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.
Thank you for your question, Massaging your face will not cause your fillers to disappear and massaging a lot may interfere with your final results. However, if you are unhappy with your filler/Botox results after two weeks, you can have the fillers dissolved with hyaluronidase.
"Lip filler migration is generally a result of the fact that hyaluronic acid fillers absorb water, and they can begin to create some extra volume and extra absorption of volume in areas that were outside of the primary injection site," says Dr. Karam.
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.
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.
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.
Answer: Lip biting
With filler in place, you can certainly move it around and adversely affect the results.
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.
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.
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.
"While social media may make it look like filler migration is common, it is actually a very rare occurrence," says Greenwich, Connecticut-based board-certified dermatologist Kim Nichols, MD.
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.
Dr. 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.
If you believe that your filler has migrated, then don't panic, as it can be treated. The beauty of modern-day filler is that it is semi-permanent, so over time your body will naturally break down and metabolise the substance.
Filler migration is the movement of a dermal filler from its injection site to another area of the body. While it is possible for fillers to migrate, this side effect is extremely rare and can be avoided by choosing a qualified injector.
Answer: HA filler migration
Less viscosity ha filler will spread and migrate more than high viscosity fillers! Kubederm voluma is the most cohesive filler and therefore the least likely to migrate!
Are Lip Fillers Supposed to Feel Hard? Your lips may feel stiff or rigid immediately after injection with dermal fillers. Don't worry — this is entirely normal, and the lip fillers will soften with time. Your lips may also be swollen and tender, which can contribute to the lip filler feeling hard under the skin.
Shamban notes, “the best course of action [in the event of lip filler migration] is to have a highly experienced injector introduce hyaluronidase to the area, and it will dissolve any HA-based filler quickly.” (Hyaluronidase is an enzyme that can dissolve hyaluronic acid fillers.)
Plus, the most common cause of lumps in the lips after injectable fillers is the trauma caused by the injections themselves. Massaging too soon will actually make this worse.
Do I massage my lips after lip fillers? Do not massage your lips for 24 to 48 hours after the treatment. Once your swelling subsides down, you can gently massage your lips with light pressure.
Filler related lumps typically need massage and/or dissolving injection if they are obviously visible. If you can just feel it and can't see it, this is less worrisome and will likely resolve.
Dissolve the filler with hyaluronidase enzyme such as Vitrase or Hylenix. These enzymes, when injected, will cause hyaluronic acid based fillers to completely dissolve within about 5 minutes, with repeated massage. This returns the lips to their baseline prior to injection.
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.