Can silicone lip injections be removed by cutting lip and not needing any other work? Just sutures and healing? (Photo)

Silicone biopolymers are commonly used in the face and body. They may sometimes cause noticeable symptoms that we gauge using the Karamanoukian Soft Tissue Reaction Grading Scale from I to V. The severity of your complications dictates the interventions needed, ranging from itching and burning to severe necrosis of the soft tissue. Nerve pain and symptomatic swelling is also possible. Insurance may cover your surgery, but that is a discussion that requires you to contact and appeal to your insurance carrier. Options for removal are complex and depend on whether you have the material in your face or body. We reverse BBL with silicone commonly and remove silicone from the lips very commonly. Diffuse silicone in the face is not likely to respond to removal. Filler migration, swelling, and granulomas can cause significant discomfort and cosmetic ramifications. Our office specializes in the use of enzymes and filler reversal techniques without hyaluronidase to help improve the results of botched cosmetic fillers, whether caused by Juvederm, Restylane, or foreign fillers. We can also test for the material to determine the likelihood of silicone granulomas and silicone reaction.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Hi Bigcahjuna and thank you for your question. As a board certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon who specializes in silicone and biopolymer removal, I see many patients in my private plastic surgery practice with concerns related to prior silicone injections of the lips and face. I perform silicone injection removal from the upper and lower lips via a surgical excision of this product and any scar tissue that might have formed in the area. These incisions are then closed with sutures that dissolve on their own. Oftentimes this is the only procedure that a patient will require but I will sometimes recommend fat grafting to the lips to achieve a patients specific surgical and cosmetic goals.
I would highly recommend scheduling a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon who specializes in silicone injection removals from the face to discuss your particular injection history and your desired cosmetic goals. During this consultation your current lip anatomy will be reviewed and based on your goals a surgical plan can be best determined. I hope that this answer has been helpful and I wish you the very best.

Thank you for your question regarding whether silicone lip injections can be removed by cutting the lip without needing any other work. Just sutures and healing. Yes, this is exactly what is performed during silicone removal. During silicone removal from the lips an incision is made from the corner of the lip to the other corner. A wedge area of pink lip mucosa, silicone and scar tissue are directly removed. Then the edges are sewn together. Typically no other work is needed. Drains are not used and usually the sutures fall out in approximately 10-14 days. Please seek an experienced board certified plastic surgeon.
The FDA warns AGAINST silicone injections on their website. The FDA states “Do not get injectable silicone or any type of filler material for large-scale body contouring or enhancement.” Also, the FDA has said Injectable silicone is permanent, with side effects that can occur right after the injection and up to years after treatment. Silicone spreads and migrates easily inside the body, which may worsen adverse events and make surgical attempts to remove the silicone oil more difficult or impossible. Silicone, when injected into areas with many blood vessels such as the buttocks, can travel to other parts of the body and block blood vessels in the lungs, heart, or brain. This can result in permanent damage to those tissues and lead to stroke or death.”
I specialize in biopolymer and silicone removal and subsequent reconstruction. Since removing biopolymer and silicone is a big procedure, please seek an experienced, board certified plastic surgeon with significant experience in removing silicone from the buttock. Do your research. Make sure they have performed at least 100 biopolymer and silicone removal surgeries and have the before and after pictures to prove it. Carefully examine their before and after pictures and check their reviews on RealSelf.  If you cannot find an experienced, buttock silicone removal surgeon in your neighborhood, consider traveling out of state if you must. Sincerely, Dr. Katzen. (“Verified” Plastic Surgeon, President of the American Society of Bariatric Plastic Surgeons, Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Fellow of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, American College of Surgery, and International College of Surgery and ​member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and RealSelf Hall of Fame.)

Surgically excising the silicone in the lip is definitely possible, oftentimes this can be done under local anesthesia in the office with minimal downtime. This is a commonly performed surgery and can have excellent results, although no technique can remove 100% of the silicone