“My First Time Filler Under Eyes is Artefill - Houston, TX”

I am middle 40's. I have always taken care of my skin by taking lots of B complex vitamins, and all other vitamins for skin, especially vitamin C which promotes collagen. I never go in the Sun, and always wear powerful sun screen for the most minimal exposure. So I never needed collagen or botox. In the last year I just felt that my eyes were looking tired. The first thing I did 6 months ago was CO2 laser resurfacing (my story and pics are on Real Self) and I loved the results, except that it did not tighten the sunken in area of my lower lids from the nose to the center of my lower eye. This area greatly bothered me. I felt I would look much more awake and youthful if I could only fix that sunken in area. The rest of my eyes were acceptable to me. So I logged onto Real Self and asked some doctors how to correct this and they all said that filler was the way to do this.

I know some doctors cautioned about getting fillers that are too thick for the thin skin area under the eyes, but I had heard Artefill, though thick, lasted 5 yrs or permanent and that greatly appealed to me rather than going back every year for other fillers.

I was willing to take the chance that it might be too thick. I also researched on Real Self the fact that if Artefill is injected and overfilled that it can be massaged immediately after to disperse the overfill.

I had never had a single filler or botox around my eyes so I did not know what to expect at all. I imagined slight bruises and that I'd look okay to go to work the same day.

Holy crap, not so! I went to a houston clinic that I was giving a second chance before I judged whether I'd return there again. My appt was at 11:30 am. I drove from Galveston, Texas to SW Houston. When I got there the staff seemed unprepared. I am not exaggerating that they took me into a room and told me to get comfortable and then came in 3 more times and asked me to move to another room so they could do other pts. The problem was that that clinic location did not have Artefill in stock and had to drive to the Galleria location to pick it up. Finally in the last room they put lidocaine around my eyes and let it soak in.

The doctor finally knocked on the door and came in telling outright that Artefill is permanent, and if I do not like it he can not take it out. I will be stuck with my decision. Otherwise it's a good filler, but he'd have to go deep into the tissue because the lower lid skin is very thin and Artefill is very thick. Then he started telling me about the fact that 80% of the filler will eventually be absorbed by my body, then the 20% of microbeads in Artefill is what continues to build collagen. So I might see swelling then actual decreased volume, but in 3 months I will see the greatest results... So then I started feeling greatly confused. I started wondering if he was saying the filler might decrease in volume enough that it wouldn't look like I got anything done ... was he saying Artefill disappears and my $600 injection per eye = $1,200 was going to decrease a lot or a little? I know regular fillers are immediate and last for 6 months to a year pretty much keeping their volume. I had read that Artefill is great and last 5 yrs so I had to shake off what he was saying as me just misinterpreting what he was explaining and tell him to go ahead and do it. He explained that this is a different filler and so on. I was there and ready and told him to just go for it.

On the first eye he hit a blood vessel and that eye swelled greatly. Then the other eye seemed to go smoothly. When he handed me the mirror I was greatly horrified. I had assumed filler injections around the eyes would be so mild that I could just dab on a little cover over minimal bruises and leave better looking than before. Oh, crap was I wrong. My eyes were so violently swollen and asymmetrical that I didn't even trust that he injected the eyes evenly.

(I had gone to the same doctor 3 years ago and bought 3 syringes of Perlane for the commas around my mouth and one side was flat and one side didn't look adequately filled. I left with an uneven face. I didn't know if this was because of his skill or because everyone's face is slighly asymmetrical and perhaps I needed more filler on that other side. I kind of expect that a skilled doctor can analyze that and fill accordingly. I didn't blame the doctor then. I didn't feel happy with the result. I'm not a complainer, and maybe it was just my face. So I came back to the same clinic 3 yrs later for Artefill because most other clinics do not sell Artefill anymore. I would give the clinic the benefit of doubt, and try them again.)

After I saw the swollen uneven distorted condition of my eyes, I told the doctor that this happened last time I came, and I felt unhappy leaving uneven, and now I was scared that this might be the result of the physician and I asked him to come back in the room, but he seemed unconcerned. He said sometimes this happens, and lots of pts think that the injection was not done right because of swelling...and sometimes hitting a blood vessel is just something that happens. He said to let him know how I am doing in 3 months and walked out.

The filler looked so uneven I started to massage the overfilled swollen one immediately. I applied pressure to disperse any overfill and kept massaging it for 72 hours and now it's starting to even out. I've been putting warm compresses on it for 20 minutes 3 times per day and doing light circular massage to help the bruising.

Maybe the physician is correct. Maybe this is normal or one of the hazards. I am glad to see that since my massaging and warm compresses it is turning out just fine, like the physician said it would. So maybe I should not blame this on the physician's skill. I just want readers to know exactly what can happen, and what to do if they feel their is overfill. You must massage it immediately. If you wait weeks, a month or two it will already be set.

Updated on 25 Jul 2011:
It's day 5 and I had to return to work again with black shiner's around my eyes. Now the bruising is black and green so everyone at the hospital where I work kept asking if I was okay. Yep, just vanity gone wrong:) The swelling has evened out, but I bet it would not have had I not read on Real Self to massage the uneven overfill. I still am not certain if I should have massaged it or just left it alone, but one can see the ridges of the Artefill, and it did not look even and it did look bumpy, so massaging it evenly dispersed it. I think it was helpful info.

Having no prior experience in eye fillers I had no idea, but now I know what is involved. Be prepared that you might have some downtime.

I'll post some pics after the bruising heals.

Updated on 27 Jul 2011:
It's day 7 and I only see minimal plumping effect from the Artefill. My bruising is healing, and at least I'm not permanently damaged. Maybe this is the deflation that the doctor told me. If it is it is so different than other fillers that stay plumped. Hopefully those micro beads in Artefill will fill in the rest of the indentions, otherwise I have to pay to get another filler. I'll post up to day 10. Then post a pic at 3 months. To show readers if any improvement happens. I hope I can wait that long before wanting to run to the nearest real cosmetic surgeon and get another filler. I wanted smooth flatness under my eyes. This is not that.

Updated on 7 Aug 2011:
I had high hopes for Artefill, but feel let down. I don't know if my lack of results was the product or doctor's skills? The bruising healed within 12 days but the product deflated as if nothing was ever injected. $1,200 wasted.
I have to wonder if this is what the doctor meant when he told me that I would see a deflation of product? Then he said in about 3 months the micro beads will plump up. Who the heck wants to wait 3 months. I really really wonder and want to ask Doctors if they use Artefill and if they see the product disappear within 10-12 days? If they see tangible improvement over a couple of months or is this hogwash? (Sorry I have not posted more pics. I took them each day of healing and deflation, and have to download them. My computer was in the shop getting repairs.) Now I have to definitely say not worth it, I am suspicious that the doctor didn't have the product upon my arrival, and had to go retrieve some and I really really wonder if he actually injected Artefill. If so the product didn't work on me. I believe that I could have gotten the bruising no matter what filler I used. That is one of the hazards of injecting anywhere. I am just shaking my head in disbelief that my whole $1,200 went for no result at all. It is as if I did nothing at all! If you are planning on any filler what so ever you need to give yourself at least 10-15 days of healing just in case you end up bruising. After experiencing this I could never ever believe in those "Lunch time beauty treatments" where some doctors advertise you can go in at lunch time and come out looking refreshed and beautiful ready to go. UMMMMMMM NO.

Updated on 20 Aug 2011:
Okay...one month has passed since my first time injection. The results are not impressive. I have a permanent blue mark under one eye. Perhaps the product or the blood vessel that died when accidently injected. Here are the one month photos: I wanted Artefill to fill my tear trough area. It didn't. That was one 0.8 cc syringe per eye.

Updated on 27 Sep 2011:
Are you ready for my 3 month post Artefill injection photo where the doctor claimed I'd see the best result. There was absolutely no miraculous collagen building. My lower tear trough area still looks sunken in. And there is a permanent dark mark under the one eye in the crease where he injected. I've heard others say this happen to them too. I feel so disappointed. I really had high hopes for Artefill, and the product let me down and took my $1,200 and did nothing but bruise me and leave me with zero results. The other day I heard a commercial for another slow building filler named Scultra. The commercial said 'Sculptra builds collagen slowly because no one aged overnight and you wouldn't want to anti-age overnight...' Bullcrap! I want a filler that works immediately so I leave the dr. office looking years younger immediately. I'd never choose a slow acting filler ever again, or even believe in one. Not no, but heck no. I want to see the results for my money right in the dr's office and leave feeling beautiful and refreshed. Remember my dr told me that if I wait 3 months the micro crystals in Artefill will fill in the creases and continue to build collagen...Look at my 3 month photo below and look and the permanent dark mark in the injection crease. Not happy.

Updated on 18 Oct 2011:
My birthday is coming up on Oct 27th and there is an opening that day at the Cosmetic surgery clinic.I am going to UTMB (where I am employed) to a board certified plastic surgeon to get Juvaderm injected under my eyes. I'm getting a great price of $425 per 1cc syringe so I'm getting one per eye. No more trips to these special discount beauty clinics.

Does anyone have any advice on what to do the days before to prevent bruising. I must go to work the very next day. I'll post photos.

Note: I just got diagnosed with a stomach ulcer and can't take the usual vitamin C and am on a very bland diet. I can't take any supplement that irritates the stomach. I have vitamin E but some cosmetic procedures actually advise against taking it before procedures so I'm confused what to do to help minimize bruising. Can anyone offer advice. I know Juvaderm will fill in my tear troughs immediately, unlike my bad results of Artefill. This is my present to myself. I like to look my very best and I deserve a pick me up. I can hardly count down the days till the 27th. I do expect some bruising because the tear trough has a lot of blood vessels. I'll post results as soon as I get it done. Juvaderm might not last 5 yrs, but at least it will work for about a yr. I can live with that.

Updated on 14 Nov 2011:
Months later, after no results from Artefill, I found a wonderful place called Oasis Spa in Webster, Texas owned by Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, Todd Adams and his wife.

There I got the most professional injection of both Juvaderm Ultra, Botox and Perlane and was very please with the result. To see this just click on the Blue "T in Texas" to read my other posts. Thank you.