Navigating a comlex filler problem.
Dear Dr. Irwin, I read many of your posts to questions relative to too much filler below the eye are to fill just above the bone and which product. I have had all products used all over, and have only one problem. I had pharmaceutical silicone placed in my upper& middle cheek area, all looks great. The only problem spot is just above the cheek bone below the center of one's eye. It is now too filled! Therefore, it almost looks like I have small bags under my eyes. If I press hard on it, it does temporarily flatten, leaving the skin, very red, which stays almost an hour. That can be fixed with any cover-up cream. Is there anyway to remove a bit of the silicone? Will it fade a bit later? As to Artefill, I had it done in France 15 yrs ago before it was legal here. I am still thrilled with the results! I would do it again if it wasn't so expensive. Europe is far less. I have had a bit of Juvaderm, probably on top of the Artefill areas and the silicone, with no problem. Thank you for any advice. I appreciate it.
I’m sad that this happened to you. And……………. I think you know my stand on any permanent product which is ………….never do them because they can’t be adjusted – both in the short term and also as your face ages. In addition, problems can occur with them as much as 10-15 years later. So far, you’ve been fortunate with the Artefill though. More here on filler problems.
But……….. that doesn’t help you and there’s a growing group of women in the world who are having problems with these permanent fillers. Here are some thoughts that I hope will help you.
- Always, always discuss the problem with the doctor who did the original work. Even if you don’t want to go back to him/her, it’s important that they know what problems are occuring;
- If you don’t want to go back to the original doctor who did the work, it’s important to get a second and even sometimes a third opinion about solutions from the best doctors who do this work that you can find. Even if this means going out of your area and going to some time and trouble. One really great dermatologist or plastic surgeon may save you hours of time and more complications;
- Sadly, there is no way to remove silicone short of cutting it out. Silicone does not fade. A good plastic surgeon can advise you but there will be a scar if that’s done. The scar however, is sometimes less visible than the lump;
- It’s not a good idea to press on or massage permanent fillers. It won’t help and it can cause other tissue damage;
- One strategy is to camoflauge around “bumps” of silicone with a more temporary product like Juvederm. But…..it has to be repeated about every six months.
Hope this helps, Dr. I
