Artefill

hello dr yang, do you know about artefill. I feel I may have chose this procedure without thinking it through, thie dr, placed too much in the folds by the nose and it left a hard lump or mass which is noticeable to me. he tells me kenolog will flatten out the area but I dont trust him at this point. can this be removed in that area . thankyou!

Hi sammanthac669,

Artefill or any permanent filler (including fat grafting) cannot be easily removed. Steroid injections are helpful if the lump is mainly a build up of collagen, since the steroid medication helps to dissolve the collagen. However, if it doesn’t flatten enough with the steroid injections, the only other solutions is an incision to directly excise the permanent filler (Silicone, Artefill, Aquamid, Fat grafts, etc.) The permanent material will not go away over time.

Temporary fillers can also be difficult to remove if overinjected. If it is hyaluronic acid gel, like Restylane or Juvederm, it can be dissolved with an “antidote.” While longer acting temporary fillers such as Radiesse or Sculptra may eventually go way, but sometimes lumps are notorious for not going away easily. Since the lumps are mainly collagen, it can be modified with steroid injections.

You should try the steroid injections first. If you don’t trust your injector, seek a second opinion. If the steroid injections don’t reduce the lump to your satisfaction, then you will need to decide whether you would prefer the lump or an incision over the same area.

Let us know what you end up chosing to do.

Permanent Fillers: Easy to inject, hard to remove.

Best,

Dr. Yang