Are my face and lips ruined forever? Hyaluronidase not working. (Photos)

Question

Got Juvederm in lips in Oct. It was my first time with this Dr. When I left the office & looked in the mirror the right side of my lip didn't look right. It was uneven with bumps. Left side was much bigger. I waited 2 weeks to see if it was swelling. I also noticed a bump in the right side of my face. Last week I went to get this all dissolved. Dr. injected my face as well thinking Juvederm got in there. Lips are still uneven & I still have a bump in my face. What do I do? Freaking out.

Nelson Lee Novick, MD · Answer

First, I am so sorry that you are suffering this way. Second, calm down, since fortunately, you were injected with Juvedem, which is a hyaluronic acid filler, and, as such, would likely dissolve by itself, without any therapy, in somewhere between six to twelve months. So, no permanent damage. Thirdly, Juvederm often requires more than one treatment session in order to be adequately dissolved by hyaluronidase. So, since you are still so upset, it would seem wise to either return to your treating physician or, if you have lost confidence in him/her seek out a board certified aesthetic physician to finish the dissolving treatments and to discuss with you how best to help you to achieve the results you desired in the first place. So, once again, calm down and best of luck.

Monika Soni, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. It can take more one treatment of hyaluronidase to dissolve Juvederm. I would go back to injector to have more hyaluronidase injector or seek out a new injector if you have lost confidence in him/her. The good news is even if you do nothing this will wear off in 6-12 months and you will return to pretreatment status.

Hardik Soni, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. It can take more one treatment of hyaluronidase to dissolve Juvederm. I would go back to injector to have more hyaluronidase injector or seek out a new injector if you have lost confidence in him/her. The good news is even if you do nothing this will wear off in 6-12 months and you will return to pretreatment status.

Kristin J. Tarbet, MD, FACS · Answer

The good news is, that the worse case scenario for you is that the Juvederm will dissolve with time regardless of what you do. It appears that you need more hyaluronidase, which although atypical, multiple treatments are needed.

Steven F. Weiner, MD · Answer

It often takes more than one treatment with hyaluronidase to dissolve Juvederm. I would try it again. You face is not permanently affected. HA fillers last 9-12 months with no treatment and you return to the preprocedure status afterwards.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

Well, it looks like the bump in the lip is gone. It is hard to say what is going on with the face itself. The hyaluronidase will dissolve filler only not anything else.  An exam in person and discussion of your concerns would be prudent.

Are my face and lips ruined forever? Hyaluronidase not working. (Photos)

Answers (6)