Why Does my Undereye Filler Look Gray and Puffy?

Question

I had Dermal filler in the area under my eyes where there was some fat deficit related to aging skin.  Now it is still puffy, lumpy, and looks darker than before with a gray color. It has been three weeks. I look older and more tired now because of it.

Michael A. Persky, MD · Answer

Hi Carmen,
You should return to your physician for examination of the area.  It is difficult to answer your question without knowing what was injected, how much was injected, and at what level it was injected.  It sounds as if the filler was injected superficially (above your muscle, and likely too close to the surface of your skin, lending to the gray color).  At three weeks following the injections, the filler should have settled down.  Contact your doc.  Be well.
Dr. P

Nima Shemirani, MD · Answer

Hi @carmen. There are a few reasons for this irregularity. One being that the filler was not placed in the proper tissue plane. Most facial filler products that are injected into this area should ideally be placed in the tissue plane directly on top of the bone, or at least underneath the eyelid muscle layer. If a facial filler product is placed too superficial in the skin, or on top of the muscle layer, the product may settle in with an abnormal appearance and can look to be lumpy, swollen, or irregular. Another reason for the prolonged swelling can be due to the fact that too much facial filler product was used. The filler products that are preferred to treat this area will have some degree of affinity for water molecules so all of these products will exhibit some degree of hydration and swell once injected into the body. 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.

Omeed Memar, MD, PhD (license suspended) · Answer

Give it 2 more weeks. You could have some residual bruising or resolving bruising. It is possible that the filler is too superficial, and that can give a bluish hue to the area. If that is the case, consider your doctor using a hyluronidase, which will remove the excess filler.

Why Does my Undereye Filler Look Gray and Puffy?

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Why Does my Undereye Filler Look Gray and Puffy?

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