Is it possible that hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers don't really dissolve on their own?

all fillers dissolve over time however I have had patients who have had fillers/swelling after 7 years that was easily dissolved with hyaluronidase.  fillers rarely will MIGRATE so I doubt that overe time that is any of the issue.  Best, Dr. Emer.

HA fillers will dissolve over time.  Some fillers are made to last longer than others.  The longevity varies by patient, the amount injected, the area injected, and the product used.  One benefit of these fillers is that if the result is undesirable the product can be dissolved using hyaluronidase.

All individuals are very different even though we have some commonalities. The same applies with respect to fillers. Since all of us make hyaluronic acid in our bodies, the artificial form of the hyaluronic acid is not seen as something foreign. It is the additives in a hyaluronic acid filler and it's molecular structure that create a reaction with which the body breaks down the filler. In some individuals the filler can disappear in a matter of weeks and in other individuals the filler can stay in the area forever. The fillers move only in a few areas, such as the area around the lower eyelid where there's no or very little fat and at the same time there is a muscle which is squeezing around the filler. I hope this helps and good luck from New York City plastic surgery

Hello and thanks for your question. Fillers last a variable amount of time depending on the type used, the areas injected and the amount used. Hyaluronic acid fillers do degrade over time and will migrate slightly depending on the anatomical compartment they are used. Over time its very rare for HA fillers to cause any problems. Best wishes 

I have read those reports and do not find them credible. There inso way for an MRI to tell what they claim without tagging a part of the injected substrate, and that would even be suspect. From years of experience injecting and following patients, fillers only migrate a very small amount very early after injection and because of pressure, muscle action, or someone massaging it. After that, it is incorporated into the tissues and stays in place. It does appear, however, that the body uses some of the hyaluronic acid to make its own collagen. I almost always need at least 10-15%, and sometimes significantly, less filler on subsequent injections to achieve the same result as the last time. Many fillers also last longer than the manufacturers say they do. I have had Juvederm Voluma last 5 years, though it is only supposed to last 2. If an MRI is done before an injection and then at the time it is supposed to be dissolved, the repeat MRI may see any residual filler or the new collagen. The important thing in having a filler is to select an expert in the use of fillers and the anatomy of where it will be injected.