I spent over $4000 on bellafil less than 2 yrs ago and never saw decent results. What's a good alternative?

Lines on the face are usually fairly superficial and sometimes fillers will not always help with them.  Fillers are usually more beneficial with adding volume to deeper layers of the face.  Frequently, a laser resurfacing procedure can be more helpful in improving lines on the face.    

After 2 years, you should be at your final result from Bellafill. I would discuss this with your provider and compare before and after photos. I don't know how many syringes were used but often many syringes are needed to correct volume. There are some physicians that have injected 50 or more syringes in some patients who have amazing results. Another option is using fat grafting which can be injected in large volumes with long-term results.

If the doctor does not explain about Bellafill the patient will be disappointed. The majority of the syringe is collagen, which lasts 2 months. Only a small amount is the beads that are long lasting and get covered in scar tissue. Therefore it is costly for the smaller amount that lasts longer.Also it must be injected very carefully, otherwise permanent lumps can occur.I saw two patients today that were injected by a non expert, one who got no results and the other who got lumps. Both were injected in areas I would not recommend Bellafill to be used.Seek an expert injector, someone who is trained in plastic surgery, not someone who calls themselves a cosmetic or plastic surgeon. Find out what board they are certified , and check them out thoroughly. 

 There are a few things that can be done to give a much longer lasting results. Especially considering the amount of money you spent, I think that fat grafting would give you a much more cost effective and reliable results. The fat  actually does two things one it initially gives you volume and the cells themselves help to improve the quality of skin overtime. I have patients that come back year after year saying they seem to have better skin two to five years after fat grafting that in the very first year.  I would have consultations with board-certified plastic surgeon's in your area who do a lot of fat grafting. I think you will find the results long-lasting and satisfying.Good luck! 

Unfortunately, I hear this complaint quite a bit, especially
when Bellafill is injected by inexperienced injectors who tend to inject
Bellafill the way they inject other fillers.
Often Bellafill is placed too deep to get the results that are required
to help with lines. Another problem is
that sometimes the amount used is not enough to correct the problem. There is not a lot of volume on each syringe
and I have added a video that illustrates this.
Lastly, with good before and after photos I frequently see patients who
say that their treatment did not help but when they see the after photos they
realize that there is indeed a big difference.




The good news is that the Bellafill you did have is not
going away and it is likely doing some good since Bellafill will last at least 5
years.



I hope that helps.



Best regards.