Does Lip Filler Migrate?
Dermal Filler ‘Migration”
Let’s address the question that seems to be popping up more and more…
Lately there has been a spike in the number of people expressing concern about filler ‘migration’. Filler migration is a complication of dermal filler treatment that is more common in permanent fillers, such as silicone, due to their long term presence in the body. However there have also been reported cases of dermal filler migration from non-permanent hyaluronic acid (HA) based fillers.
Dermal fillers are a popular non-surgical anti-ageing procedure used to enhance, revolutionize and rejuvenate the face.
Being made of hyaluronic acid (HA), a naturally occurring substance found in our skin and connective tissue, the safety profile of HA dermal fillers is strong where it is extremely rare to have an allergic reaction or ‘rejection’ of the filler.
What is Filler Migration?
Filler migration refers to the presence of filler at a location distant from the injection site (1) and is most commonly observed in the upper and lower region of the lips.
This gives rise to the dreaded ‘duck lips’ appearance that we see when filler moves up the lip towards the nose.
As lip filler treatment is fast becoming one of the most requested non-surgical cosmetic procedures, we will delve into why lip filler migration occurs and how to prevent this from happening.
What does migration look like?
If your lip filler has migrated, it is almost always visually noticeable. Lip filler migration can present in a number of ways;
A puffy upper lip
Uneven lip shape
Lack of definition between the border of the lip and the area surrounding the pink part of the lips
Lumps on the inside of the lips
Why does ‘migration’ happen?
Migration of lip filler can happen for number of reasons, here we have discussed the most common and how to avoid this frustrating complication.
