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My First Time Filler Under Eyes is Artefill - Houston, TX

ORIGINAL POST

I am middle 40's. I have always taken care of...

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T in Texas
$1,200

I am middle 40's. I have always taken care of my skin by taking lots of B complex vitamins, and all other vitamins for skin, especially vitamin C which promotes collagen. I never go in the Sun, and always wear powerful sun screen for the most minimal exposure. So I never needed collagen or botox. In the last year I just felt that my eyes were looking tired. The first thing I did 6 months ago was CO2 laser resurfacing (my story and pics are on Real Self) and I loved the results, except that it did not tighten the sunken in area of my lower lids from the nose to the center of my lower eye. This area greatly bothered me. I felt I would look much more awake and youthful if I could only fix that sunken in area. The rest of my eyes were acceptable to me. So I logged onto Real Self and asked some doctors how to correct this and they all said that filler was the way to do this.

I know some doctors cautioned about getting fillers that are too thick for the thin skin area under the eyes, but I had heard Artefill, though thick, lasted 5 yrs or permanent and that greatly appealed to me rather than going back every year for other fillers.

I was willing to take the chance that it might be too thick. I also researched on Real Self the fact that if Artefill is injected and overfilled that it can be massaged immediately after to disperse the overfill.

I had never had a single filler or botox around my eyes so I did not know what to expect at all. I imagined slight bruises and that I'd look okay to go to work the same day.

Holy crap, not so! I went to a houston clinic that I was giving a second chance before I judged whether I'd return there again. My appt was at 11:30 am. I drove from Galveston, Texas to SW Houston. When I got there the staff seemed unprepared. I am not exaggerating that they took me into a room and told me to get comfortable and then came in 3 more times and asked me to move to another room so they could do other pts. The problem was that that clinic location did not have Artefill in stock and had to drive to the Galleria location to pick it up. Finally in the last room they put lidocaine around my eyes and let it soak in.

The doctor finally knocked on the door and came in telling outright that Artefill is permanent, and if I do not like it he can not take it out. I will be stuck with my decision. Otherwise it's a good filler, but he'd have to go deep into the tissue because the lower lid skin is very thin and Artefill is very thick. Then he started telling me about the fact that 80% of the filler will eventually be absorbed by my body, then the 20% of microbeads in Artefill is what continues to build collagen. So I might see swelling then actual decreased volume, but in 3 months I will see the greatest results... So then I started feeling greatly confused. I started wondering if he was saying the filler might decrease in volume enough that it wouldn't look like I got anything done ... was he saying Artefill disappears and my $600 injection per eye = $1,200 was going to decrease a lot or a little? I know regular fillers are immediate and last for 6 months to a year pretty much keeping their volume. I had read that Artefill is great and last 5 yrs so I had to shake off what he was saying as me just misinterpreting what he was explaining and tell him to go ahead and do it. He explained that this is a different filler and so on. I was there and ready and told him to just go for it.

On the first eye he hit a blood vessel and that eye swelled greatly. Then the other eye seemed to go smoothly. When he handed me the mirror I was greatly horrified. I had assumed filler injections around the eyes would be so mild that I could just dab on a little cover over minimal bruises and leave better looking than before. Oh, crap was I wrong. My eyes were so violently swollen and asymmetrical that I didn't even trust that he injected the eyes evenly.

(I had gone to the same doctor 3 years ago and bought 3 syringes of Perlane for the commas around my mouth and one side was flat and one side didn't look adequately filled. I left with an uneven face. I didn't know if this was because of his skill or because everyone's face is slighly asymmetrical and perhaps I needed more filler on that other side. I kind of expect that a skilled doctor can analyze that and fill accordingly. I didn't blame the doctor then. I didn't feel happy with the result. I'm not a complainer, and maybe it was just my face. So I came back to the same clinic 3 yrs later for Artefill because most other clinics do not sell Artefill anymore. I would give the clinic the benefit of doubt, and try them again.)

After I saw the swollen uneven distorted condition of my eyes, I told the doctor that this happened last time I came, and I felt unhappy leaving uneven, and now I was scared that this might be the result of the physician and I asked him to come back in the room, but he seemed unconcerned. He said sometimes this happens, and lots of pts think that the injection was not done right because of swelling...and sometimes hitting a blood vessel is just something that happens. He said to let him know how I am doing in 3 months and walked out.

The filler looked so uneven I started to massage the overfilled swollen one immediately. I applied pressure to disperse any overfill and kept massaging it for 72 hours and now it's starting to even out. I've been putting warm compresses on it for 20 minutes 3 times per day and doing light circular massage to help the bruising.

Maybe the physician is correct. Maybe this is normal or one of the hazards. I am glad to see that since my massaging and warm compresses it is turning out just fine, like the physician said it would. So maybe I should not blame this on the physician's skill. I just want readers to know exactly what can happen, and what to do if they feel their is overfill. You must massage it immediately. If you wait weeks, a month or two it will already be set.

T in Texas's provider

Dr. Keshwani, M.D. MedCure Anti-Aging

T in Texas

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The staff @ Med Cure Anti Aging and Skin Care had my appt schedule weeks in advance, but didn't have my product in stock when I arrived. It was weird for them to keep shuffling me from room to room 3-4 times so they could do other pts. Dr. Naz. Keshwani did not seem concerned about my fears, he just did the procedure and spouted off a few replies and left the room. The told me let him know in 3 months how things go... He said his pts tell him he makes them beautiful. I told him I didn't feel beautiful leaving all swollen and asymmetrical, and how a pt feels is important. I said if this didn't come out even I may never return, but if it comes out okay I might just accept that I had no idea what to expect with no prior experience of fillers around my eyes. Maybe It will turn out okay. There was nothing discreet about this procedure. I could not hid the bruising or swelling with the thickest makeup.

Replies (2)

November 14, 2014
I have had 4 Artefille injections in the last two years, there is only one person I will let near me, she is that good, when she promises no bruising she keeps her promise. I go the Lasting skin solutions in Madison Wi, Kim C has been perfecting her skills over the last 10 years and is awesome. She uses a special procedure that ensures very little bruising. I am 65 years old and no one believes me when I tell them my age. I would not have given this yahoo a second chance. It's your face!!
July 16, 2016
So sorry you had to go through this and had it done. Never to do Artefill/Bellafill under the eyes, problems down the road are impossible to fix, do not do it. They just said about 3 months ago it is not for use under eye even though doctors have been, most have stopped! In the long run almost 100% of the time there are problems with it under the eye. Research it and see the problems after 3-4 years. It has been a nightmare for me.
UPDATED FROM T in Texas

It's day 5 and I had to return to work again...

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T in Texas
It's day 5 and I had to return to work again with black shiner's around my eyes. Now the bruising is black and green so everyone at the hospital where I work kept asking if I was okay. Yep, just vanity gone wrong:) The swelling has evened out, but I bet it would not have had I not read on Real Self to massage the uneven overfill. I still am not certain if I should have massaged it or just left it alone, but one can see the ridges of the Artefill, and it did not look even and it did look bumpy, so massaging it evenly dispersed it. I think it was helpful info.

Having no prior experience in eye fillers I had no idea, but now I know what is involved. Be prepared that you might have some downtime.

I'll post some pics after the bruising heals.

Replies (8)

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July 26, 2011
Sorry to hear of your experience but I'm glad you're letting people know about it. This Dr. Keshwani, however, is trained in Family Practice... not Dermatology, Facial Plastic Surgery, Plastic Surgery or Oculoplastics.

Because of the permanent nature of Artefill (the PMMA microspheres are permanent), I think it's important that patients seek treatment only from "core trained" physicians (i.e., the four specialties I listed above) and not family docs.

I hope you continue to heal and with luck you may end up looking just fine. Thanks for sharing your experience.

--DCP
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July 27, 2011
Thank you David, I paid Dr. Keshwani in good faith, and since it was my first experience I just didn't know what to expect. My eyes are flattening and even, but as Dr. Keshwani said I might see a deflation, and so some of the tear trough is filled but not all...Means I will probably pursue another injection from another physician, probably where I work UTMB:) Thanks a lot. Maybe I'll be really lucky and in 3 months the micro beads will fill in the rest!
May 2, 2012
Kudos to you, T, for your once again well-documented reviews. I wish all were like this! Also, what a crappy doctor -- sorry you got reamed like that, although I don't get why that area bothered you. I see some sunken in areas like that on models and they seem to want that -- or am I not getting the area right? My area there is always too PUFFY from sinus troubles so my suggestion to you if you want it filled is to develop some major allergies, haha! But glad you found the right doc who knows his stuff. I say report that other doc because that doesn't sound right that he should be doing that.
July 26, 2011

HI T,

I'm sorry to hear what you have gone through, but I agree with Dr Pearson, I too am glad you let the community know. Thanks for the pictures so far and yes please do keep us updated to how the healing goes.

Thanks so much!

-Britt

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July 27, 2011
Thanks Britt, I think it is important to let people know. I am not certain if I should have massaged the filler...but I swear I left there really uneven and got scared so I had read on your site Real Self that the overfill or incorrect filler can be massaged if done early, so I did. Maybe I pushed the filler away, maybe it helped they are looking more even, still bruised, and disappointingly not completely filled in places. As I said above I hope the micro beads do their job and start plumping. I'll post pics of up to how long it take for bruising to heal about 10 days, then the 3 month to see if Artefill did anything. I appreciate your concern.
August 7, 2011
My first ever injectable, which was Radiesse, led to extreme bruising on one side of my face from my cheek down towards the corner of my mouth. It was rather frightening! Some people are more vascular than others, and, of course - I'm assuming there's always a risk of bruising when having a needle in the face. All in all, over a period of a couple months - the discoloration disappeared 100%. The effects were really nice looking - and had lasted for more than two years. Hang in there!
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August 8, 2011
Thanks Chris,

I just picked up some brochures on Radiesse. I had high hopes for Artefill, but feel let down. I don't know if my lack of results was the product or doctor's skills. The bruising healed within 12 days but the product deflated as if nothing was ever injected. $1,200 wasted.
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January 28, 2015
I'm sorry you experienced that. I was scheduled to have the artefill on monday and canceled. Decided to go with the Bleophalsty after unhappy at a lot of before/after pictures. I just didn't see that much difference.
UPDATED FROM T in Texas

It's day 7 and I only see minimal plumping...

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T in Texas
It's day 7 and I only see minimal plumping effect from the Artefill. My bruising is healing, and at least I'm not permanently damaged. Maybe this is the deflation that the doctor told me. If it is it is so different than other fillers that stay plumped. Hopefully those micro beads in Artefill will fill in the rest of the indentions, otherwise I have to pay to get another filler. I'll post up to day 10. Then post a pic at 3 months. To show readers if any improvement happens. I hope I can wait that long before wanting to run to the nearest real cosmetic surgeon and get another filler. I wanted smooth flatness under my eyes. This is not that.

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