Lip filler dissolving! Over time, lip filler can migrate to areas that it is not meant to. Leaving you with a ‘puffy’ or ‘sausage’ look, and often some discomfort. We are having an influx of women coming in to dissolve their filler, starting fresh and getting back to their desired look. Start again baby! You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes when working with a fresh canvas. 

Our experienced cosmetic nurses are highly knowledgeable in how and why filler migrates, how to approach a comfortable and effective lip filler dissolving appointment, and the best way to refill your lips. Trusting your injector is paramount to a successful injectables experience, your cosmetic nurse will take your aesthetic goal into account but also your safety and individual anatomy. The trend of really big lips may be shifting, and a more natural look is making its’ way into clinic, which can be achieved with proper application of filler.

Let’s take a look at how migration happens, what the process of dissolving entails, and how long after dissolving you can be back in clinic to refill your lips. 

• Lip Filler Dissolving Part One: Migration

Migration can occur for a couple of reasons, this is when the filler moves outside of the ‘vermillion border’ of the lips. A sign of migration is when you notice a lumpy bottom or top lip and the definition between the skin and lip edge has diminished, or overt puffiness and overly hardened lips. The first cause is that the nurse who originally injected the filler was a tad under experienced and did not apply the filler to the correct places or injected too much of it. We aren’t here to criticise other clinics, because we’re all human, but it is so so important for you to see an experienced cosmetic nurse who knows what they’re doing with technique, placement and units. Another main culprit of migration is visiting your clinic to frequently for top ups, we know it’s tempting but spacing out appointments adequately will help to prevent migration.

• Lip Filler Dissolving Part Two: Dissolving

On to the solution! Lip filler is simply Hyaluronic Acid, to break down this formula we use an enzyme called Hyaluronidase (Hyalase). This enzyme is injected into the lips and it immediately begins to disintegrate the Hyaluronic Acid filler. Your cosmetic nurse will then massage the lips to encourage more contact between the H & H, and in turn a more dissolving. The process can be uncomfortable and you may experience some stinging or burning as the two compositions interact with each other. The Hyalase will break down the filler pretty much immediately, but wait until the two day mark to ask your injector if you need to do another round of dissolving. There can be excessive swelling and some bruising, so sit tight and don’t panic, it’s normal. The discomfort can be compared to the actual application of fillers, a similar sensation and numbing cream can be used to ease this.

• Lip Filler Dissolving Part Three: Refilling

There is definitely a misconception that your lips will be overly deflated looking and stretched, this is not the case. Although excess filler has been removed, the result is just what your lips were prior to ever getting filler. Many clients feel the need to refill straight away, but we highly recommend waiting some time to decide on the look you are after. A minimum of two weeks is required before injecting more filler, this gives you time to heal properly.

GC Skin Cosmetic Nurse, Mackenzie, is finding many clients are coming in to have their filler dissolved and to start again to get a more defined and natural lip.

“There can be a few reasons for lip filler migration, incorrect injection technique by inexperienced or under-qualified practitioners is one of the leading causes, injectors also often have their own technique to achieve those wild results you see online which can lead to migration also. If too much lip filler has been placed in one area over time, or it has been injected too deeply, then the filler can immediately migrate out of the lips or form lip filler lumps”.

“Unfortunately, over time every client if they continue to refill often will have to dissolve eventually, however trusting in your injector is the main thing. Personally I’m about keeping your natural shape and enhancing slowly. We all have different lips for a reason therefore “Russian” style wont suit everyone so find an injector that will tell you the truth”.

“We dissolve your lips using an enzyme called Hyalase which when injected dissolves the Hyaluronic Acid rapidly. We use numbing cream prior to ease discomfort. Post dissolving clients will find they are really swollen for a few hours and potentially can be bruised”.

“We wait a minimum of 2 weeks for a refill due to healing time of each client, product dispersion and the potential for filler channels to remain open leading to migration again”.

Book your dissolving and refill appointment here.