Terrible Experience with Under Eye Filler! Templeton, CA

I made an appt with Dr. B in May 2012 to have restylane injected in my tear troughs. I was getting married over the summer and I wanted to look my best. I've always had minor hollows under my eyes and I decided to do some research on what temporary fillers were best for the sensitive, under eye area. The overwhelming consensus was that Restylane was the preferred filler for under eye hollows because it wasn't as hydrophilic as Juvederm, meaning there was less of a chance of having major under eye pillows that could last for months due to water retention.

I went to Dr. B because he had done a Rhinoplasty on my best friend 9 years prior and it had gone very well. I thought he was experienced and since he was located in Templeton, I thought he would be cheaper than going to someone in SF . I made an appt with Dr. B for May 24th and was on my way to more "refreshed" looking eyes.

I had my best friend come with me for support because I had never done anything like this before and I was very nervous. When asked which dermal filler I would prefer I said that I wanted Restylane. They brought in the paperwork and I noticed that the paperwork was for Juvederm, not Restylane. The assistant said that they were out of Restylane release forms but that there would be no mistake because Dr. B had already gotten the Restylane out. I thought it was a little odd, but whatever. I had the injections and was told that my under eye hollows would look the same as they did immediately after they were filled. They looked great! I made my two week check up appt and was on my way.

As the swelling went down I noticed that my eyes looked a little bit fuller, but not quite what he had promised. At my two week appt he noticed the same thing and said that I could use some more injections to create a fuller appearance. I decided to make another appt. Unfortunately a series of personal mishaps happened so I kept having to reschedule (I should have taken that as a divine intervention) but I finally rescheduled for an appt 4 weeks before my wedding. I asked the receptionist if that would be enough time to recover (you know, in case this experience didn't go as well as the first) and she said it was more than enough time for Juvederm. Wait...what? Juvederm? I told the receptionist that I had Restylane but she informed me that my paperwork said I had Juvederm. I tried to explain the mix up with paperwork, but it fell on deaf ears.

I started to wonder if Dr. B even injected Restylane during my first appt and instead injected Juvederm because they were out of the proper paperwork. How was I to know? However, I chose to trust him and Dr. B Injected the filler under my eyes. I noticed that he used a lot more than he did the first time. He also filled with Juvederm because thats what my paperwork had said he used originally. After 7 days I noticed that my eyes weren't healing in the same way. They were extremely puffy and uneven. Between day 7 and up to a week before my wedding I saw Dr. B a total of 3 times. Each time he pushed down on my eyes with extreme force, trying to disperse the obvious overfill of Juvederm. Finally, the Wednesday before my wedding I called his office and asked if there was anything else that could be done. I also mentioned having it all dissolved. He said, "I didn't know you wanted that, of course it can be all dissolved." Are you EFFING KIDDING ME? Throughout this time he kept on telling me I looked fine when I had family members and friends telling me it looked bad. I did have one friend say it didn't look "that bad" but she later confessed she didn't want to make me freak out anymore. They scheduled an appt for me with one of his colleagues in SF who was absolutely wonderful and fixed the problem within minutes. It literally took MINUTES to partially dissolve the filler - I had clearly been over filled and I was still able to keep some of it without having to go back to my baseline.

I don't think I would have had this serious of an issue if Dr. B hadn't overfilled AND hadn't used Juvederm during my second appt. I had specifically asked for Restylane, but because of the paperwork mixup I was given Juvederm under my eyes - which he later denied and said they use the same paperwork interchangeably for Restylane and Juvederm. My best friend can attest to the denial since he came to my first and last appt with Dr. B.

Since the Juvederm debacle, I not only have under eye hollows, but a change in laxity of the skin in that area. My eyes did look normal after the filler was partially dissolved, but my skin was not the same. Prior to having the tear trough filled I had no laxity issues when smiling. A year after having it dissolved I had major wrinkles and laxity when smiling, with the right eye far worse than the left. While both eyes had Juvederm "pillows" and were overfilled, the right eye was considerably worse. I understand that it's normal to have wrinkles when the face is animated but this was not normal.

In 2013 I had Total FX to try to tighten the area and noticed some improvement, but it certainly wasn't lasting. This entire situation has really affected my self esteem and I wish I had NEVER gone to Dr. B for treatment of under eye hollows. The skin of the eye is very thin and delicate and I truly believe that letting it stay swollen for so long permanently damaged my skin. He should have dissolved it immediately upon seeing his mistake. Again, skin laxity was not an issue BEFORE seeing Dr. B and I doubt my skin could have aged that much in a year.

It's been 3 years since I've seen Dr. B and every day I'm reminded of what a mistake it was making an appointment with him. Dr. B refused to reimburse the plastic surgeon for the Vitrase to partially dissolve the filler. He literally refused to pay for his mistake and expected me to incur the cost. The other plastic surgeon was rather shocked by his behavior and stated that he would never do that to one of his patients.

When it comes to my eyes I have no idea what can be done to remedy the situation that isn't going to cost me an extreme amount of money. And because of this traumatic experience I'm weary of attempting any treatment that may make things worse.

BEWARE.