The sinking feeling is immediate and unmistakable. You’re sitting in the practitioner’s chair, looking in the mirror at your newly filled lips or cheeks, and something is wrong. Maybe they’re too large, asymmetrical, or simply don’t look like you. Or perhaps you loved the results initially, but months later, you’ve changed your mind about the aesthetic entirely.
Either way, you’re left wondering whether you’re stuck with results you dislike until the filler naturally dissolves—or whether there’s a faster solution. Fortunately, hyaluronic acid fillers can be reversed, but understanding how to approach correction smartly can prevent compounding problems from hasty decisions.
Understanding What Can Be Dissolved
Not all fillers are reversible, which makes understanding what’s actually in your face the crucial first step. Hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers—brands like Juvederm, Restylane, and Teosyal—can be dissolved using an enzyme called hyaluronidase. This includes the vast majority of fillers used in modern aesthetic practice.
However, other filler types, including calcium hydroxylapatite (Radiesse), poly-L-lactic acid (Sculptra), and polymethylmethacrylate (Bellafill) cannot be dissolved with hyaluronidase. These products require waiting for natural metabolism or, in rare cases where complications arise, more invasive interventions.
Permanent fillers, whilst less common now than historically, also can’t be dissolved and may require surgical removal if problems occur. This irreversibility is precisely why modern practitioners predominantly use temporary HA fillers despite their shorter duration.
If you’re unsure what type of filler you received, check your treatment records or contact the practitioner who performed the procedure. Understanding what you’re dealing with helps set realistic expectations for correction options.
Immediate Regret vs. Developing Concerns
The timing and nature of your dissatisfaction influence the appropriate response. Immediate concerns require different approaches than those for issues that develop over time.
Immediate dissatisfaction might reflect genuine problems—overfilling, asymmetry, wrong placement, or results that simply don’t suit your features. However, it might also reflect the adjustment period that accompanies any significant aesthetic change. What feels dramatically different in the mirror immediately post-treatment often appears far less noticeable after a few days, once swelling subsides and you’ve adjusted psychologically.
Most practitioners recommend waiting at least two weeks before making dissolution decisions unless there are medical concerns or obvious errors. Swelling, bruising, and simple adjustment time can dramatically change how results appear. What initially seems excessive or wrong often settles into something far more acceptable once healing is complete and you’ve lived with the change for a while.
Concerns developing weeks or months after treatment might reflect filler migration, gradual overfilling if you’ve had multiple treatments, changing aesthetic preferences, or simply deciding the look doesn’t suit you as well as you anticipated. These situations often warrant filler dissolving, particularly if you’re genuinely unhappy every time you see yourself.
The Dissolution Process
Hyaluronidase works by breaking down hyaluronic acid, allowing your body to metabolise and eliminate it rapidly—usually within 24-48 hours, though effects can be visible within hours.
The enzyme is injected directly into the areas where filler was placed. Practitioners typically use small amounts initially to assess results before adding more if needed. Overzealous dissolution can remove not just unwanted filler but also your natural hyaluronic acid, creating temporary hollowness beyond your original state.
Multiple sessions might be necessary, particularly for larger volumes of filler or if you’re aiming for complete removal. Spacing sessions a week or two apart allows assessment of what’s been dissolved and what remains, preventing overcorrection.
The procedure itself is relatively quick—typically under 30 minutes, depending on how many areas require treatment. Some practitioners apply a topical anaesthetic beforehand, though the injections themselves are quite tolerable for most people.
Side effects are generally mild—temporary swelling, bruising, or redness at injection sites. Rare allergic reactions to hyaluronidase can occur, so practitioners typically perform small test doses first, particularly if you’ve never been exposed to the enzyme before.
Choosing the Right Practitioner
Not all practitioners who inject filler are equally skilled at dissolving it. Removal requires a thorough understanding of facial anatomy, filler placement techniques, and experience with hyaluronidase dosing.
Ideally, return to the practitioner who performed your original treatment if the relationship allows. They know exactly what product was used, how much, and where it was placed. They’re also often motivated to correct concerns and maintain their reputation.
However, if you’re uncomfortable returning to the original practitioner—perhaps because you feel the initial treatment was poorly executed or because the relationship has broken down—seeking a different qualified professional is entirely reasonable. Choose someone with specific experience in filler complications and dissolution rather than just general aesthetic practitioners.
Medical professionals—doctors, nurses, or dentists—should perform filler dissolution just as they should perform initial filler treatments. This isn’t a procedure for non-medical practitioners, regardless of their experience with aesthetic treatments.
Partial vs. Complete Dissolution
You’re not limited to all-or-nothing choices. Partial dissolution reduces excessive volume whilst retaining some enhancement, potentially salvaging treatments that are simply overdone rather than fundamentally wrong.
This nuanced approach works well when you like the concept of filler enhancement but feel the execution was too aggressive. Removing some product while leaving the rest can create more natural-looking results that you’re comfortable with.
Partial dissolution requires conservative dosing and usually multiple assessment points. Practitioners inject small amounts of hyaluronidase, wait for results to appear, assess the outcome, and, if needed, add more. This measured approach prevents overshooting into the opposite problem—excessive removal, leaving you with less volume than you started with.
Prevention Through Informed Consent
Whilst dissolution provides safety nets, preventing regret in the first place serves you better. Thorough consultation before initial treatment helps ensure realistic expectations and appropriate treatment plans.
Choose practitioners who show restraint, discuss potential downsides, and seem genuinely interested in what suits your features rather than simply agreeing to whatever you request. The best practitioners sometimes talk patients out of treatments they think won’t work well.
Some people discover that they prefer their natural faces and decide against future treatments. Others learn that they like enhancement but need different approaches, volumes, or placement. Still others realise their expectations weren’t realistic and need to recalibrate what aesthetic treatments can actually achieve.
Your face, your choice, and when needed, your chance to choose differently.