Botched lip injections, poor dissolving technique... stay away

This review is specifically about Sarah Taylor, RN, BSN, but also the office manager, Lisa Fini, and the horrendous attitude of the entire practice. Although there are some great reviews of Bloom Facial Plastic Surgery and Sarah's Instagram suggests she knows what she's doing, think twice. My experience has been a NIGHTMARE and the total opposite of everything I was led to believe I would look like for $700. Not only does this practice not know how to inject HA filler, they also don’t even know how to dissolve it.

I acknowledge HA filler results are not 100% predictable. But superficial injections ARE preventable with proper technique, as is dissolving superficial filler without leaving dents and a ton of unresolved product. For Lisa to state that Sarah was “hand picked and hand trained” by Dr. Bloom and to look the way I did before and do now post-dissolving is seriously disturbing, so take that into account about the doctor and what that says about his expertise.

I should have known when Sarah entered my exam room with her arms crossed leaning against the counter without even introducing herself that I should think again. I was swayed, unfortunately, by good-looking photos on her Instagram. I question now if those pictures are truly hers or weren't touched up to show better results. But the difficulty of finding another injector in the area with availability led me to make the mistake I’m continuing to pay for 3 weeks later.

I only wanted half a syringe but Sarah insisted on a full syringe for an "optimal result." I said I did not want excess volume especially in and near the border of my lip, which I experienced with Juvederm years ago (already dissolved). Sarah decided on Restalyne Refyne.

2 days post-HA injections, I began to see blanching (a white-gray imprint) in two spots on my upper lip. I had NEVER seen this with lip filler before going to Bloom Facial Plastic Surgery. I had a sinking feeling after doing Realself research that it was superficial filler. When I smiled and stood in daylight, I had obvious signs of the Tyndall effect along with unsightly bumps and weird contours.

I called the front desk and expressed my concerns. They said to wait 2 weeks for the "swelling" to subside before I came in. But they also requested I email pictures and a summary of my issues to Sarah, who ignored everything I said and just asked "Do you want me to look at it?" The email was a waste of time and speaks to the office's disorganized communication.

2 weeks later, I went in for my follow up. Not one person apologized or expressed they wish my procedure had gone better, even though I was understandably sad about having an unevenly contoured, bluish-white tinged lip. Not only was it disappointing to look worse than I did pre-HA injections, but the filler dissolving process is EXTREMELY painful and feels like liquid fire. From beginning to end, I was made to feel like the problem.

At my follow up, I brought in a few photos of myself smiling and when I zoomed in just a bit to show the lumps, I was accused of “nitpicking" by Sarah, who also sounded annoyed when I said I had gotten Restalyne Kiss from another injector 6 years ago with no Tyndall effect or lumps. It was only after I pressed her that Sarah admitted "You have a superficial bump, yes," and then said I had to wait longer to see if it would improve. Superficial filler is simply that: superficial. It isn't going to ever look better until the body begins to break it down (which can take 6-12+ months) and every MD on Realself states it needs to be dissolved. The superficial filler was also EVERYWHERE, not just the bump.

Like before, Sarah was robotic and said I had to sign a release to get dissolved and get my refund. It was only after I signed the release and got Hyaluronidase injections that she said "Nothing is guaranteed" when I asked if all my lip filler would be dissolved. Sarah also didn’t explain how long I had to wait to see if the dissolving agent would work.

You WOULD think that the original injector would be able to correct the issue or at least be willing to see you one more time to make sure all the product THEY used was dissolved. But now I've been left on my own to further correct Sarah's mess. It has been 5 days and my upper lip has a dent where Sarah improperly dissolved me due to filler being left behind in multiple places, including the bump. I also still have the Tyndall effect and my lips aren't anywhere close to their original size. What I see now is a less obvious presentation of the old HA filler with an even worse contour.

Yesterday, I reached out for more information from Lisa Fini, who scoffed at me for admitting I am scared about all the product left behind. She also accused me of "asking for the science" of fillers just because I wanted to know how long it takes for Hyaluronidase to work. The last time I got it, it seemed to work right away, and I didn't need to wait weeks, so I was understandably confused.

Yes, Lisa, it IS scary to be left with an unevenly dissolved lip and no idea what to do now. Lisa kept insisting “Sarah is only human" (so am I, and how does that excuse her messing up BOTH procedures?) and that my filler "migrated." That language was NEVER used at my follow up. “Migrated" implies the filler moved from one area to another in my lips or the border, but that didn’t happen. I was also accused by Lisa of “not liking the way we do injections” as if this is just about my personal preference, not their lack of ability.

The icing on the cake was Lisa snarking at me that Bloom Plastic Surgery didn’t have to dissolve my lips "for free" and that I should be grateful that they did... even though Sarah is the one who caused me to look this way.

In summary, if you enjoy being criticized, gaslit, confused, exhausted, in pain, and more unattractive all because you wanted a normal amount of lip filler, this is the plastic surgeon for you.