There are a plethora of facial fillers on the market and they are becoming immensely popular. Although they are not as popular as Botox, they are quickly becoming “the next most important thing.” Although there are millions of women and men doing this, for those of you who are newer to this, you are probably wondering the following:

Should I do this? Who should I let to inject myself? What are the risks? And if I hate it, can I reverse it?

Let me start my comments by saying that I have always done all of my own filler and Botox injections for my patients. I know that many places use estheticians and other doctors who are not plastic surgeons (even dentists). Most of the time, this is probably fine, but there is a lot to be said for having an experienced plastic surgeon give you the injections. But ultimately, that’s your decision, based on your comfort level.

Not all facial fillers are reversible. Only the ones that are made from hyaluronic acid can be reversed. The good news is that all of the facial fillers I use are made from hyaluronic acid: Juvaderm and Voluma, and their associated product families. This also applies to Restylane and Perlane and the entire family of fillers. This does not apply to Radiesse or Sculptra, which are made from a completely different material.

When a filler is injected, I always tell my patients to massage the firm areas they can notice during the first week. You can certainly apply ice to an area after an injection, but it is not necessary. Also, if you are satisfied with how you look after the injection, you will almost certainly stay that way. They all absorb some water and swell slightly after the filler is injected. I highly recommend everyone to wait 2 weeks after filling before considering making changes. Since people sometimes examine the injected area very critically, it is important to realize that there may be subtle differences between the injected areas and along the injected areas (for example, the two sides of the lip) that can be noticeable. for you on day 2 or 3., but it will be fine by day 14. The important thing to note here is not to be in a rush to make changes in the first two weeks!

I think the main advantage of knowing that your filler is reversible is having the peace of mind that you are not “stuck” for many months or years with the filler if you really don’t like it. The practical aspect is that it is highly unlikely that you will need it the other way around. You should also know that if you inject the reversal agent, it can dissolve ALL of the filler injected in that area, which you may not want. It is not an exact science and we cannot exactly control the amount of filler that will melt with the investment agent.