Cosmetic treatments – or tweakments as I like to say, have come a long way since the days of injecting bovine collagen, fat or silicone. Most can be done during a lunch break, needing little to no downtime, allowing you to return to work the same afternoon in most cases.

As technology and formulas have improved, so have the techniques used to create natural looking facial enhancements. That being said, not all Dr’s are created equal and not all patients want a natural look. This is where the most important part of the process lies. RESEARCH.

It’s vital that thorough research is done prior to any injectable.

+ Are they insured?

+ Are they registered?

+ Do they have examples of work?

+ Can they correct any issues that arise after the treatment?

Like Pokemon, you’ve got to get, or in our case, check them all!

Instagram is a great way of checking a Dr’s reputation:- are the comments positive? are the transformations similar to what you desire? ( in terms of the overall look)

For example I look for Dr’s who are sympathetic to each individuals facials structure and don’t overfill or follow trends. You shouldn’t be able to tell immediately that an area has been inflated.

But what do you do if things don’t go to plan?

A good, reputable Dr should explain the risks and contraindications before hand and how they will correct any problems. If they don’t then do not hand your money or more importantly your face, to them.

It’s a given that not every procedure will go to plan 100% of the time, as not everyone’s facial features or tissues are the same. Also some people may react to a product differently to another. So whilst the Dr has done everything correct it may ultimately be your own body that has reacted unusually so another technique is required.

This is what happened to me.

I filmed a video on my tear trough and cheek filler video (see here) that was performed by the incredible Dr Yusra.

She is an artist when it comes to enhancing facial features and a magician when it comes to the 5 minute rhinoplasty, so it’s no wonder I’ve seen her a number of times now. See my rhinoplasty video here.

She’s incredibly thorough in her pre-treatment consultation, she will tell you if your expectations are realistic and explains the procedure in great detail.

After a year and a half of running on a couple of hours sleep per night after my son was born, I felt I could start to see the effects in my face. I looked tired and withdrawn so researched tear trough filler. After having the procedure it was slightly swollen – as to be expected, but a few months later I noticed the filler was coming to the surface and was noticeable when I smiled and there was a blueish hue developing under my right eye.

I called Dr Yusra who immediately confirmed it was the Tyndall effect.

This is where light is being reflected off the hyaluronic acid-based filler and showing through the skin. The migration of the product caused the filler to become too close to the skin surface.

There’s a simple solution and that’s to reverse the filler by dissolving the product using Hyaluronidase (Vitrase). The enzyme works immediately to break down the filler so the Dr has to be extremely cautious not to apply too much. As the enzyme breaks down hyaluronic acid it can then break down any of our natural HA in our tissues. It’s also important to note that a test patch is needed on the arm to ensure there’s no reaction to the hyaluronidase.

Once the filler has been dissolved you can get filler re-applied after 14 days – if you feel the need.

It’s important not to do so before the 14 days as the Vitrase may still be in the area, so it could breakdown any filler that is re-applied making it look uneven.

I also asked Dr Yusra to dissolve a little on the outside of my lips as I decided I wanted the shape to be more contoured on the inner corners and the fullness to remain in the centre.

Pain wise I felt nothing under the eyes, not a thing. Lips however were slightly more uncomfortable, that being said, the outer corners are always the most painful due to the nerves and being a thin area. There was little bruising, which disappeared within days.

I had the fillers dissolved back in November so I can certainly have it re-applied now. If Dr Yusra was to inject the tear trough again she said she would use a slightly different technique to ensure the product lies deeper in the tissue on me.

I like how my under eyes look right now so don’t feel the need to have the area re-done. I rely on my Becca under eye brightener to conceal darkness but I prefer how my face looks when I smile. There’s a very slight difference in the left and right tear trough area in terms of volume but it’s not noticeable to anyone else.

Dr Yusra says

“It’s important to understand how fillers work. These are natural hyaluronic acid in a gel, and injected into various planes in the face. From skin, to under muscle, to fat pads, to directly onto bone.

Hyaluronic acid fillers are not solid implants and are mouldable and can move. Movement is known as migration, and usually this occurs locally close to the area of injection.

Migration is rare, but can happen, and will increase depending on the tissue depth of product placement, patient anatomy, lifestyle and dynamic movement in the area (eg a clarinet player with constant pursing of the lips will have a greater risk of product moving outside of the lip due to constant contraction) or over zealous massaging of the area post treatment can cause movement of the filler outside of the area.

Tissue planes tend to be small, and if an area of overfilled, the filler has no place to go but away from the injection site, and we tend to see this most commonly in the lip area where the pink of the lip is overfilled and has no further capacity to retain filler, and so the filler spreads upwards and away from the lip.

Thankfully, fillers are totally reversible and in most cases, any minor migration points can quickly and easily be sorted with small measured precise drops of an enzyme known as hyalase to dissolve and break down the filler. This is a prescription treatment and should only ever be administered by a doctor, dentist or nurse prescriber after a patch test is performed. Always consult with your medical practitioner”

Fillers maybe a temporary treatment but they must be taken as seriously as surgery. Problems can leave scars and even cause blindness.

Even though many can be dissolved, if the person performing the injections isn’t using a product that is authentic, in-date or legal, then removing it is going to be difficult for someone else.

A Dr needs to know what filler has been injected to understand how to dissolve or remove it, therefore you need to know what is being injected and how much is being used.

It’s also very important to know that dissolving filler should be a last resort option as there’s danger of it dissolving your own organic material which can therefore leave the area sunken and uneven.

Always do research, always ask to see what product they’re using and write down the name. Dr Yusra showed me the filler packet which had the authentic code and expiry date etc before she injected the product so if your Dr doesn’t show you, don’t be afraid to request to see it.

In the meantime check out Dr Yusra’s instagram or her site www.dryusra.com she’s one of the best in the business and I love that there’s strong women in the industry doing incredible things right now!