Sallify

Extraordinary Trustworthy Doctor - New York

Disastrous Result Injecting Restylane to Tear Troughs - New York, NY

I had what Dr. Yang calls a "Necklift Plus" which includes a mini lower facelift.

Zebra, I took Levaquin and Zithromax for 8 weeks. Now I'm on Zittomax and Clindamycin for a week after having the Restylane dissolved with Vitrase.

I'm sorry you've had to go through that, Anika. I can see how having multiple sessions of Vitrase would be absolutely traumatic. I would not want to go through the 3 days of swelling and the severe bruising I experienced again. I'm hoping we got all the Restylane out in one shot, and that I won't have to go back. I think that some doctors try to remove only a little at a time because they try to preserve some of the fullness. From what I've read, that rarely works well. If one suspects a biofilm, it's important to try to get all the stuff out at once.

I am so sorry to hear of your problems, Zebra. I am in my way to NY to see my plastic surgeon who is going to attempt to dissolve the Restylane. Did you have any injections of hyaluronidase to dissolve the filler? What kind of surgery did you have? Please let us know the results of your culture. If theses complications we are experiencing are karma for our vanity, I wonder what kind of karma these drug companies will face for their greed and for promoting unsafe products as otherwise.

I was having the same symptoms you describe -- recurrent swelling months after Restylane injections to the tear troughs. Also lumps and bumpiness under the eyes when the swelling went down. It turns out that I had a biofilm infection. The treatment is six weeks of two different antibiotics. I'm still taking them, but after the first couple of days my condition was so much improved. I have had no swelling at all since starting the antibiotics. Most doctors seem unaware of the risk of biofilm with Restylane, but if you message me privately, I can send you more information and articles that my doctor sent me. It may be, of course, that you have something different going on, but if this possibility hasn't been addressed by your doctor already, it would be a good question to ask if a biofilm infection could be what's causing your problem. Sending best wishes with the hopes that your condition improves.