I had silicone lip injections 15 years ago. It ruined my once beautiful big smile and tooth show. What do I do?

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 Lil1664. Thank you for your question. Unfortunately, free silicone injections can (especially over time) alter the appearance of a patients natural smile and the only way to effectively address this is to excise and remove the silicone product and any scar tissue that might have formed in the lips. This procedure is something that I commonly perform in my private plastic and reconstructive surgery practice under sedation or a light general anesthetic.
I recommend that you schedule a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon who specializes in free silicone and biopolymer removal. These consultations can be performed virtually or in-person and will provide you with a customized surgical plan to bring your smile back! I hope that you find this helpful and I wish you all the best.

Thank you for your question regarding what to do with the silicone injections into your lips that you received 15 years ago. Even though it’s unfortunate that you had the silicone injected, there is a treatment. Silicone in the lips can only be surgically removed. The surgical procedure entails an incision from one corner of the lip to the other corner. Liposuction of the lip is dangerous and inaccurate. The removal of the silicone from the lip takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes for each lip depending on the complexity of the case. In my practice, I perform silicone removal under general anesthesia. Plan on a 1 to 2-week recovery. The danger also with silicone injections into the lip is that the product can migrate and cause significant scarring and deformity of the upper lip. Please find an experienced plastic surgeon who specializes in silicone removal of the lips.


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.)

It's very possible to surgically debulk the silicone in the lip area. It is commonly done in my practice and oftentimes can be done under local anesthesia in the office with minimal downtime.