Do Fillers Make You Look Worse After They Wear Off?

Many patients worry that when dermal fillers wear off, they will look worse than before. Although fillers can stretch the skin, they are elastic enough to return to its original shape before treatment. However, too much of a good thing isn't always beneficial. Fillers are not permanent and typically last between 9 and 24 months, depending on the area of the face being treated.

There is one type of filler that can last up to 5 years. When it wears off, your facial features will be the same as before and the filler won't make your face look any worse. That said, if you have lost a significant amount of weight or have had other medical issues during this time, your face may appear more aged, but not due to the wear and tear of the filler. Restylane and Juvederm fillers are injected into the face or other areas of the body to add volume.

Patients fear that once the filler disappears, their skin will sag because the added volume may have stretched it out. This could lead to additional wrinkles and sagging skin that would make them look worse than when they first got fillers. Treatments such as BOTOX and Restylane are popular because they are non-invasive and can smooth out wrinkles, relax tight muscles, and fill in hollow areas.

BOTOX

and Restylane won't permanently alter your look.

BOTOX is a purified protein that relaxes muscles, while Restylane is made from a biodegradable sugar gel that occurs naturally in the body. Both eventually break down and are expelled from your body completely. Some fillers even lead to an increase in natural collagen production, which will have a positive impact long after the filler has faded. Unless close attention is paid to injecting fillers, repeated applications of filler in the same place can cause the skin to loosen and stretch, resulting in the gradual need for more filler product over time.

Facial volume and cheekbone contour can be created with well-placed fillers (Voluma, Radiesse, Bellafill) and Sculptra. You won't need more padding in the future to get the same results, and your skin won't sink any further because you opted for fillers. Most fillers on the market require low maintenance, so some of the worst fears people have about prolonged use of filler are unfounded. Although their skin is naturally more resilient, people who use fillers for many years are more likely to experience stretching over time.

In general, fillers injected into very mobile areas of the face, such as the lips, wear out more quickly than those given elsewhere. When the filling wears out, it will return to its pre-treatment state, taking into account any aging that has occurred in the meantime. Another problem can occur when dermal fillers are used on parts of the face where there is a lot of muscle movement, causing the filler to move away from where it was applied. An experienced injector can evaluate you in person to determine the optimal filling and injection location for you and maximize safety while minimizing pain and increasing refill duration.

If you're worried if a recent treatment used too much filler, it's possible to fully or partially reverse this effect by applying an enzyme (hyaluronidase) to dissolve excess filler.