All-natural: why do stars remove fillers from lips?

The boom in face contouring will not subside yet – lip augmentation with fillers is still one of the most popular procedures among Russian and foreign celebrities. However, some stars return to their original shape even after many years of regular lip contouring. For example, so do Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Kidman, tATu frontman Yulia Volkova and recently popular rapper Instasamka.

As they say, once is a coincidence, twice is a coincidence, and three is a pattern. It would seem that the trend towards naturalness has finally affected not only makeup and manicure, but also, much more importantly, appearance. Is it possible to restore the original shape of the lips after using fillers for several years and what do you need to know before the removal procedure?

Our experts

Anna SambucDermatologist at Remedy Lab aesthetic medicine clinic.

Albina Buhurovadermatovenereologist, beautician at Real Clinic.

Will the shape of the lips be the same after the filler is removed?

If the filling and then removal are done correctly, the shape of the lips will return to its former appearance. But there are times when it can change. Dermatovenereologist Albina Bukhurova, cosmetologist at Real Clinic, identifies the following causes.

– Excessive volume of drug administered exceeding the reserve and capacity of skin tissues. The lips are overstretched, and after their removal a “parchment paper” symptom is formed, in which the dense skin becomes “brittle”.

– Non-ultrasound filling removal. This approach to the procedure increases the likelihood of dissolution of adjacent tissues and subsequent formation of “immersions”.

– Exceeding the enzyme concentration at the injection point also causes excessive tissue dissolution.

– Late referral to a specialist – when the remnants of the drug are already covered with a connective tissue capsule or a scar has formed at the filling site. Often, such lips can no longer return to their former appearance.

– If the filler was initially applied during an illness or asepsis, the rules were broken and the bacteria and virus clusters (biofilms) formed around the drug gave periodic swelling and stretched the tissues a second time.

When will the result be visible after the filling is removed?

According to Anna Sambuk, dermatologist and beautician at the Remedy Lab aesthetic medicine clinic, the recovery period after filler removal takes between 14-28 days. And swelling, as a rule, passes in 1-3 days. After this period, the lips regain their old appearance. Sometimes it may be necessary to repeat the procedure after two weeks, but more often within 1-2 days (rarely 7 days) the acid is completely removed.

What do fillers do?

According to Anna Sambuk, preparations based on the enzyme hyaluronidase, as a rule, are used to remove the filling – Longidaza, Lidaza, Lineraza and others. They break the bonds between molecules, and the cleavage products are excreted by the body.

How is the procedure itself?

Technically, the procedure for removing the filler is quite simple. Provided that the pre-installed filler is of high quality. That is, it was a drug that does not contain non-degradable substances (for example, polymer gel or silicone), which is prohibited in Russia. Another important factor for the positive course of the procedure is that the patient is not allergic to the hyaluronidase enzyme.

Manipulation is carried out with a thin needle at the protrusion of the filler, in some cases under ultrasound control, which guarantees only the targeted cleavage of hyaluronic acid without affecting neighboring tissues. Sometimes it is necessary to inject the enzyme several times to extract a large amount of hyaluronic acid.

What should be done before the procedure?

“Usually, an ultrasound of the soft tissues is done before the fillers are removed—it’s also called a ‘beauty ultrasound,'” says Anna Sambuk. In addition, the enzymatic solution is considered initially highly allergenic, therefore, the day before the procedure, Albina Bukhurova recommends doing an allergy test. To do this, an injection is made in the area of ​​​​the inner surface of the forearm. Mild redness and absence of intense itching can be considered an adverse reaction, and then medication can be used to remove the filling.

What is the difference between lip and cheekbone filling?

There are no technical differences. But since a denser filler is used to correct the cheekbones, as a rule, a larger amount of enzymes is required to remove it.

How much does it hurt?

“It is not very pleasant. In general, as well as the introduction of the filler. Theoretically, it is possible to use local anesthesia, but since it creates severe edema and it will be more difficult to inject the enzyme sensitively, extensive diffusion is possible to the adjacent tissues. Therefore, it is recommended to remove the filler as quickly and without anesthesia as possible. as much as possible, ”says Albina Bukhurova.

When can I withdraw?

After the disappearance of the acute inflammatory process, the complete disappearance of edema and hematomas, it is possible to withdraw the previously applied drug, as a rule, the process lasts 14 days.