Restylane: Stories

Since last post tried fractional co2, had vein removed via sclerotherapy under eye, had some of the new restylane removed, then belotero to disguise bumps. Nightmare. Finally found a great plastic surgeon who was able to dissolve EVERYTHING. Turns out those bumps doctors thought were pads were really restylane from original injections. I had to trust him and he injected 1 syringe of retylane back in properly and I go back next week for another. My problem was exacerbated, but fractional co2 may work for you if you don't want fillers back in. Ulthera under the eyes wasn't enough. I think that once you jump on the filler-under-eye train it is is almost impossible to get off as it seems your anatomy changes with fillers. My new doctor charges 850 a syringe, but I think it is worth it. Once he dissolved everything I was really hoping I could go filler-free, and maybe I could have looked alright if I had waited it out a few months to see what my body could do, but I just want to be able to look myself in the mirror and move on with my life.

Dear Anika1, let me know how it all works out in the end for you. I hope you get your life back soon. It sounds like your current plastic surgeion may finally do the trick. I went to a plastic surgeon who dissolved most of the Juvederm, but it took many sessions because lumps of Juvederm kept swelling that were missed. I had about twenty injections of the dissolver in the eyelids alone. They look better bet not smooth like before Juvederm. Radiesse was injected deep to help fill in the hollows of my eyes, but under my eyes still have wrinkling that was never present beforehand. I heard about Belotero, but I'm afraid it will attract loads of water to my lower eyelids like the Juvederm did. I heard it does that also. Juvederm injected into an underliying fat pad, and then Botox injected into the same pad, lifted it above the surface of my skin causing an unsightly oval shaped lump that is very disfiguring. One doctor tried to move it to a higher location, from next to my nose, to the top of my cheek. Now it looks even worse. This caused the lump to swell the to the size of plum on my face until a doctor injected in with Saline dozens of times. He thinks something got blocked, in my face, to cause that type of swelling. It was scary! I'm looking into laser surgery on the raised area, so I'm sure several more months of my life will be lost. I still can't see an end to all of this.

I just wanted to see how all of your treatments are doing? By reading all of your posts you have had a very similar experience to mine. It sucks so bad. I've been probably at my lowest points in my life over the last two months, and I've had a very hard life throughout. After the first round of Hyaluronidase, which took me a month and a half to receive, because no doctors would treat me, I too mas left with a large indention under the right eye. I'm not sure if the Hyaluronidase ate some of my own fatty tissue and colagen, or if the area was damaged by the Juvederm injection which hit a major blood vessel, and then Botox was injected in the same exact area that was heavily bruised. This is the same area where the large indention was after the dissolver. The plastic surgeon filled it with Radiesse and also put a thin layer of it over a few areas that had a dark bluish tint from blood caught under the skin or from Juvederm that wasn't dissolved. This helped quite a bit. I've gotten two more rounds to dissolve smaller lumps of Juvederm and had about twenty small injections in my eyelids, but my eyelids still have wrinkles and look swelled, but the injections have improved them. There are still wrinkles in my eyelids, and directly under my eyes, closer to my nose area that were never present before Juvederm. I think the Juvederm stretched my skin so much by bulking up that it created the wrinkles. I was wondering if you have found any treatments that helped the wrinkling such as the Ulthera or laser treatments. I was told by the plastic surgeon that I'm seeing that Belotero might help cover some of the lines, but I first want to try some other treatments on the wrinkles that fomed before masking the problem. Believe me, I can completely understand everything that you going through. Everyday has been a complete nightmare for me. I spent from 9:00 a.m to 5;00 p.m. each day calling doctors to treat me and being turned down by all of them. Also, I traveled to twelve different doctors, and they all refused to treat me. Most where 45 minutes or an hour drive. They all kept telling me to go back to the doctor who did this, and they wouldn't help or get involved. Now, I'm finally getting some help, but it seems like I will have to try many different things because the skin is so degraded under my eyes from all the trauma. The doctor who did this has completely thrown me under the bus in every way and that is putting it as nicely as I possibly can. If you haven't heard, there is another filler called Belotero that is new and is being used for fine lines under, and around, the eye area that I may look into as a last resort. to try to help my appearance. You are in my thoughts, and prayers, and I have greatly appreciated your inquiries and support. I hope God will get us through this.

I am glad to heat that you are making progress. I am not good, but am hoping to stabilize soon. I did have Belotero injected deep 3 weeks ago, but then a week later I had a superficial injection which has left me swollen, bruised, and wrinkly (and this is after having fractional co2 6 weeks ago). I hope these are just temporary changes to lids from swelling and injections and that I will all settle. I am trying to get off this merry go round, but it is so hard to not recongnise oneself every morning. I have taken a leave from work, as the anxiety of work seems to make things worse for me, as "getting better" and "looking normal" become an urgent task when I have to interact with people outside the home. I am staying home now, taking anti-anxiety meds, which help, and wearing light sunglasses in the house to try and keep me from not looking in the mirror. I was a completely sane and competent person before this- master's degree, married with three great kids, etc. I am trying to get back to that person I was for my kids because I know it is hard for them to see me like this. I have never had any surgeries and I am not the type to obsess over my looks or perfection. There is something so psychologically damaging and perplexing about having your eyes suddenly altered in a negative way. To be honest I am still trying to figure out what greater life lesson I am supposed to be learning here. Please keep me updated. Thanks!

Dear Anika1, I'm so sorry about everything you are going through, because I have had the same feelings, and even worse, about everything that is happening to me. I was damaged to the extreme, from Juvederm, under the eyes, if you have viewed the photos in my posts. I too have had to miss lots of work, and I'm so depressed it hard to describe the feeling. I do several jobs, and one is substitute teaching. I've had to give that up completely since Juvederm on October 8, 2012. When you are in the public eye you need to feel good about your appearance and project a confident attitude. I really cared about the way I looked because I've done many jobs, in the public eye, throughout my life. That is only a normal thing when you deal with a lot of people because we are human. It wasn't until Juvederm, under the eyes, that I became obssessed, with my appearance, because when it is altered in such a negative way you can't face people that you know, and it is emotionally damaging to the extreme. The eyes are such an attractive area of the face when all is well is that area. Everyime I look in the mirror that is the first thing I notice and see how bad the wrinkles and swelling look that I never had. I didn't even attend Thanksgiving with my family, and I really wish I could get things taken care of before Christmas, but that is all up in the air as of now. I want to let you know that very tiny injections of Hyaluronidase, in the eyelids, has slowly helped each time with the swelling, and wrinkling, in my eyelids, and under the eyes. I noticed the most improvement after my third round of injections two days ago. Now the area of wrinkling, and swelling, is much smaller. Without any doubt, the filler migrated into the lower eyelids. You can see that, for certain, by viewing my photos. Some doctors say that these fillers can't migrate, and some say it does. Obviously, the corrrect answer is that it can and does, specially in thin skinned people like myself. It is the hardest area to treat because it is such a sensitive area and only tiny amounts, of Hyaluronidase, are being injected to be as safe as possible. Each morning, I can see where the Juvederm still is because it attracts water to the areas it is located just like the Belotero does when it is in the eyelid region, so those areas still look elevated, wrinkled, and puffy. I try to note exactly where it is so I can tell the plastic surgeion who in injecting me with Hyaluronidase, each time, exactly where I think it is still located. It is a long and frustrating process, but little by little things are getting better. I'm glad you informed me that the Belotero did this to you, but I'm so sorry for you because I know this has ruined my life and know exactly the feelings you are going through. I want to let you know that two ointments have greatly helped me with reducing the color of brusing, and helping gradually with the synthetic wrinkles that formed. One is made by Avalon Organics called "Revitalizing Eye Gel." It contains Hyaluronic acid to reduce the apperance of lines, puffiness, and dark areas. It also contains Peptide Complex, Lavender, and Licorice Root. I apply a thin layer of this, over the affected areas, three, or four times, each day by gently massaging it in. It lasts a very long time, and I've been applying it, every day, for nearly one month now. Once a week, I also apply pure Retinal cream called "Retin-A Micro" after I've applied the "Revitilizing Eye Gel." The Retinal cream can't be applied by itself because it quickly dries out the skin in the affected area, and should only be used once a week for wrinkles. I didn't start to get any relief from the swelling in my eyelids, or the synthetic wrinkles that formed, until I started getting the Hyaluronidase. If it continues to be swollen, and wrinkling, you should immediately, to consult with, to start giving the dissolver, in very conservative amounts, so you can start getting relief. All the doctors I talked too said that Belotero is the very easiest to dissolve because is the thinnest, and smoothest. Juvederm really lumps up under the skin and should never be used in the under the eye area. Every doctor who has responded to my posts has said that. I my opinion, there is no life lesson that you are learning here. It is natural for people to want to feel good about themselves especially when you are always in the public eye. I think that with any filler, in the eye area, very small amounts should be injected first, to see the reaction, and then have a follow up visit. I know this to begin with, but the doctor I saw decided to fill the entire hollow of the eye area instead of trace one wrinkle that I requested. That really upsets me! Let me know if you have tried the Hyaluronidase yet. If you haven't, I really think you will start to see relief immediately if you get it in very small amounts, in several visits, done two weeks apart. I am seeing improvements with each treatment, but after each one, I realize there is still small areas that were missied, in both the lower eyelids, and just below the eyes, especially closer to my nose. I wish you the best of luck with your treatments. Take care and God bless.