Note that an unsatisfactory result is different from an adverse effect from filler: Seek emergency medical attention if you have an adverse reaction to filler, such as a change in vision, blue skin discoloration, blanching, or severe pain, as these may be signs of a punctured blood vessel.
[68] The main risk is infection that often develops after 8-12 months or even later.
These include injection site redness, swelling, or bruising. However, disastrous outcomes can occur, including necrosis, vision loss, and cerebrovascular accidents. In cases of HA filler related complications, certain treatments can be attempted, such as hyaluronidase, massage, and hyperbaric oxygen.
But, if you see small lumps and/or raised skin around the treatment area, this may be an indication your filler has moved slightly or your skin has been overfilled. It is important to remember that some localized swelling is expected after a filler treatment and should resolve on its own.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In reality, fillers take up to four weeks to “settle,” according to Healthline. Different types of fillers can settle more quickly, and your lifestyle and similar factors can also affect the amount of time it takes to settle.
When you have had too much filler, then you may appear to have a bulging forehead, an overly pointy and sharp chin, and overly protruding cheekbones. Furthermore, the filler can stretch and weigh down your skin over time, which is known as filler fatigue.
The most serious risk associated with dermal fillers is accidental injection into a blood vessel. Filler that enters a blood vessel can cause skin necrosis (death of tissue), stroke, or blindness.
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.
The Results Improve Over Time
Because these injections stimulate your body's production of collagen and elastin, the final results of treatment won't be seen for several weeks. Even as the hyaluronic acid is processed by your body, healthy collagen and elastin grow at a more significant rate.
The swelling that can often occur after Lip Fillers can cause the lips to look a little uneven for a short time. This doesn't necessarily mean that anything has gone wrong and it may just take a little time for the product to fully settle and for residual swelling to subside.
TAKEAWAY. Experiencing lumps in lips after injectable filler is extremely common—and lumps most often resolve naturally with time. Gentle lip massage 5-7 days after the treatment can help smooth any lumps and bumps in the lips.
Over time, as facial movement increases in areas like the lips or cheeks, it causes the filler to break down and dissolve at a quicker rate. This makes the filler disappear faster in more active areas of the face.
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.
"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.
Migrating filler can happen when injectable products are placed into the wrong plane. As Dr. Hahn explains, a thin plane – known as the pars marginalis and pars peripherals – separates the lip muscle (orbicularis oris), and injecting it into the wrong plane can allow the filler to move.
What does skin necrosis look like? There are two main types of necrotic tissue present in wounds. One is a dry, thick, leathery tissue usually a tan, brown, or black color. The other is often yellow, tan, green, or brown and might be moist, loose, and stringy in appearance.
The resulting ischemia produces a dusky discoloration associated with sluggish or absent capillary refill after digital compression, as well as possible loss of function. Therefore, pain out of proportion in terms of severity or persistence after the treatment should be further investigated.
Answer: Necrosis vs bruising
Necrosis often has white AND flushed areas. What you have appears to be just normal bruising. Necrosis is often accompanied by terrible pain as well, as you can feel that the blood isn't circulating properly.