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How To Melt and Reverse Dermal Fillers

hand holding syringe

December 10, 2019

Dermal Fillers are a great way to tweak and enhance your body and face. They are great for deeper, static wrinkles in the face, such as the nasolabial folds and marionette lines. They are also used in the cheeks, jawline, lips, nose, and other parts of the body to enhance your natural beauty.

However, maybe post-injection you are asymmetric, or feel “puffy.” Here are some options for you to melt or eliminate your fillers:

 

Hyaluronic Acid Fillers are the most common fillers in the world because they can be reversed and melted with a quick injection of hyaluronidase in the office. HA filler brand names include Juvederm, Restylane, and Versa. Each patient may require different amounts of hyaluronidase depending on how much filler is present, but the filler dissolves fairly quickly. You may need several sessions of injections, but in general, this is a quick and safe way of melting HA.

Calcium Hydroxyapatite is known as Radiesse, and is a very structural filler. It is very commonly thought that this product cannot be melted, but rather can only be thinned out with an injection of Saline solution. However, several studies and case reports have shown that sodium thiosulfate can completely melt calcium hydroxyapatite (Radiesse). So, if your injector does not know this fact, a quick search in a medical journal database should yield the pertinent articles.

PLLA (poly- L-lactic acid) is known as Sculptra in the US, and as far as I know, can not be melted. PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate), known as Bellafill in the US, also cannot be melted, based on my knowledge. Both are wonderful products but must be placed carefully to avoid any issues with lumps or bumps, since only time will allow your body to completely absorb these fillers.

Fat is a versatile and fantastic filler. I can obtain it in the office or in the operating room, and I can use it in multiple areas of the face and body. Fat can be dissolved immediately after being placed with vigorous and deep massage or pressure, which is why it’s important to NOT do this right after your fat grafting procedure!

 

If there is any fat that has been used as a filler that is asymmetric, slightly hard, or giving you some difficulty, then it can be dissolved or thinned out using massage, pressure, cortisone injection, Kybella (deoxycholic acid), and other options.  

Dermal fillers are a great way to slow down the aging process and rejuvenate and elevate your features. However, it’s always comforting to know that you have options should your results be less than desired, or you simply decide you don’t want filler anymore!

To learn more about the differences between the many dermal fillers, click here.

 

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8 Responses

  1. How long does it take for sodium thiosulfate to dissolve calcium hydroxyapatite (Radiesse)? When can one expect to see results?

    1. Hello!

      The product begins melting immediately, however due to swelling, it may take about a week to begin seeing results.
      In about a month you should see the final results, but it depends on how much Radiesse needs to be melted and how much swelling occurs.

      Best,
      Dr. Kim

  2. Greetings, I had a recent non-surgical rhinoplasty done with Radiesse. I am very disappointed with my results and am looking to have this new dissolvable injection done. Is there anything I need to know or worry about going into a procedure such as this one?

  3. What can melt PMMA❓Will 5-FU (fluorouracil) get rid of the lumps, which are really just scar tissue/excess collagen, please advise Thanks.

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