Special Considerations, Risks and Recovery
There is no downtime with dermal fillers. You can resume most activities right away. Just take care not to rub the treated area so that the filler material remains undisturbed. You'll likely experience swelling or a bit of bruising, which should fade within a few days.
If you opt for human fat as a filler, you'll notice an "over-filled" appearance at first. It should resolve within a few hours or, in some cases, a few days. But for some people, this over-filled appearance could last for a few weeks.
Fillers that are derived from non-human sources require a pre-treatment allergy test.
Complications from fillers are uncommon. The risks include:
- Acne
- Antibodies, or rejection of filler material, may reduce the effectiveness of future injections.
- Asymmetry
- Bleeding
- Bruising
- Fillers that contain microscopic granular substances, particularly, calcium hydroxylapatite, may clump as a result of facial movement or your natural aging process. As time progress, these clumps can turn into lumps or nodules. Surgery can remove the lumps.
- Infection at the injection site
- Itching
- Migration of filler material away from the original site.
- Necrosis (skin death)
- Redness
- Skin rash
- Skin sensitivity
- Swelling
- Temporary numbness
- Temporary paralysis of facial muscles
- Under- or over-correction of wrinkles
In the long term
It's important to realize that dermal fillers are not permanent. Even the semi-permanent variety require re-treatments eventually. The way your face continues to age and how your body absorbs fillers will determine the timing of repeat treatments.
If you decide not to re-treat, your appearance will return to its original condition. Wrinkles and scars will return, and plumped lips will lose volume.