What You Should Know Before Choosing an Injector
Dermal fillers, such as Restylane® and Juvéderm®, may migrate or move slightly away from their original injection sites on your face.
Filler migration is one of the least common complications, with only about 1% of patients experiencing it. The reason you’re seeing it all over TikTok and in other sources is because more people are receiving dermal filler treatments than before and are willing to share information on social media.
What should you know before getting dermal fillers? Can migration be fixed? And how do you choose an injector to minimize your risk of complications? Keep reading to find these answers and more.
What Are Dermal Fillers?
Dermal fillers are an injectable product that plump wrinkles, restore facial volume, and enhance lips. They are placed just under your skin to help you reach your skin goals. Treatment often takes about a half hour, with minimal recovery time. Results can last for months or even years, depending on the type of filler and where it is placed.
Commonly, dermal fillers are made of hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring acid in your skin that is responsible for giving it volume and keeping it hydrated. As you age, your body makes less hyaluronic acid, which is why many people turn to dermal fillers to achieve a more youthful appearance.
What Causes Dermal Filler Migration?
There are a few contributing factors that can cause migration.
- Incorrect dermal filler placement. When filler is placed incorrectly within your skin, it can cause migration. When fillers cross two anatomic regions – like moving back through the skin puncture left behind from the injection – or when your injector places the product in the wrong tissue plane, you may see some migration.
- Overfilling. Overfilling can cause dermal filler migration. Overfilling occurs when you receive too much filler in one sitting or over the course of multiple treatments.
- Inexperienced injectors. Inexperienced injectors may not have the anatomical knowledge to successfully inject dermal fillers for smile lines, under the eyes, or on the cheeks or jawline without migration occurring.
What Does Dermal Filler Migration Look Like?
Filler migration looks like fullness next to the area you wanted to plump. Unlike swelling, which goes away after a few days, filler migration sticks around. For example, if you get lip filler for a lip flip, but the skin around the lips looks more plump or lumpy, you may be experiencing dermal filler migration.
Dermal fillers can only migrate so far – usually no more than a couple millimeters from their original injection site. This means if you got dermal fillers for your jawline, you can be assured it won’t end up in your cheeks or neck.
Where Is Dermal Filler Migration Most Likely to Occur?
Fillers around the mouth and eyes are most likely to migrate, more so than dermal fillers in the cheeks or the jawline.
Dermal filler for smile lines and dermal filler for under eyes are most likely to migrate because they are in areas of your face that move the most as you change facial expressions and talk.
How to Prevent Migration
Choosing your injector wisely can help you prevent filler migration. Seek fillers only from master injectors with medical training who use pure FDA-approved Juvederm or Restylane.
Not only can choosing an expert injector help prevent migration, but it also can help prevent other side effects or keep you safe and healthy in the event of a rare complication. In fact, most people who seek dermal fillers from a master injector report no complications or migration.
How to Treat Dermal Filler Migration
If you experience dermal filler migration, don’t panic! Medical providers and master injectors can help you look your best again. Hyaluronic acid-based fillers, like Restylane® and Juvéderm®, can be dissolved with hyaluronidase, an injectable enzyme. Paired with massage and time, your migrated dermal filler will dissolve. You can then make a new treatment plan with a master injector.
After reversal, if pathways within your skin tissues have occurred, you may experience migration with future treatments. However, choosing a highly trained injector can help prevent it.
What to Look For When Choosing a Master Injector For Dermal Fillers
A master injector is a credentialed medical professional who not only understands facial anatomy, but how to properly utilize cosmetic injections to help patients reach their skincare goals. Master injectors can recommend products and treatments based on your goals and facial structure, including determining how much dermal filler is needed to achieve results.
Before getting dermal fillers, verify that the injector is trained and certified and that they use undiluted, pure, name-brand product.