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POSTED UNDER Restylane REVIEWS

No More Fillers for Me

ORIGINAL POST

No More Fillers for Me

beautymyth
Over a month has passed since I received Restalyne in my tear trough area from Dr. Kotlus. Going into this, despite my fears, I was looking forward to feeling a bit more confident afterwards, but instead I am starting to get depressed about my appearance and wish I had never had the injections.
The left eye's tear trough looks acceptable and that, and because Dr. Kotlus is seems like a good person, is why this review has four stars. My right eye gets zero stars because there are separate, filler blobs that were placed too superficially and unevenly. Under fluorescent lights (which are everywhere!), I appear quite freakish.
After reading all the reviews fillers on this site, which now I'm kicking myself for disregarding, it seems these problems are perhaps more common than doctors would like to believe--or than they are willing to admit for such a big money maker.
In the end, I didn't get the results that I paid for or was expecting, so I essentially spent $850 for embarrassment over my appearance and waiting an indeterminate amount of time for this stuff in my face to go away.
All that said, Dr. Kotlus seems like a good person and a reasonably competent doctor. He is certainly well credentialed on paper. His office was clean and nice, and the receptionist was very friendly. He has been responsive and communicative about my problems with the filler and we discussed potentially dissolving it, but I am really, really afraid that might make things worse and I don't think I can handle that. Everyone makes mistakes and my situation may be an unfortunate anomaly but I felt compelled to share my experience in the interest of providing information to this community.

beautymyth's provider

Brett S. Kotlus, MD, MS, FACS

Brett S. Kotlus, MD, MS, FACS

Oculoplastic Surgeon, Board Certified in Ophthalmology

4.8 | 195 Reviews
PROFILE

beautymyth rating for Dr. Kotlus:

Overall rating

Replies (34)

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June 24, 2018
Thank you for sharing your experience. One of the reasons Restylane is one of our top recommendations for under eye hollows is that it is adjustable, meaning we can dissolve irregularities (that occur exceedingly rarely) or add to areas that are not fully corrected, or a combination of dissolving and adding. In our practice the rate of having to dissolve under-eye fillers that we placed is significantly less than 1% but it's often reassuring to know this is an option. We certainly encourage you to come in for an in-person follow-up visit to discuss this among other possibilities to ensure you achieve the results we are both aiming to achieve.
June 25, 2018
Hyaluronidase is used to dissolve Restylane or any other hyaluronic based injectable, that should eliminate having to wait for it to resolve itself. I understand that the effect is almost immediate. You should discuss this with your doctor who I just noticed has responded to you. I first learned about it here: https://youtu.be/VejUlyX3ri4, Good luck!
June 25, 2018
Thank you, I do know about hyaluronidase, but have serious concerns about it based on some disturbing patient reports that I've read on this site about it making everything worse, and intractably worse at that. On the one hand, most doctors claim to see no issues; on the other, there seems to be a large subset of patients who experience serious issues after receiving the enzyme. So where is the discrepancy coming from? It's hard to know who to trust, but I can't simply discount the patient stories I've read. After all, you never see any injector-doctors admitting they have patients with lumps, infections, and other problems; but lots of people have problems with those issues. I suspect that there are still many unknowns about the drug and how it works in tissues injected with HA fillers, and that not all potential side effects, contraindications, and adverse drug reactions have yet come to light. So whatever I decide on, it will be very thought out and deliberate.
June 26, 2018
Also, just to add, I've been researching hyaluronidase in depth, and found a published article in the UK stating that hyaluronidase can damage native extracellular matrix glycosaminoclycans resulting in gauntness with damaged skin texture. The article, written by a surgeon, goes on to say that there is an increase in patients presenting with hyaluronidase damage, often untreatable. So I suspect it isn't quite as easy-peasy as all the physicians make it out to be.
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July 6, 2018
So sorry you had such a bad experience. I had this treatment done and it was quite the opposite. It was such a game-changer for me and made a huge difference. You can see my before and after pictures on my profile. Before I did it I literally researched for like 2 or 3 years. I had multiple complications with different types of doctors and finally settled on the one I trusted the most. He did such a great job and I didn't need to get it redone for like almost 3 years. I found a nurse injector close to me who has been amazing and wonderful as well. Hopefully you will find your answer for this area under your eyes
July 6, 2018
You look awesome!! I also researched for three years and was very cautious and careful. Went on multiple consultations. It's such a crap shoot... unfortunately this was such a traumatic experience I can't ever imagine letting anyone inject me again. It's just so disappointing and there's little to no recourse for patients when things go wrong. I really, really hope my "results" don't last 3 years!!
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July 8, 2018
Maybe a lower blepharoplasty?
July 7, 2018
Here's yet another story to add to the mix... I had a bad result after Restylane injections from another doctor, and was abjectly miserable about it for about six months. I spoke to four doctors who could not help, including an ophthalmologist , an oculoplastic surgeon, and an allergist. I went to see Dr. Kotlus; he knew exactly what had happened (the Restylane had migrated), and injected the dissolver; in seconds the "swelling" dramatically subsided, and I basically danced home. That was about three months ago, and no problems since.
July 17, 2018
Hey, i just wanted to let you know that i did have hyaluronidaise done and it didn't effect me at all. The internet is a scary place and if it's bothering you that much I would go for it. You will always find horrific and scary stories on the internet. I know many people who have used this enzyme to dissolve filler. I've also had work done by a few different doctors & Kotlus has by far been the best of them all. I know how scary it is when having a bad experience but dont let 1 bad experience scare you off forever. If i was you, i would go to him for correction.
UPDATED FROM beautymyth
2,018 years post

Update August 2018

beautymyth
Hi all and thank you for all the private messages requesting an update. Things are much the same although the lumpy eye's lumps seem to have expanded up but also flattened just a tad. The other eye has a small lump now too but it comes and goes.
One thing I have noticed is that the Restylane did not do much for my bags but instead just appeared to prop the bags up higher into the area under my eyes. This may not be physically possible; but that is how I'd describe the visual effect. In addition, the lumpy filled area is right under where my lateral eye bag is and and also serves to visually extend it further down my lower eyelid.
As someone with negative vector eyes, the product placed in the tear trough added volume to an already protruding area. I think that tear trough injections are probably the wrong choice for those with negative vector eyes. (I expressed this concern at my appointment.)
Will update again in a few weeks. Thank you.

Replies (14)

August 8, 2018
I'm so sorry this happened to you. I hope things get better soon. I had a lower Bleph over a year ago. I paid north of $4600. The bags under my eyes look the same if not worse than before I had the surgery. I'm going to see my Doctor soon...hopefully there's something he can do. Again, I wish you the best of luck with your eyes. ❤
August 8, 2018
Thank you for your kindness. ❤️ I'm sorry to hear about the results of your lower bleph. A bleph is something I'm considering but my filler experience has given me some trust issues with plastic surgery around my eyes. Even if something is just a bit off in the eye region, it's super noticeable because that is the first place people look. As I found out recently, I have negative vector eyes which are more prone to complications, so surgery would be a risk. I might have to just work on accepting my bags as they are. I hope that your surgeon can make things right for you. I wish you resolution and good health on your journey.
August 8, 2018
Thank you so much for your kind words. I wish you well on your journey as well. We can't forget, the we are beautiful no matter what! Take care. ❤
August 17, 2018
If you want it put right don't go back to the same person who got it wrong. Get your money back and go somewhere else.
August 17, 2018
Restylane should not be used in the under-eye area, your surgeon is responsible for knowing that not you. Get your money back. And much as they all appear to be a nice people they have tons of cash through their job and I'm sure you don't. In reality issues like this should really be reported or it will continue until people do.
November 14, 2018
Restylane is actually the best filler to be placed in the under eye area from every doctor I've ever seen. Juvederm is a big no no.
September 18, 2018
Sorry you all had poor experiences. He should be able to dissolve the filler with out any issues, Hylenex will do this. You could also gently massage the filler to help smooth out. Either way your doc should be helping fix the issue and make things right. Also go conservative, it's easier to add more than take it away.
November 18, 2018
Massage didn't work. And as I mentioned, there are too many negative reports from patients after dissolving that have made me decide to wait it out instead.
March 2, 2019
Absolutely do NOT get them dissolved. I am living a nightmare since I had Rest. Silk injected, from a very well-respected and accomplished Dr.- He did an awful job, tried to convince me that the terrible lumps/ridges were 'residual swelling or a rare allergic reaction' (5 months later?! I don't think so, Doctor...) THEN, when he dissolved them at my insistence warning me that I would 'go back to how you looked before'; left me looking 100% worse- thanks to the dissolver destroying any natural volume that I had under my eyes to begin with. Now, I feel my only option is surgery. I look terrible; feel deeply saddened, depressed & embarassed by my appearance and am full of regret. I have NEVER looked this bad, and I certainly didn't look like this before I sought the fillers. He diisolved them free of charge, which I feel was an admission of his guilt- Other Dr.s who have seen my photos all agree; the area(s) were over-filled and improperly placed.
July 12, 2020
Omg that sounds horrible. I am having some issues too with it having a green/yellow discolouring and therefore it looks puffy all the time. But my doctor says it's swollen even after 3 weeks so I don't trust her. And I have thought about getting dissolved but your comment scared the crap out of me. I have serious anxiety over these fillers. I should never had them done.
September 19, 2018
I had fillers for deep set eyes. I ended up with three blobs. Where the filler was appropriately placed it looked great. I went in three times for dissolving injections. They eventually appeared better, but were always visible when I woke up in the morning. Now a year has passed. The appropriately placed fillers are disappearing and the blobs are becoming more prominent. I need to find someone in the Houston area who can correct and re-do.
December 9, 2018
Maybe the filler is dissolving at different rates depending on what layer of the skin they are in? Best of luck to you.
October 26, 2018
Did you end up dissolving?
November 18, 2018
Nope
UPDATED FROM beautymyth
2,019 years post

Six month update

beautymyth
It's been six months since I received the lumpy Restylane injections and a few months since my last update. Fortunately, the filler seems to be about 50% less visible and the lumps have finally evened out. At this point, I can live with it until it goes away completely.

Interestingly, I received a private message from an MD who said he would not recommend Restylane injections for me again - as if I need to be told twice!

Lastly, I just want to say to everyone researching doctors to be sure to be very savvy about inspecting their before/after photos. As I've been researching surgeons, it is clear that whether intentional or not, many after photos are manipulated. Often the lighting or the angle of the face is different, or the skin is blurred out or out of focus. In order to gain a true assessment of the physician's work, the angle and the lighting need to be the same and the camera needs to be in focus. Look for shadow
differences, whether the reflection in the pupil is at the same angle, or whether the physician has blurred the skin under the eyes (the last one is sadly very common). We need to be our own advocates since it is clear that no one else is looking out for us in the profit-driven plastic surgery industry. Good luck out there!






Replies (4)

March 1, 2019
I even had it worse. It made my whole face look deformed and swollen unevenly. It is horrible in the wrong hands and I believe it should not be even done in that area at all. I had multiple sessions to have it disolved and went through too much pain for that. I really wonder how could they recommend something like that to even wrinkles. It doesn't made sense.
March 1, 2019
I had tear troughs filled by a very reputable Dr and I hated the results. They looked horrible the day it was done and they have never looked good. Basically, what it gave me was a bag that sat beneath a bag. So, bag, crease, bag. Horrible. My right eye wasn’t even bad to begin with but looked terrible after. She told me to wait and see how things settled. I think I went back 2-4 wks later and she added more to the left eye. Still looked like crap. Over two years later and there is still product there. I’m afraid to have it dissolved because I don’t want to get back to square one if that causes more complications. Here’s the deal, if you create a pocket for fluid to go, fluid will always go there. So now that I’ve had a new bag created under each eye, any naturally occurring fluid will still have a place to go. My only alternative is to get a bleph. I have sought the advice of an oculoplastic surgeon who said same.
March 6, 2019
Sometimes it’s best to leave well enough alone...learn to except the aging process as gracefully as you can
October 14, 2022
I had the exact same thing happen to me!! Exactly! I know what you mean about the issue of the filler just making the hollows just slightly higher up. Everything else you said i also experienced! I’m so curious about what the MD had to say about restylane being wrong for you? Can you elevate on what he said? Would other fillers be better?