a blank canvas, depending on the type and amount of filler previously injected. We will reassess the results two weeks later to see if additional appointments are required. At RXA, we use a product called Hylenex to dissolve hyaluronic acid fillers such as Juvederm, Restylane, and Belotero. We chose this product because it is highly effective in dissolving hyaluronic acid filler and is least likely to cause an allergic reaction. Once we have corrected, we can then start from scratch and give you the look you always wanted in the first place. This treatment does not work on bio stimulator fillers such as Radiesse, Bellafill, and Sculptra.

• Address more serious conditions ~ Even in your initial filler appointment, all qualified injectors will have corrective dissolving protocols and resources ready to address emergent situations such as occlusion or blockage of blood flow during filler placement. After the appointment, if you notice that the area injected is warm to touch, red, or painful, this may be a symptom of infection, so you should immediately contact your provider.  Nodules and granulomas, inflamed tissue that develops again from our bodies’ immune response, are more serious concerns that we would refer to a dermatologist or plastic surgeon for evaluation if we feel there is a deeper issue than misplaced filler.

It is always best to get your filler injections right from the start.

That is why choosing a seasoned provider that can select the right products and inject them with the medical skill necessary to achieve your refresh goals is so important. But, if corrective work is required, it is absolutely worth the time and attention to achieve the results you have always wished for!

As always, thank you for being a part of the RXReset blog family. We value your feedback and ideas for future topics. Please continue to send your great ideas to info@rxamedspa.com.

Warmly,

Your Team at RX Aesthetics Medical Spa