If your lip fillers have migrated, it will almost always be noticeable visually. This can be presented in many ways; from a puffy upper lip, a lack of a defined border between the lip edge and above and/or below the lip border.
This swelling can very occasionally cause a filler to move slightly, though it is often only experienced in patients who had fillers placed within the past 6 to 12 months.
"With lip filler, the upper lip border becomes less defined and a mound develops in the skin above the lip, causing the 'duck lip look,' says Dr. Nichols. "In cases of undereye filler, migration is seen as bumps in the lower eyelid and/or upper cheeks areas underneath the eyes."
Migrated lip filler can present as lumps, noticeable volume above the top lip, lack of a defined lip edge all over, and sometimes can cause discomfort.
You can spot filler migration as it can give that ducky or “shelf-like” appearance above the lip border. In areas such as the tear-trough, migration can be seen as little lumps and ridges around the lower eye area.
Migration of filler is uncommon, but it does occur. Fillers usually get dissolved over time, regardless if it has migrated. HA fillers like juvederm/restylane/perlane they last about a year before they are absorbed by the body.
Dr. Frank says the best way to deal with migration is to dissolve the filler with hyaluronidase (an enzyme that breaks down hyaluronic acid gels). In just a few hours, hyaluronidase softens the filler and returns the lips to a more natural shape, projection, and size.
In rare cases, facial fillers like Juvederm can migrate to another site of your face within a few days of your injections. This happens when the filler moves before it has fully bonded with your facial tissue.
[Injectors are] learning more and more that the filler can travel and migrate to regions outside of the injection site. This can happen months or up to years after the injection."
If your lip fillers have migrated, it will almost always be noticeable visually. This can be presented in many ways; from a puffy upper lip, a lack of a defined border between the lip edge and above and/or below the lip border.
Tijion Esho, founder of Esho Clinic and ESHO lip products, says true filler migration is actually quite rare. “The face has fixed facial compartments and filler can only move where there is adjacent space,” he says.
Bruising may occur if an artery or blood vessel has become blocked due to filler injection. Bruising may range from a blue discoloration to a dusky purple-grey appearance. Swelling is likely to occur in and around the injection site if vascular obstruction is present, and may range from mild to severe.
You may experience considerable swelling during the first two days of getting a lip filler injection. However, this swelling should subside by the fourth day. If you experience extreme swelling three or four days post treatment, you should consult your doctor or dentist immediately, as it may be something serious.
A) Vascular occlusion usually causes some pain or discomfort, but may only manifest itself by the appearance of blanching, bluish discoloration, or mottling of the skin. Anything that seems unusual even hours after dermal filler injection should be reported immediately to your treatment provider.
So while the body naturally breaks them down over time, there is a way to speed up the process: Injections of hyaluronidase. Hyaluronidase is what the body produces naturally to break down fillers, so by injecting more, it allows the lips to regain natural shape quicker, usually going down within 3-4 days.
Answer: Juvederm/Restylane Migration
HA fillers will dissolve in 9-12 months, it can be reversed with an enzyme called hyaluronidase.
Some filler products may be more resilient and take a long time to dissolve naturally. Once you find the migration in lip filler, you need to massage the particular area every morning and night and use a hot compress to increase blood flow to the exact place that makes the product break down naturally.
These may result in more long-term side-effects which can include, but are not limited to: excessive bleeding. excessive bruising and swelling. lip asymmetry where the injection has not been even been placed.
Answer: Skin necrosis is rare after injection of filler
Signs of skin necrosis include changes in skin color (a blue, dusky, or dark hue in that area), pain, and “breakdown” of the skin.
SYMPTOMS OF NECROSIS INCLUDE:
Prolonged blanching: when the affected area looks very pale, white or dusky due to the reduction in blood supply. Purple discolouration: this typically occurs several hours after treatment when tissue death has already occured.
Although extremely rare, dermal fillers are able to migrate within the skin if consistent and adequate pressure is applied to them. For this reason, we advise patients not to get a facial, massage (on the treated skin), or microdermabrasion for the first two weeks following their filler injections.
Migration often occurs due to parts of the body being overfilled with this substance and this bleeding into other areas, so it's important to remain aware of the amount of filler that will be applied to your lips, as well as letting your practitioner know if you already have some filler in this part of your face.
Filler that has migrated into the wrong plane may never dissolve on its own and will likely need to be dissolved. I see filler last much longer (years longer) than it's expected to, so if you have filler in unwanted areas I would recommend dissolving and starting over.
There have been cases reported that occurred 12-24 hours after being injected but almost always it occurs immediately. If no treatment is initiated to improve the vascular flow, the skin will start to appear dusky, a bluish tint, with fine reticulations (lace like) to areas WELL BEYOND THE SITE OF INJECTION.