How to Dissolve Dermal Fillers Naturally

There are several skincare treatments available to freshen up your skin, but not all of them can give you the results you expected. Luckily, dermal fillers are a seamless and fast treatment that can provide long-lasting natural results and can be reversed without any major complications.

So how can you naturally remove dermal fillers or lip fillers that are already injected in your skin? It will take up to a year for the filler in the skin to be completely absorbed. To quickly dissolve the filler from your skin, you can request a hyaluronidase injection.

How The Skin Naturally Dissolves Dermal Fillers

The main base of dermal fillers is naturally occurring compounds in the body like hyaluronic acid and calcium hydroxylapatite to increase collagen production in the skin. These compounds have various functions in the body. Hyaluronic acid is a sugar molecule that helps hydrate the skin — thus maintaining its elasticity and volume. Alternatively, calcium hydroxylapatite is a mineral that introduces calcium into the skin to promote collagen production.

About 1 mL of dermal filler will be added to the treatment area. This can be on your lip, cheek, tear trough, and other areas near your eyes, or jawline. The tissue in the skin will begin soaking up the fillers and create more collagen from the byproducts of the filler. This will start changing your skin by adding volume, clearing up wrinkles, and tightening any folds.

Most dermal fillers are temporary as the skin will return to its regular amount of collagen production after it has depleted the injected filler. The results will peak at around four weeks after the injection and will start to deteriorate within 6 to 9 months. Within a year after the injection, any results from the fillers, satisfactory or inadequate, will disappear completely without any surgical marks.

Which Dermal Fillers Can Be Easily Dissolved?

Though the effects of a dermal filler treatment or lip filler treatment will disappear with enough time, a year can be too long to wait. Fortunately, hyaluronic acid fillers or HA fillers like Juvederm and Restylane can be treated through a hyaluronidase injection. It only takes 2 days after the injection for your face to revert to its appearance before receiving dermal fillers. Other than removing its beneficial effects, there are no noticeable marks of receiving this injection.

Other dermal fillers like those made of silicon, poly-L-lactic Acid, or calcium hydroxylapatite like Radiesse are more difficult to quickly dissolve as there is no certified filler dissolving treatments for it. For calcium hydroxylapatite fillers, a 2018 study showed that sodium thiosulfate is effective in dissolving the filler but it has not been used in widespread treatments nor is it approved by the FDA.

The duration of the filler will also affect how fast it can be dissolved. If the patient receives a hyaluronidase injection months after reviewing a dermal filler or a lip filler, it will take much longer for the skin to return from its previous appearance. Meanwhile, for calcium fillers, Radiesse lasts longer than hyaluronic acid fillers as it usually lasts for more than a year.

Hyaluronidase Injections to Quickly Dissolve Dermal Fillers

Hyaluronidase is an enzyme that is produced in the body to break down hyaluronic acid into simpler sugars that are used by the skin for hydration. This will help increase the skin’s flexibility and volume. Therefore, injecting more hyaluronidase in the treated area will help counteract the added hyaluronic acid in the filler before it’s absorbed by the skin. The byproducts of the chemical reaction will be harmlessly incorporated into the body, leaving no visible marks.

Dissolving lip fillers and other facial fillers through hyaluronidase injections is an effective way to cut down the time needed to naturally dissolve the filler. Though it may not completely resolve all the effects of the dermal filler or lip filler, it can partially clear them up, lessening the overall time needed for the skin to fully deplete the injected filler.

The filler dissolving treatment is similar to a dermal filler treatment as it requires an injection of hyaluronidase in the treated area. The dermatologist will first check if you aren't allergic to the enzyme before administering the injection. Appropriate doses of hyaluronidase should be used or it may dehydrate the skin, causing further wrinkling and sagging. Consult your dermatologist to ensure that a hyaluronidase injection is the only viable option to dissolve the dermal filler.

Signs of Unsatisfactory Results From Dermal Fillers

There may be several reasons you feel unsatisfied with the dermal filler or lip filler you’ve received. If you have received a hyaluronic acid filler and are noticing these results, you may need a hyaluronidase injection soon. The best prevention for these undesirable effects is to receive dermal filler treatment from an experienced and certified dermatologist.

1. Puffiness or Swelling

Swelling is a common side effect of filler treatments on the lip. However, if there is persistent and extremely uncomfortable swelling 2 days after the injection or even months afterward, a problem may have occurred during the injection. A blood vessel may have been overtly damaged due to improper injections. Meanwhile, late swelling can usually occur with tear trough filler treatment.

2. Overfilled Areas

Using too much dermal filler or lip filler will cause unnatural results. This can come in the form of oversized lips or “duck lips”, overstretching the skin, asymmetrical results, protruding areas of the skin, and could speed up the aging process.

3. Asymmetrical Fullness

A filler injection must be applied at least twice to cover both sides of the face. If not evenly injected or different amounts of filler were used, it will cause uneven results. It may also be a sign of infection or an allergic reaction. Additionally, it may be due to filler migration as it may have moved farther from the injection site.

4. Infection

Swelling, along with redness, pain, and tenderness, is also a symptom of inflammation. If the listed symptoms continue past 2 days after the injection, especially if it is accompanied by asymmetrical results, an infection may have occurred. Consult a dermatologist for the appropriate antibiotics to be used to lessen the pain and discomfort of these symptoms.

5. Allergic Reaction

Inflammation, its associated side effects, and asymmetrical results can otherwise be symptoms of an allergic reaction to the filler or the gel used to contain it. This is less likely to happen with calcium hydroxylapatite fillers as its main material is already present in the bones.

Expected and Harmless Side Effects of Dissolving Dermal Fillers

The side effects of dissolving dermal fillers are similar to that of filler treatments because of the use of an injection. Extremely fine needles are used in the c. However, there are countless tiny blood vessels in the lips, cheeks, and other areas of the face. Though the injection can be done by an experienced professional, the needle may scratch or pierce any blood veins it may come across. Side effects should last between 2 days to a week.

1. Swelling

As discussed earlier, swelling is a side effect of the body’s healing process. If it’s difficult to manage, use a cold compress to constrict the blood vessels in the area and rest at an elevated position to help deliver new blood into the veins.

2. Bruising

Bruising may occur when the blood pools in the damaged blood vein. Though the discoloration is minimal, it may increase and persist if there’s excessive blood flow in the injected area. This is why smoking, alcohol, and blood thinners are prohibited 2 weeks before and after the hyaluronidase injection to decrease the chances of bruising.

3. Redness

Another type of skin discoloration that may occur is redness, a symptom of inflammation. This is common after a lip filler because the lips are a tender area with incredibly small blood veins. Using a cold compress or arnica within the first two days after the injection can help return the skin to its regular color.

Aftercare Tips for Dermal Filler Treatments

Since either filler treatment uses injections, these post-procedure steps can be done for both forms of treatment. The aim of these tips is to ensure that the filler is absorbed into the skin without any interruption or impediment. These may also help decrease the chances of unsatisfactory results after a dermal filler or lip filler treatment.

1. Avoid Facial Movement

The first two weeks of any dermal filler treatment are crucial to allow the skin to accept the filler or the hyaluronidase. Avoid applying makeup for 2 days and do extraneous exercise for 2 weeks to let the added substances seep into the skin and prevent other adverse reactions like bruising.

2. Take Appropriate Pain or Anti Inflammatory Medication

Rest is the best way to alleviate the side effects. However, if it grows to an uncomfortable level, avoid taking aspirin as it thins the blood, leaving the treated area vulnerable to bruising. Instead, use Tylenol, acetaminophen, or arnica to ease the pain and swelling.

3. Don’t Smoke

Smoking has a ton of detrimental effects on your skin. It increases the chances of bruising because it will constrict the blood vessels, expose your face to heat, and slow down the healing process of the body thereby lengthening any side effects. Taking a short break from smoking will help the hyaluronidase break down the effects of the filler without damaging the skin.

Outstanding Dermal Filler Treatments at Dr. Lanna Aesthetics

Dermal fillers can be naturally reversed with time or through a hyaluronidase injection. Though administering hyaluronidase is an effective way of dissolving fillers, receiving a lip filler or a dermal filler from a world-class dermatologist Is the best way to save time, money, and energy on instant, long-lasting anti-aging results.

At Dr. Lanna Aesthetics, you don’t need to worry if you need to dissolve your dermal fillers at all. With hundreds of treatments under our belt, we lessen any chance of uncomfortable side effects, unwanted results, and unexpected complications on your dermal filler treatment. Book a consultation with us now.