How to "reset" patients' lip filler for even better results
Since the easing of lockdown in the UK patients are visiting our clinic Novellus Aesthetics having realisedb they have either “overdone it” through having excessive filler administered or are not satisfied with their current results.
“Filler reset” is a term we’ve coined at the clinic to illustrate this new trend we are seeing within our patient group, which describes the process of dissolving and re-administering dermal filler to create a more natural look.
These patients are telling us that lockdown and social distancing have provided them with the perfect opportunity to wipe the slate clean as they can essentially “hide” while the filler reset process is ongoing by not going out, and if they do venture out in public, they are able to hide any swelling caused by the Hyalase behind their masks.
Patients are requesting that their overdone “duck lips” be dissolved, and that their too-prominent cheekbones and over-masculinised jaws be reduced and redone, ultimately for a more natural result.
Patients are telling us that their decision is multifactorial; some are seeing more of their own face from Zoom meetings and are increasingly unhappy with the results they see, while others have considered this process for a while but are seizing the opportunity while they can socially distance and hide behind a mask. We would usually have around two or three patients per month approaching us to dissolve lips they are unhappy with, but now, post-lockdown, we have seen between 30 40 patients per month since we reopened – a 1000% increase.
The main area that patients are requesting filler reset for is the lips; around 75% of the enquiries are for this area. There are too many practitioners overdoing and overfilling lips and applying poor techniques that result in “shelf-like” lips. There are also many immoral practitioners that will take patients’ money to add more filler than is necessary, leading to an even worse result.
A patient of Dr Steven Land who underwent a filler reset to correct her “shelf lips”.
Getting it right
I work with a range of fillers depending on the results we are trying to achieve and what has or hasn’t worked well for the patient before. The main brands I use in clinic are Juvederm’s Vycross range, Teoxane’s RHA range and the Aliaxin range.
The process is similar to all of our consultations – discussing the patient’s expectations and desires, looking at what options might achieve their desired results, covering the risks and potential side effects of both the dissolving process and the fillers themselves (a surprising number of patients are unaware of the risks) and then of course covering past medical history and medications. The main difference with a filler reset consultation is to discuss with the patient which procedures they’ve previously had, what they aren’t happy with, what filler they think was used and who administered it – this allows us to chase up the patient’s notes from their previous practitioner.
We perform a Hyalase patch test at the consultation, so if the patient decides to go forward with the treatment plan they are cleared to do so. We tend to use fairly diluted Hyalase for cosmetic dissolving as it’s more comfortable for the patient and allows greater control. The actual dissolving is usually carried out over two to three visits – this ensures we remove all the filler while minimising the effect on the patient’s own HA. We will then wait two to three weeks for any swelling to settle and for natural HA to replenish, and then we are ready to proceed with refilling.
Despite the increase in filler reset patients, I think the demand for filler is going to carry on rising. During lockdown our waiting list of patients for filler was in the hundreds, and when we re-opened, we went through three months’ worth of filler in the first five to six weeks. Patients have been having more treatments rather than less, and demand shows no sign of slowing yet.
Dr Steven Land has 19 years’ experience specialising in emergency medicine. He launched Novellus Aesthetics, a multi award-winning clinic in Newcastle-Upon- Tyne, seven years ago. Dr Land recently established Novellus Training Academy to provide a platform to share his expertise and train fellow medical professionals to perform cosmetic procedures at the highest standard. It will launch early 2021.