Will bellafill that's been overfilled continue to get bigger as my collagen starts to replace the bellafill collagen? (photo)

Question

Had bellafill with 1 syrenge for superficial marionette lines. Instead of placing it in my lines he placed it from my chin to the line. It gave me a heavy lower puffy jaw now. I look like I have cotton shoved in my lower gums. My pretty pointy chin is gone. I'm on day 5, the swelling is gone. But I'm scared. Once my own collagen starts to build will I look deformed? Should I get cortizone shots now? I'm so scared! Plus I feel one bump forming in there. Should I message it?

Mike Majmundar, MD · Answer

5 days is a bit soon to expect swelling from Bellafill to go away especially if done with traditional needles.  With blunt cannulas, swelling can still last 2-3 days.  It's possible you have a bruise and if so, it could take 2-6 weeks for it to resolve.  Be patient and wait at least 2 weeks and see if the swelling is gradually improving.  As the bovine collagen gets replaced by your own collagen typically the result is the same as with the bovine collagen.

John L. Burns Jr., MD · Answer

5 days is way to soon to panic.  If possible give it some time to smooth and settle.  You are also still very swollen from the treatment.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Quite a possibility. Our office specializes in the removal of permanent fillers from soft tissue. Many patients who have Bellafill may not be candidates for surgical removal. Best, Dr. Karamanoukian Los Angeles

Barry Ginsburg, MD · Answer

when i inject marionette lines i also usually start at the jaw line. 5 days post treatment is still very early and there is still swelling... i believe it will go down over the next few weeks... also i dont think you will get larger due to collagen production.. I think the result you see immediately is the expected final result.. after treatment it will swell some, then the swelling goes down the result may actually lessen after a month or two and then when the collagen production kicks in you should see the improvement you saw on day one.

Steven F. Weiner, MD · Answer

In my experience, the long-term results from Bellafill is usually less then the one week result. I don't believe that your body replaces collagen one for one with the bovine collagen in the product. At this point, it is best just to wait and see what happens in 3-4 months.

Will bellafill that's been overfilled continue to get bigger as my collagen starts to replace the bellafill collagen? (photo)

Answers (8)