Many of these videos recommend massaging your treatment area immediately following your injection—but this can be harmful. In some cases, we recommend our patients massage their fillers following treatment to smooth them out below the skin; however, too much massage too soon may cause the filler to migrate slightly.
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.
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.
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.
Migrated lip filler is visibly noticeable and usually presents as lumps, but can also appear as a puffy upper lip, lack of a defined border between lip edge and above and/or below the lip border – think duck lips.
"Theoretically, all filler has the ability to migrate," says Dr. Diamond. "That is why it is so imperative that non-surgical injectable services are performed by experts with the anatomical knowledge to prevent this from happening.
Massage can encourage the filler to be broken up by the body more quickly. But in practice this still takes a long time (like weeks of daily vigorous massage) to improve the outcome. This may also spread the product over a larger area causing more problems.
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.
Calcium hydroxylapatite is biosynthetically produced, which means that no animals or animal products are used. This lowers your risk of an allergic reaction and no skin testing is required. This type of dermal filler is known to produce a very natural result, doesn't migrate and side effects are rare.
Trauma at the Injection Site
The single most common cause of lumps or bumps after filler is the trauma of the injection itself. This is why we recommend waiting for the swollen, bruised skin to heal before beginning to massage it.
Whilst it is somewhat normal to feel small lumps, depending on how thick the filler used was), if they feel one lump in particular, they can gently massage it in between their finger and their thumb, over a period of time, and it will help to “break down” the lump.
Fillers remain moldable for 1-2 weeks, and pressure can deform your filler.
The filler can take several weeks to soften and settle into your skin. This means that patients won't see the ultimate results of their treatment immediately. Although individual results will vary, many people achieve the full effect within two weeks after receiving their injections.
It is not likely that the filler products would move if you wait at least a few days before pressing really hard on the areas and having extractions. The hyaluronic acid fillers settle nicely into the skin, and once any swelling goes down, it would be pretty unusual for anyone to be able to displace them.
Dermal filler doesn't 'normally', move after treatment. Immediately after treatment, in certain areas of the face, I do gently massage the area/s that were injected to help mold the product and prevent lumps. It does take about 2 weeks for the filler to settle and integrate into the tissue.
Smoothing Out the Lumps
The good news is yes, those pesky filler lumps will in fact go away. It's actually quite uncommon for patients to experience any irritation or lumps following their procedure, but if you do, then you should expect them to dissipate after a few days.
The most common cause of lumps after a filler treatment is swelling and bruising from the injections themselves. These should naturally subside within the first week.
Generally, any lumps or bumps that appear after fillers will disappear on their own within one to two weeks. Give the treatment a couple of weeks to improve, applying ice regularly.
If it is your first time getting an injectable treatment, you may have many questions about the aftercare and healing process. Lip filler may cause the treatment area to feel swollen, hard, or lumpy at first, but this is all part of the healing process, and the fillers will soften and settle over time.
Not to worry though, lumps following a filler treatment are completely normal. The lumps you may experience are often caused by swelling and bruising of the treated area.
If you think your fillers have gone wrong and if you have any of the following symptoms, CONSULT A MEDICALLY QUALIFIED PERSON NOW: Severe pain. Blanching of the skin and/or white spots. Mottled skin.
If you are able to see the lumps, try massaging them out (if recommended by your doctor) and keep an eye on them. If they still do not disappear, it may warrant a call to your medical provider. In some cases an enzyme called Hyaluronidase may be injected to dissolve the filler.
These usually resolve in a couple of weeks with massage or dilute injection of a steroid anti-inflammatory solution called kenelog. Another option is to dissolve the Hyaluronic acid completely with a protein called Hyaluronidase. This material is injected directly into the affected area.
These swellings commonly remained at the site of injection and disappeared with adequate treatment; however they are now infrequent. Clumping of a filler causes lumps and bumps that usually have to be surgically removed. Permanent fillers cause permanent side effects.