Filler Correction Singapore — Overfilled? Correction Without More Filler

Sometimes, yes. Depending on what the ultrasound assessment shows, options can include partial rather than complete dissolving, energy-based lifting to improve the surrounding support, or simply monitoring. Dissolving is a tool, not an obligation — the assessment decides.

Dr Sin Yong takes a history of what was injected and when, examines the face, and where indicated maps the filler with ultrasound to see exactly where product sits and whether it has migrated. You leave with a clear picture of what is there and a plan — whether or not that plan involves dissolving anything.

At home, you often can’t — that is normal. Time since injection, how the area feels to touch, and how it changes through the day all give clues, and the examination is designed to separate the two. If it is swelling, treating it as filler would be the wrong move.

No. Ellanse is polycaprolactone, and hyaluronidase — the dissolving enzyme — only works on hyaluronic acid. Ellanse lumps and nodules have management options, discussed case by case after examination, but dissolving is not one of them — and it is important you are not told otherwise.

No. Sculptra is poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) and does not respond to hyaluronidase. Nodules from Sculptra and other collagen stimulators are managed differently, depending on what is found on examination — which is exactly why the assessment comes first.

Dissolving removes filler; it does not remove your own tissue. If the filler was masking a real volume change, the face underneath will show it — this is why dissolving is done conservatively, and why the assessment maps what is product and what is you before anything is injected. If genuine volume loss is unmasked, any replacement is planned by anatomy — see volume restoration — rather than re-creating the same problem.

There is usually some swelling from the process itself before the true result is visible. The realistic timeline for your case is discussed at assessment, because it depends on the product, the amount and the area.

It helps, but it is not required. Records from your previous clinic are useful if you can get them. If you cannot, the examination and ultrasound mapping still give enough information to plan from.

You will not be lectured about it. It is common, and the assessment is the same: establish what is there now and what the sensible options are from here.

Timing changes the differential. A lump in the first days or weeks after injection is usually product placement or swelling, and often settles. A firm nodule appearing months or years later can be an inflammatory reaction such as a biofilm or granuloma, and needs examination rather than massage. Any lump that is painful, growing, or comes with skin colour changes should be assessed promptly.

Blanching (skin turning white), dusky or mottled discolouration, and pain that is worsening rather than settling can mean filler is affecting the blood supply — vascular occlusion. This is time-critical: seek medical assessment the same day, whether with the clinic that injected you or another doctor.

Yes, if it is still wanted once the face has settled. Swelling from the dissolving itself has to resolve first, and the UK guideline cited on this page advises waiting a minimum of two weeks before filler is placed again. The face often looks different once excess product has gone, and any new plan is made from that picture rather than from the original one.

The under-eye has thin skin, little fat over the bone and a tendency to hold fluid, so filler there shows problems that would stay hidden elsewhere. Gel placed too superficially can show as a bluish tint, product that has drifted can form a puffy ridge below the lower lid, and some hyaluronic acid draws in water and reads as swelling. Because it is usually hyaluronic acid, it can be mapped and dissolved in a targeted way when that is the right decision.

The fee depends on the number of areas, the amount and type of filler involved, whether ultrasound mapping is useful, whether dissolving is staged and whether replacement is planned later. A written quote is given at consultation after assessment, and the consultation also decides whether dissolving is advised at all, or whether waiting is the better choice.

It is worth considering if filler looks heavy, puffy, lumpy or has moved, particularly hyaluronic acid filler that can be dissolved in a targeted way. It is not worth rushing for recent filler still settling, or for puffiness that is not filler at all. Collagen stimulators cannot be dissolved, so correction means case-by-case management.

No duration can be promised. How your face looks afterwards depends on your anatomy, how much product was dissolved, ongoing ageing, weight and any replacement you choose. For non-HA products it depends on how each product biodegrades, which varies between individuals. Review timing is set at consultation after assessment.

Dissolving can cause swelling and bruising, and hyaluronidase cannot tell product from your own hyaluronic acid, so over-dissolving can leave a deflated look. It works only on hyaluronic acid, not Sculptra, Ellansé or Radiesse. Staged visits are often needed, and an allergic reaction is uncommon but possible.

Hyaluronic acid filler can be dissolved with hyaluronidase. Radiesse, Ellansé and Sculptra cannot be dissolved this way and are managed differently. Dr Sin Yong first works out which filler is present and where it sits, using ultrasound where its position is uncertain, then decides whether to dissolve, manage or wait.

Hyaluronidase, an enzyme that breaks down hyaluronic acid, is injected into the filler. Dr Sin Yong places it where the filler has been mapped rather than flooding a whole area, and staged correction lets the face be reviewed between steps. Published guidance covers dosing and allergy precautions.

Hyaluronidase is given by fine needle, so it feels similar to the original injection, with a brief sting. Numbing cream is used where suitable. Mild swelling and tenderness are common for a day or two. An allergic reaction is uncommon and is asked about before treatment.

Not with hyaluronidase, which acts only on hyaluronic acid. Radiesse is calcium hydroxylapatite, and lumps are managed with a stepped approach that can include observation, dispersion and injections. The material is located first, often with ultrasound, so the approach matches where it sits.

Often longer than the label suggests. In an MRI study of 33 people with mid-face hyaluronic acid filler, filler was still visible at least two years after injection in every case, and up to 15 years in one. This is one reason faces can become overfilled with repeated top-ups.

Hyaluronidase has a long record in medicine and in aesthetic practice. Allergic reactions are uncommon but possible, and a known allergy to bee or wasp stings is asked about because of cross-reactivity. Published guidance covers dosing and precautions, and in an emergency such as a blocked blood vessel the benefit clearly outweighs the risk of waiting for a test.

Dissolving removes product, not your own tissue. If the filler was masking volume loss or laxity that had developed underneath, dissolving reveals it rather than causing it. That is why correction is staged and why lifting or careful re-volumising may be planned afterwards.

There is no number. It depends on the face, the area, how deep the product sits and how much natural volume is underneath. What matters is whether the face still moves and reads as itself; an examination, with ultrasound where the amount is uncertain, tells you where the product is and whether taking some away would help.