Restylane Ruined My Previously Peaches and Cream Skin - Toronto, ON

Although thousands of people have wonderful results with restylane, which I have witnessed first hand, I voraciously advise that anyone who suffers from allergies/sensitivities (mast cells that sometimes misbehave) or who has preexisting silicone fillers stay well away from any hyaluronic-acid based fillers and opt for fat transfer instead.

I had not wished to previously post such a negative review but hope that this review may help someone, somewhere and serve as a warning. There are other options to regain volume in one's face apart from fillers, such as fat transfer. If you are in doubt then it is truly better to be safe than sorry. If a surgeon tells you otherwise and tries to convince you to try fillers, do not trust them.

Restylane ruined my skin and I am now taking antibiotics as well as using strong medicated creams in order to attempt to deal with the repercussions. The antibiotics have side effects which often make me feel most unwell but I feel I have little choice.

This is an extract from my review on fat transfer. It was the atrocious consequences of restylane that led me to finally undergo fat transfer (with a different surgeon from the one who injected me with fillers), you can read about the results in my fat transfer review.

FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE WITH RESTYLANE
-THE INJECTION
I went to a plastic surgeon of good repute to discuss having my NL folds reduced with fillers. I chose this surgeon based on a friend's recommendation and good reviews on ratemds. I explained to this PS that I had reservations about using fillers since I have numerous allergies, my mast cells behave badly. I am a celiac, allergic to shellfish, penicillin, cats, pollen, iodine and more. I also informed him that I had silicone in my lips. I should certainly have proceeded with more caution but decided to go ahead with restylane as this surgeon thought it risible that I should be so anxious.

I later read on realself, that cross-reactivity can occur between some fillers however the doctor told me most people have no reaction to hyaluronic-acid based fillers and the only way to find out was to try. Unfortunately I am not most people. I truly wish I had opted for facial fat grafting at that time. But one cannot press rewind on life's trajectory.

-MOTTLED SKIN AND OTHER MAYHEM
After a couple of weeks following the injection of 3 vials I noted that my eyes were often tearing, I had headaches, pain in my face where the fillers were and my skin began to appear red and mottled around the injection sites and very sensitive. I started taking some anti-histamines which seemed to help. I went to see the PS again, he told me to give the sites some more time to settle and keep taking the anti-histamines. I did so but continued to experience strange reactions. A week or so later, I rose from bed to find a hard cyst the size of a dime in my left NL fold. I called the PS who was able to see me that same day. He was professional, promptly dissolving the lump with hyaluronidase at no charge to me. However the problems persisted.

A week later, the filler started to feel very hard and swollen under my skin. One day I woke up and the entire left side of my face was swollen. (I would later develop skin problems on that same side). I called the PS's office again, to have the fillers removed completely but was told he was away and was advised to wait a week or so until he was back. I called some other cosmetic surgeons in my area but when I asked about removing fillers, I was turned away since they told me that they only removed fillers they had injected themselves. I then called a few other locations but no one was able to remove the fillers the same day, many were on summer holiday or fully booked, I had to wait for at least a week I was told.

I decided to go to a dermatologist since one was available the same day, especially as my skin was transforming beneath my eyes, hardened, mottled and rough, especially around and above my NL folds. The dermatologist prescribed me antibiotics and fairly high dose prednisone. The prednisone worked fast. Within a few days my face was no longer swollen. Albeit, my skin continued to change. I used to have what my mother-in-law called peaches-and-cream skin, however following the fillers I started to develop constant pustules and papules on my cheeks, red marks, rough burning skin and blemishes on my chin which I never had before. My skin seemed so sensitive to everything. In particular I noted an irritated patch of skin on my left cheek, almost resembling fish scales. It was red, dried out and bumpy.

I went back to the dermatologist the following week, who told me to my absolute horror that I now had rosacea and prescribed me some creams to calm my skin. I have never had skin issues before so was devastated to be diagnosed with a life-long skin condition. I asked him whether the prednisone or the fillers might have caused the rosacea and the issues I seemed to suddenly have experienced with my skin. The dermatologist said it was not impossible, so he advised I wean myself slowly off this medicine to see if my skin improved. I was glad to do so as I had many side effects from the prednisone including hair loss, waking up at 3am nightly plus more. But even after tapering off the prednisone the rosacea has persisted. I eventually went off antibiotics and for a while my skin was controllable with strong medicated creams.


I since read a study that conjectures that mast cell activation may cause rosacea. It is my hypothesis that for some reason the fillers in my NLs caused mast cell activation leading to this awful rosacea. The worst of the rosacea is on the side of my face that kept swelling up.

My P.S. later returned from holiday and I requested he remove all of the filler. I did not berate him although I feel he was irresponsible in his recommendations. Ultimately it was my decision to have fillers but I find he was rather forceful about arguing that very few people react to restylane and that trying was the best way to find out. In fact his soft sell skills entailed that after this experience I was put off by PSs who opt for such behaviour. It disempowers the patient.

I later had a fat transfer. The redness and rosacea was truly alleviated for many months by the fat grafting to my cheeks which I had done by another, carefully-chosen surgeon (who has always kept my well-being in mind). The stem cells in the fat seemed to calm the rosacea significantly but sadly lately, I know not why, the rosacea has resurfaced on the left side of my face particularly where I had the huge swelling following the restylane.

I cannot for these reasons recommend restylane and I regret the day I was as foolhardy and jejune as to let a feckless surgeon convince me to be injected. This surgeon also tried to suggest I might want some botox in my brow, thank goodness I was wise enough to at least decline that proposition!

I would therefore caution that if you are prone to mast cell allergies, or have silicone injections, do not have such fillers injected.