How Can I Get Rid of Lumpy Lips from Restylane Injections?

Question

I recently had restalyne injections to my lips and have a huge knot on my top lip 2 weeks later.  Looks and feels awful. When I smile my lip looks distorted.  What can be done to get rid of this?

Harold J. Kaplan, MD · Answer

If it's been two weeks since the injection, it may not work to massage the product out. To be safe, you should request an appointment with your injector immediately and discuss the use of Hyaluronidase to reverse the lumps. You should not wait to make the phone call given your description of the situation.

Nima Shemirani, MD · Answer

Hi @cindylou. I'm sorry you are unhappy with your results. Hyaluronic acid facial filler products that were previously injected into an improper tissue plane can be dissolved by hyaluronidase injections. Best of luck, Dr. Nima!

Anil R. Shah, MD · Answer

Lip filler bumps is fairly common after filler.  The bumps can occur early on and many settle down.  Although massage after filler is considered a mainstay, beware that massage can drive the filler into another location if done too early.  
Reasons for bumps after filler:
Technique- Filler may have been used too superficially or wrong type of filler
Mouth movements- In some patients their movements can promote the accumulation of bumps and an alternative technique can be advocated.
Treating lip filler bumps:
Observation +/- massage-  Should be done for almost all lip filler bumps for 2 weeks.  For our patients we usually advocated massage after 48-72 hours to let the filler settle into place.
Reversal- A reversal agent can be used such as Vitrase to dissolve the filler if there is a large obvious persistent bump
Additional filler- An expert filler injector can used improved technique to mask the lip bumps.
The application of lip filler is very technical and should be done by an expert injector.

Monika Soni, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. Normally such treatment should be done by experienced injector. You can gently massage the lumps to help smooth them out. If you are still unhappy with your results, you can have the filler dissolved with an enzyme known as hyaluronidase. I recommend having a follow up with your injector for an evaluation and treatment. Best of Luck!

Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS · Answer

The keys to taking care of lumpy lips is first massage.  After one week if it has not subsided, then you hylouronidase to dissolve the restylane.

How Can I Get Rid of Lumpy Lips from Restylane Injections?

Answers (8)