Can permanent fillers be removed?

A reader who has a permanent filler, or is thinking about one, usually asks this question with some alarm. The honest answer is cautious, and it is better heard before a treatment than after.

The direct answer

Possibly not. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns: You should be aware that it may be difficult or impossible to remove the filler material, especially "permanent" fillers, or fillers that are not made of materials such as hyaluronic acid (HA).

So removal is not something to count on, and it depends on what the filler is made of.

What the agency's pages say to check

The agency's list of approved dermal fillers is the place to look up a product. Its consumer page, Dermal Filler Dos and Don'ts for Wrinkles, Lips and More, is written for people before a treatment.

The agency has also issued a warning on illegal injectable silicone used for body contouring. For the science of the HA group of fillers, a critique of how hyaluronic acid dermal fillers are characterized is available online.

What to do now

If you already have a filler you want to change, do not try to dissolve, squeeze or work it out yourself. Call the clinic that placed it and ask what the material is and what options exist.

If you are still deciding, ask the injector what the product is made of and whether it is approved, before the appointment. This applies in Mamaroneck, Scarsdale or anywhere else in Westchester.

The next question

People tend to follow with whether the filler they were offered is approved at all. The agency pages above show where to check.