If something feels wrong
after a treatment

What should you do if something feels wrong?

Contact the clinic first, unless the sign is one of the emergencies below. Message or call +65 8023 7170 during clinic hours, Monday to Friday 10am to 8pm and Saturday 11am to 3pm, and say what was done, when, and what you are noticing. A clear description helps, but it does not replace being seen when being seen is needed.

Messages are answered during clinic hours. That matters for the urgent signs on this page: if one appears in the evening or on a Sunday, do not wait for a reply. Go to the nearest hospital emergency department, or call 995 for an ambulance if you cannot get there safely.

Most of what people notice after treatment is expected: some swelling, redness or bruising after injectables, and warmth, redness or fine crusting after laser. These are discussed before treatment and set out in the written aftercare. The signs below are different, and they are the reason this page exists.

Which signs after filler need same-day attention?

Skin turning white over or near the injected area (blanching), or developing a dusky, purple or mottled discolouration, can mean filler is affecting the blood supply. This is called vascular occlusion. Pain that is severe, or that is getting worse rather than settling in the hours or days after injection, belongs in the same category.

These signs are time-critical. Seek medical assessment the same day, whether with this clinic, with the clinic that injected you, or with another doctor. Do not try to manage it yourself, and do not wait to see whether it improves by the next routine appointment.

Some signs are emergencies rather than same-day concerns. Any change in vision after a filler injection, including blurring, loss of vision, double vision or pain in or around the eye, needs the nearest hospital emergency department immediately. So do signs of a stroke, such as new facial weakness, slurred speech or weakness of an arm or leg, and swelling of the lips, tongue or throat with difficulty breathing. Go to A&E or call 995; do not travel to the clinic first.

“Hyaluronidase dissolves hyaluronic acid and nothing else. If someone offers to dissolve Ellanse or Sculptra, they are describing something that does not happen.”

Dr Sin YongOn what hyaluronidase can and cannot reverse

What about other treatments and later problems?

After laser treatment, contact the clinic if crusts become thick, yellow or oozing, if blisters appear, or if pain, swelling or warmth increases instead of settling. These can point to infection or a burn and need to be looked at rather than covered with make-up. Dark marks that appear weeks after laser are often post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation; they should be reviewed, and strict sun protection matters in the meantime.

After BTX, a heavy brow or drooping eyelid should be reported so it can be assessed. Difficulty swallowing, speaking or breathing after BTX is rare and is an emergency: go to A&E.

Problems can also appear late. A firm nodule months or years after filler can be an inflammatory reaction such as a biofilm or granuloma, and it needs examination rather than massage or guesswork. Any lump that is painful, growing or changing the colour of the skin should be assessed promptly.

How does the clinic follow up after treatment?

Every treatment is performed personally by Dr Sin Yong, and post-treatment questions come back to him through the same WhatsApp line, +65 8023 7170. Injectable treatments are reviewed once the product has settled, and written aftercare is given for each treatment, including which signs to report.

If you contact the clinic with a concern, you will be told plainly whether it sounds expected, whether it needs to be seen, and how soon. If it sounds like an emergency, you will be directed to an emergency department, because that is where the investigations and the other specialities the situation may need are available.

Where a problem needs care outside aesthetic practice, such as skin disease that needs a dermatologist, or something that needs a plastic surgery specialist, Dr Sin Yong refers rather than manages it alone.

When is hyaluronidase used, and when is it not?

For hyaluronic acid (HA) filler, the doctor may use hyaluronidase, an enzyme that breaks down the HA gel. It is kept on hand where HA filler is injected, and published guidelines describe its urgent use when vascular occlusion from HA filler is suspected, as well as its planned use for filler that is misplaced or excessive.

Hyaluronidase acts only on hyaluronic acid. It has no effect on Sculptra (poly-L-lactic acid), Ellansé (polycaprolactone) or Radiesse (calcium hydroxylapatite). Concerns after those products are assessed and managed case by case; they cannot be dissolved.

Hyaluronidase is a medical treatment with its own considerations, including possible allergic reaction, which is screened for, and the fact that it also acts on the hyaluronic acid naturally present in tissue. Whether it is used, and how much, is decided after examination. How planned dissolving works is explained in the filler regret and dissolving guide.

What if you were treated somewhere else?

Warning signs follow the same rules wherever you were treated: same-day assessment for blanching, mottling or worsening pain, and the emergency department for any vision change. Contact the clinic that treated you, or another doctor, rather than waiting for the original clinic to reopen.

For anything that is not urgent, such as filler that looks heavy, has moved or feels lumpy, an assessment can be arranged through the filler correction consultation. If you do not know what was injected, or it was done overseas, the assessment still proceeds. Bring the product name, the areas treated and the dates if you have them, because knowing what is there changes what can be done.