Hyaluronidase: Stories

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Saggy Loose Lower Eyelids from Juvederm then Hyaluronidase

  • Not Worth It
  • Cost: $500
  • US

I had too much Juvederm injected into the wrong...

I had too much Juvederm injected into the wrong place. It led to chronic bags, poor contour and a very tired, old look.

A few years ago I had Restylane in the same place with no issues. It looked great and lasted a long time.

Hyaluronidase was recommend to dissolve the Juvederm overfill after waiting several months for the filler to go away on its own (note: it hangs around for up to several years in this area). I had 6 rounds of Hyaluronidase over several months. During that time I witnessed my skin degrade right before my eyes. This was worsened by having my lower lids stretched by too much poorly placed Juvederm for nearly 10 months. The Hyaluronidase immediately made my skin crepey, saggy, loose, with a purple pigmentation line in my tear trough. You literally wake up the next day looking like Charlie Sheen!

It appeared to dissolve my native hyaluronic acid - my plastic surgeon at the time acknowledged he could see the skin losing its elasticity and becoming really thin/wrinkled, so it was recommended I get botox, then look at doing a chemical peel, laser or start using Retin A after treatment with Hyaluronidase was complete. I agreed to the botox, but that did nothing to help with skin quality or the folds/wrinkles below the eye.

For the record, I always used Retin A on my eyelids before all this. My skin was in good condition before Hyaluronidase.

Now I am facing laser or a chemical peel to help address the state of my skin. I plan on travelling to have this sort of treatment done by a top revision eyelid surgeon. It's going to cost a fortune.

Always be careful with any fillers. Even if they can be dissolved, there can be bad results. Many of us on this forum have ended up with terrible complications from Hyaluronidase. Not only has it ruined my eyelids cosmetically, but it also dried out my eyes and left them with a constant tired feel.

It's important to realize that poor results with ANY cosmetic intervention can lead to unexpected expenses, depression, trauma and a prolonged recovery. My life has been a nightmare for the last 12 months. I used to have confidence, but I've become a hermit that hates to go out and no longer likes talking to people. I am sad that I look older than my well-preserved 40 year old sister (I just turned 30). I am sick of being told I look tired, worn out and unwell (I'm super healthy). I am scared that this damage is permanent. I was so much more attractive before. I even want to quit my career because I no longer enjoy interacting with people. It has destroyed my life as I knew it. I now have counselling to assist with the depressed feeling and anxiety caused by this situation.

Do your research. Make sure you are getting the most conservative approach with the best filler for that area. Be careful about having hyaluronidase around the eyes. If you can live with your results, then don't risk it. Dissolving it isn't as simple as it sounds!

I forgot to say please ignore the marks on my nose...

I forgot to say please ignore the marks on my nose in the "NOW" pics. It was from pure tea tree oil on a zit that burnt my skin!

Added a whole bunch of photos to show the...

Added a whole bunch of photos to show the progressive dissolving process.

Hopefully forum visitors will see my pics and be more cautious about their choices.

These pictures help demonstrate the much talked about potential side effects of Hyaluronidase.

Great review?

Comments (123)

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Nirosha01 22 Apr 2013

Hyaluronidase dissolves alot more then filler. My lower eyes have lost too much volume and I'm only 24. My eye closes at a lower line then it used to, so when my eyes actually get worse. I dont wanna do another filler or laser coz i dont think anythings gonna help me. Ive lost all my confidence and sometimes I dont wanna wake up at all. My eyes close at a lower point then it used to so it has had a direct consequence on my cheeks, as Ive lost lots of volume on my upper and side cheeks as well as my temples have sunk alot. Someone help please....

SuperMB 4 May 2013
Me too. Hyauronidase injected in my tear trough to get rid of juvederm overfill (which wasn't even a big deal) has left me with nothing of my own in tear trough and upper cheeck on that side. I remember when the derm injected it she said there were no side effects and she put a lot in there. I looked awful of course right after and she filled it with more juvedrem and hit a vein and I bruised so bad. four years later and I spend a fortune filling that area every month, nothing stays, it's lumpy, the skin is crepy. Awful. The derm who did it is well known LA based, she should have known better. I hate MD's who say there's no proof of side effects from too much Hyl. I am proof.
puffy and Pissed 11 Nov 2012
Not everybody has the same bad experiences with this dissolver... I had a great outcome when they finally dissolved all that crap (Juvederm) out of my eye areas. No one has the same results. It depends on your skin tone, type, and condition. It depends on your INDIVIDUAL reaction- Some have terrible results, some have fantastic results. Its all up to you be to informed of the risks and if those risks outweigh your desire to have YOUR FACE back to normal, before filler injections.
PhilaSkeptic 27 Dec 2012
puffy and pissed and all, I know this will not prevent bad results with the dissolver but I will be having an allergy test of the dissolver (probably in the form of "Vitrase") beforehand. At least this way I can be fairly sure I won't have anaphyllaxis when I use it as the dissolver. Also the doctor is important. The doc I plan to use is Alan Wulc from the Philadelphia area. Anyone heard of him? My eye doctor recommended him. I have not had luck finding a new allergist (my old one blew me off about the allergy test for Vitrase). My family here was not happy that the new allergy office wants everyone's credit card # so they can charge it themselves for each co-pay or any other out of pocket charge. (There is confusion about the amount of each co-pay -- ex. amounts change often). But ...the office said I don't have to give a credit card numbers. Otherwise if sounds like the best office I can find in my area. So I will resume all this when the weather breaks.
ely_ir 11 Nov 2012
hi. I had juweederm injection on my cheeks 3 years ago which ended up with bump on my right cheek and having asymmetric cheeks. and now after 3 years the volum has gone and I have a saggy cheek. I avoid looking myself in mirror. I am wondering if Hyaluronidase can be effective after 3 years.
reparata 11 Nov 2012
I would suggest going to a plastic surgeon to get an evaluation about whether or notthe Hyaluronidase should be used or not. Doctor's all say that Juvederm wears off by then, but maybe another type of filler can be used instead of Juvederm to plump up the area that is saggy. Best of luck to you.
ely_ir 11 Nov 2012
hi. I had juweederm injection 3 years ago and It came out with asymetric cheeks. one of them has bump and the other one is ok. Nobody advised me to go and correct that. I went back to my consultant and she said I can not do anything for you. I am just wondering if Hyaluronidase can work for me after 3 years or no?
ely_ir 11 Nov 2012
hi. I had juweederm injection 3 years ago and It came out with asymetric cheeks. one of them has bump and the other one is ok. Nobody advised me to go and correct that. I went back to my consultant and she said I can not do anything for you. I am just wondering if Hyaluronidase can work for me after 3 years or no?
puffy and Pissed 11 Nov 2012
I would go to a different plastic surgeon and ask. Mine was in for over two years and it dissolved with the Hyaluronidase after 28 months. I would NOT go back and have MORE filler of ANY type put in as suggested to you....Best of wishes....
katie daily 21 Oct 2012
Sorry typing error meant to type if you had a reaction from the juvederm the reaction from the enzyme to break down the juvederm can be far worse.
katie daily 21 Oct 2012
Hi Reparta I'm really sorry juvederm did not work for you as it didn't for me either.My advice would be to wait until the juvederm slowly metabolises on its own,I had hyaluronidase 7 weeks after the juvederm in the glabella,it was a big mistake I then became severely ill you do not know what is in this stuff,it is not safe,you can have a severe reaction to this stuff and it's not FDA approved for this use,it degrades your own hyaluronic acid,I would be very cautious I wouldnt have gone near the stuff if I had read up on any of these comments,nobody knows the long term effects of these chemicals on the body,if you had a reaction to the juvederm,then the traction to the enzyme can be far worse.This stuff should be banned it is highly toxic to human tissue.Good luck,please feel free to ask me anything,I am still suffering horrendously from this stuff after 14 months,all the best,kx.
reparata 23 Oct 2012
Thanks so much for caring and responding! I really don't know what to do, because I've caled several doctors and they don't want to try and treat me. The dector that performed the injections doesn't want to use the hyaluronidase because she had a bad experience the only time she used it. A doctor named Dr. Parfitt of Middleton, Wisconsin, greatly helped "Puffy and Pissed" in the blog below dissolve Juvederm under the eyes like I had done. I think I'm going to try and call that doctor to see what he says about my condition. Maybe if it is injected in very small amounts it may not be as bad, but of course I have no idea about that. I'm in Mchigan and it is a six hour drive to Middleton, Wisconsin to me. I may be willing to travel to see an experienced doctor who uses the hyaluronidase. I will be sure to bring up the horrible effects in can have on some people. I just wish my doctor would hav listened and just traced over the one wrinkle and not flood a huge area, under both eyes, but it is already done. I will definitely keep you posted about what happens. Thanks very much for letting me know about the bad effects. Sincerely, Art
reparata 23 Oct 2012
Dear Katie, can you please let me know what kind of health effects that you had, and if you are getting any better. Also, has your appearance imporved at all? Thanks, Art
katie daily 28 Oct 2012
Hi Reparta sorry it has taken me so long to reply,I have tried several times to post on here but for some reason it has been difficult.I hope you are not too upset about what has happened to you,I know it is frustrating and annoying when no one else can offer any help or advice.I became sick the day of the injections I awoke with severe burning in my cheeks,and nlf lines.This lasted for a few days then proceeded to insomnia,blurred vision,memory loss,appetite loss.This was done for my wedding day and I didn't have Botox in the glabella as I thought it was a toxin and unsafe.I ended up in a brain hospital for 3 and a half weeks where I had an MRI,lumbar puncture,ct scan,pet scan of brain and body,bloodtests,nothing showed.I became sicker after hyaluronidase in the glabella,with vomiting,diahorea,hair loss,psoriasis. I looked no different after and now I have these criss cross wrinkles around my eyes,my current symptoms are now dementia with sundowning,vision loss in my right eye,deafness in my left ear picked up on audiology tests at the hospital,hair loss no sleep for a year,managing 1-2 hours a night,continued appetite loss,nausea,24 hour burning in my eyes,brain,and forehead,fainting,severe muscle wasting,weakness,fatigue and continued feelings I am dying and suffocating with difficulty swallowing.I am consulting with a herbalist at present,as no meds work to alleviate the symptoms,my menstrual cycle has also stopped.This stuff is dangerous,I am 41 with two small children,I have missed out on so much with them,they have seen me be ill but they don't know why,I tell them I have tummy trouble.I have made a will and picked a care home near to my family,if I get really bad.I was 40 when I had this treatment done,loving life,full of fun,now I am a zombie,not living just existing,please forgive the rant I have to put down all the info before it is gone from my brain.Please keep us informed how you are doing,I pray for you and all the others on here,look after yourself,I can put my email address on here if you like,if you need to talk anytime,you are not alone,best wishes,kx.
reparata 29 Oct 2012
Dear Katie, I'm so sorry that you have had so many problems with Juvederm and the dissolver. You will be in my prayers every day. I'm going to a new doctor today to evaluate what can be done. I am really nervous about the dissolver or how all the criss-croos wrinkles got under my eyes and my my lower eyelids. My eyes always feel tired now, and I still have huge sacks uof Juvederm under, and around, my eyes, and top of my cheekbones. I hoping that if I get the dissolver that it won't make me ill like it did you. I'm going to bring up to my doctor the horrible side effects you have told me about and see if I should just wat the year, or more, to let it dissolve on it's own. I hope the natural doctor will be able to help your horrible symptoms. Hopefully, this stuff will continue to slowly leave your system and you will slowly improve. Take care and God bless. Sincerely, Art
blmiller 12 Dec 2012
I'm not sure where you're located in Michigan but I live in Northeast Ohio and know of at least (2) doctors who use vitrase to dissolve juvederm or restylane. And I agree with you that you're doctor was incorrect about the juvederm only lasting a few months under the eyes. I've got the remainder of a Juverderm Ultra Plus nightmare under my eyes and it's been 2 years now.
Riverdance7 21 Feb 2013
Hey Reparata, Just wondering where in Michigan you're from and what surgeons you have called? I also live in Michigan and had a reputable Plastic Surgeon overfill my marionette lines and injected into my Nasiolabial Folds. Of which I told him not to do! He did it anyway and over filled, now that the restylane is wearing off, my chin and around my mouth is all wrinkley and it wasn't before. The PS also left me w/track marks all along my marionette line area, that's really hard to cover w/make up! I've had restylane injections in this area before and never had this type of scarring! This guy told me the scars and needle marks would go away...but as the restylane dissolves the marks seem to get worse. Now, I need to find a Plastic surgeron in the Michigan area who can fix this? Anyone have any ideas?
romans 8 8 May 2013
Yes, Riverdance, Bellisima in St. Joe, MI, Dr. MacDonald...she is excellent with injectables. God bless!
romans 8 8 May 2013
Meant St. Joseph, MI. And yes, she can reverse juvederm with vitrase. Google and give a call!
Megan P (Community Manager) 9 May 2013

Riverdance7, You can click on the "Find a Doctor" tab near the top of the page, which will allow you to search by location. You will then be able to narrow your search by specialty or treatment type. That will give you a list of board certified doctors in your area and you will be able to read their bios, questions they have answered in the Q&A section, and reviews other members have submitted about treatment they received from them. Hopefully that helps!! :)

CLEO22 19 Oct 2012
thank you so much i was thinking of disolving my juvederm under my eyes but now wont I hate the way it looks its been 3 yrs confidence is shot
reparata 19 Oct 2012
The doctor that just did mine, that I just posted my story about, says that in this area that it can dissolve in just a few months, so more than likely, that is untrue. It is terrible that it ha lasted three years for you. Has the juvederm diminished at all yet? I'm going to seek several other opinions this cming week about what I should do.
CLEO22 19 Oct 2012
Reparata -no actually because i have aged in three years the juvederm seems to get lower :( it sucks
reparata 21 Oct 2012
I'm seeing a another doctor on MOnday to see what he says I should do. I want to try the drug that is supposed to help dissolve it. I've heard that it has worked for some people and hurt other people, but I'm desperate to try something because I'm so disfigured. I will letyou know what he says and if I get the ancedote. Thanks for responding. You will be in my prayers.
CLEO22 21 Oct 2012
good luck to you

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