I had Restylane injections and they did nothing. Should I have a refund?

Thank you for the question. For vertical lip lines I prefer erbium laser skin resurfacing. One treatment usually gets rid of them. This makes the treatment longer lasting and more economical than fillers. Your doctor did his best with the Restylane, but did not get you satisfactory results. Since he used the product and gave his time, the cost is usually not changed. Most doctors would give a discount for trying a different product or mode of treatment if their patient is unhappy with the first treatment. I hope this is helpful. Good luck.

It doesn't seem like you used enough of the product.  It is very important to discuss expectations with your physician prior to any treatment.

I agree with the other posters that it is very difficult to comment without photos on your result.  However, the main point to understand with fillers is that expectations are critical when addressing aging changes around the mouth.  Restylane, when injected properly, is best at addressing lines at the vermilion border.  A thinner filler, such as Belotero or Restylane silk can be injected more superficially to address fine lines in the mid to upper portion of the lip.  It is important to understand that fillers make perioral lines softer, but elimination of lines is not realistic.  If your goal is elimination of lines, laser resurfacing is the best procedure, but carries with it risks and downtime.  Every Doctor has a financial policy, and financial issues can only be worked out with your individual Doctor. 

Most practices price filler by the syringe. Your doctor likely expected that one filler would suffice based on experience that we have with most of our patients.  So long as it was properly injected, the fault wouldn't be the doctor's, but simply that your body needs more.  Imagine if you purchase a meal from a restaurant and if you are still hungry, they don't refund your money, you purchase more).  Health care is not food, but the analogy has certain merit.  For instance, if a family doc sees a patient with high blood pressure, they prescribe a dose that is likely to work based on their experience, but if the patient's blood pressure is starting to run low or not corrected enough, they may ask the patient to increase or decrease the dose.  The doctor is not infallible, and in that case we don't think "I need a refund."I assume if the doctor comes highly recommended, he is meeting the expectations of a lot of patients, and it may be that your body is hungry for more filler to correct the deficit that aging has created in your facial appearance.I hope this answer is helpful, and I think a frank conversation with your doctor about your disappointment would be welcome by your doctor, and provide him or her the opportunity to understand your goals further and adjust the recommendations as needed.

I also agree with many of the comments made by previous posters.  Pre and post treatment photos would be helpful but this problem is so common that they are not absolutely necessary. Vertical lip lines are some of the most challenging findings to treat. Botox and fillers are very powerful tools in many areas of the face but the expected results in lip lines are far more modest, especially with injection therapy alone (Botox and or fillers). It is very important that patient's expectations and the limitations of the treatments be discussed in detail, especially when treating the perioral area (around the mouth). Juvederm or Restylane  are excellent options for addressing the vermilion border and volume of the lips. A thinner filler, such as Belotero or Restylane silk can be injected more superficially directly  into the vertical lip lines to soften them. More aggressive treatments exist to eliminate lines more effectively (lasers, dermabrasion, deep chemical peels) but have significantly more risk and recovery time.  

There are a lot of reasons that you may be dissatisfied with the results. You may need more filler or treatment with Botox. Sometimes patients expect too much and we cant deliver. However, doctors do not give refunds for various reasons, but if you are not satisfied with the results discuss with him and see what can be done and worked out. Be sure you always choose a board certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon who is experienced in this area

Thank you for your question--it is a good one and poses a few interesting topics for conversation. Since none of us treated you or saw photos it is really impossible to comment on the effect or lack thereof.  There could be a few things going on that left you feeling unsatisfied--which could range from inadequate treatment (more filler needed), combination treatment needed (small dose botox, laser skin treatment, +/- filler).  It really depends on the issue at hand which can only be determined by an in-person consultation. Sometimes a small amount of a thin filler can be helpful to smooth the perioral lines but it may and likely won't take them away completely if they are deep. These lines are often due to chronic folding of the skin with pursing of the lips (muscle movement rather than volume loss) and occasionally a very small dose of botox or similar product can be helpful to soften them a little without affecting the smile.  In addition, depending on the quality and type of skin a deep laser resurfacing treatment is sometimes the most effective at reducing/eliminating these lines.  Please make sure to consult with board-certified plastic surgeons or dermatologists with experience in injectables and non-surgical facial rejuvenation for best recommendations. Good luck!

Many issues presented in this case. 1. Unrealistic expectations by the patient must be considered. But the OP never added photos for our review. 2. Under treated in terms of volume needed. Many patients want to use less volume to save $$s, thus the results are under appreciated. 3. There are usually 2 components in filler treatments. The cost of the filler + office overhead. And the professional component, the MD injecting fee. Add those together to determine the total charges. With unhappy patients very difficult to determine if full refund, partial refund, or no refund are appropriate. That is a personal doctor directed decision. In this case the treating doctor refused to refund any thing as per the patient's description. We do not know exactly the other side, from the doctor. I handle each as a case by case issue. In some cases I already know the patient will never return, so for peace of mind for me I might refund only the professional component. But again it really depends upon the situation.