Dermal Filler Questions, Answered —
Short Answers First

• How long do fillers last? It varies with material, area and depth; no duration is promised. See dermal fillers.
• Are fillers safe? Bruising is common; a blocked vessel is rare but urgent. See vascular occlusion warning signs.
• Can fillers be dissolved? Hyaluronic acid can; calcium hydroxylapatite, polycaprolactone and poly-L-lactic acid cannot. See filler correction.
• Am I suitable? If volume is missing and skin still recoils. See dermal filler suitability.
• Which material? The tissue decides, not the brand. See Radiesse vs Ellansé vs HA filler.

Longer than people often assume, and less predictably. A firm gel deep on bone, at the chin or jawline, tends to outlast a soft gel in the lips. Hyaluronic acid can stay in the tissue after its visible effect has faded, which is how layers build up when top-ups follow the calendar. Collagen-stimulating fillers run on a different clock, with collagen forming over months. The useful question is what is still there now, and that is checked by examination before anything is added.

Most effects are short-lived: swelling, tenderness and bruising. Lumps, drifting product and a bluish tint are less common; nodules can appear months or years later.

The rare serious risk is filler entering or pressing on an artery, highest around the nose, frown area, forehead and tear trough, whose vessels connect with the eye's circulation. Those areas get small amounts at low pressure. A blunt cannula pushes vessels aside rather than piercing them, but neither cannula nor needle removes the risk. In Singapore, fillers are regulated by the Health Sciences Authority as medical devices; make sure the product's name is in your notes. See dermal filler complications.

Only hyaluronic acid. The enzyme hyaluronidase breaks it down; firmer, more heavily cross-linked gels break down more slowly, so dissolving often takes more than one session. It has no effect on calcium hydroxylapatite (Radiesse), polycaprolactone (Ellansé) or poly-L-lactic acid, so a lump from those is examined and managed, not dissolved. That is why people new to filler usually start with hyaluronic acid. Allergy to hyaluronidase is rare; a known allergy or a strong reaction to a bee or wasp sting is asked about first.

A bruise is blue or purple, sits near a needle point, is tender rather than severely painful, and refills with colour when pressed. A blocked vessel shows as white, dusky or mottled skin along an artery's path, pain out of proportion, and a picture that worsens over hours.

If skin blanches or mottles, contact the clinic that injected you at once, or another doctor or an emergency department if you cannot reach it. Any change in vision, blurring, double vision or eye pain is an emergency: call 995 or go to the nearest hospital emergency department.