My face filler disaster - please advise.

[MyFaceWhat]

Before I start: This is a 1st world problem. Yes, I am very lucky to be able to afford this.

I'm late 40s, been having Botox since age 45, it always looks great.

To rid myself of my hangdog look I paid for marionette and nasolabial fillers. On the advice of the practitioner I also had lip, cheek and jawline filler.

The marionette & nasolabial didn't take. At all.
All of the others had disappeared within 3 weeks.

The practitioner did them again. 3 weeks later it's all gone.

I do not want thread lifts.
It's lower face only.

What are my alternatives?

Have a look at Profhilo

Accept your changing face?

I would see a different practitioner.

I have seen a lot of advice that lower facial fillers are not very advisable or successful, having them higher up may help more. Plus, i don't like the sound of someone who persuades you to have lip, jaw filler when you didn't ask for that.

Thank you for your contribution, what is right for you is your business @Hotenoughtoburnasausage.

My face and body are my concern.

My choice is not to accept aging gracefully. Although I am not a model; work promotions and opportunities in my industry go to the better looking women.
You may hate it.
I certainly hate it, but that's how it is.

Profilho wouldn't provide adequate lift for my 'needs' but thank you @LillyDeValley.

I would avoid thread lifts at all costs. You could look at 1 stitch lower face lift which, compared to full lift is supposedly less invasive but still fairly major

Ignore that - I mean lower lift not one stitch

There are several different types of filler but it sounds like they aren't putting the correct type in the right areas. are you going to an experienced medical practitioner of more of a beautician type place?

Thank you @teatowelsneedawash.
I'm going to see a different practitioner.

As every injectable leaves a scar, I am wondering whether I would be best off going for a lower face lift, while my skin is still unscarred and malleable?

I'm not interested in thread lifts @courtrai thank you for your suggestion. For the financial cost, the infection risk and the scarring caused by thread lifts, I might as well have surgery.

@biggreenhouse I went to a surgery run by a qualified GP with two nurses. The nurse practitioner did my fillers, from memory she used Restylane.

I’ve had fillers and didn’t get scars?! That and the fact they disappeared after 3 weeks doesn’t sound right at all.

I think you're absolutely right to go to a different practitioner. I cannot understand how your fillers didn't take/disappeared. Not sure what you mean about injectables scarring? They don't ime.

Have a read of this OP. You mentioning scarring and filler is incorrect. I have never had scarring. My plastic surgeon also uses a cannula to administer the filler. I would only trust a plastic surgeon to go near my face, even for just filler and botox. Do some research and go on realself.com. You will get lots of information on that website.

www.nytimes.com/2016/03/24/fashion/dermatology-fillers-sagging-skin.html

Could they have possibly been fillers that are supposed to stimulate your natural collagen? Even still, it's weird that they didn't take at all.

Honestly, I would say save up for an actual lower face lift, at least then you will get the results you want. The non surgical options, even if they do anything will only ever give temporary results and you will be back where you started in a year or two.
There is a surgeon on youtube called Dr Amir Kharam who shows facelift results and some of his patients are mid 40's, wanting a subtle look rather than waiting another 15 years and having a dramatic makeover. It looks really natural if done well.

There was a thread on here by a lady who had a lower face lift after losing quite a bit of weight. I think she was conscious during it. She was very happy with her results and looked great. It made me think if having one in fact. See if you can search it out. I'm sure she'd answer any questions.

Bloody hell, what industry do you work in that requires women to have work done on their face? How utterly depressing.

Just sounds like dodgy work. Fillers should last at least 6-18 months, some much longer (my tear troughs are still there after 20 months).

It’s not good practice to inject marionette lines anymore - I think most doctors will do cheek/temple/jaw.

The only filler that would dissipate in 3 weeks in something like Profhilo.
You can actually get a scan to see if the filler is still in there? And if not ask for money back.

Lower face lifts can have really good results - as another poster said there was a thread on here with photos and recommendations.

How much filler did you have in each area? Depending on how deep the lines are it can take a considerable amount to produce noticeable results especially if the practitioner is injecting deep.

Lower face lifts can have really good results - as another poster said there was a thread on here with photos and recommendations.

I've been trying to find it. It's not under a search of "face lift" so ignore any under that. I'll carry on looking. She gave the name of the guy who did it.

What about something like radio frequency to tighten the skin in the lower half of the face? I hear that RF Microneedling is supposed to be a great threatment, Morpheus8 I think its called. Then having filler higher in the cheeks to hoist things up? Alice Hart-Davis (Journalist / Tweakment expert) on instagram / youtube is really good. I've messaged her on insta a few times and she always replies so you could ask her?

I have never had any work done (yet) but you know what, if I felt I had to, I would just go for a face lift.

When you add up the cost of all the fillers, peels and whatever, it would cost the same and way more bang for your buck!!

Here is that other thread:

I had a neck and lower facelift 48 hours ago http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/styleandd_beauty/4357433-i-had-a-neck-and-lower-facelift-48-hours-ago

The scarring wasn't/isn't external. It is internal, although fillers largely disappear, they do cause scarring.

Anything causes internal scarring, even more so if you have frequent injections in the same site(s).
This is not a problem for most people. However, if you need or choose to have facial surgery later on; increasingly surgeons are opening people up to find internal scarring, not from a single injectable, but from multiple injection sites.

Where did I learn about this? I can't remember whether it was the BMJ or the BAAPS or similar. I have been reading around. We have a friend who is a surgeon (cardiology), I asked him whether this was a) true and b) likely to be a problem.
To whittle down his very long answers the answers are a) yes, definitely and b) yes it can be. Particularly where people have a lot of filler over time.

To those saying that they would only go to a cosmetic surgeon for fillers, I went to a clinic run and overseen by a GP. Her hospital specialism had been corrective surgery. As
The GP was at the surgery every time I went there. The first time I went I saw the GP as some ingredients cause anaphylaxis in me. The GP administered the fillers the second time. So I can't say that this happened as the result of a lack of medical know how.

My fillers were administered via a cannula.

It wasn't a Botox party, it wasn't in a converted garage on the side of a house, it was in a bonafide surgery.

@Roseglen84 no, they weren't fillers to stimulate collagen and yes, I agree that going for a lower facelift seems to be the best answer.

Depressing it may be @Silverfinch, but it is the reality, not just for me but for a lot of women. I'm starting to feel peri-menopausal and having to hide that too. Any sign you are past it and you are out of a job. It is the reality for far many more people than you would realise.

To those asking, they didn't use much filler, I didn't need much. 4mm for everything and where it did take, the difference was huge. A combination of good genes and encouragement to look after my skin since childhood have meant that I look a decade younger than I am (thanks Grandma).

That was part of my reason for having it done now; I was hoping for prevention, rather than cure.

Thank you @OneFootintheRave, good username too . I'll take a look at that thread now.

Gosh OP you sound like you know an awful lot already. Perhaps you should ask your cardiologist friend if they have any suggestions on what you could do.

I think it would be very unusual for dermal filler injections to cause scar tissue, due to the small size of the needle and the superficial placement. I’ve never seen this with a HA filler that is FDA approved and injected properly. Perhaps a different filler or even silicone was used in the past and that can cause scarring.

I also think there is a big difference in a Plastic Surgeon administering botox and filler to a GP. Would you go to a GP for an operation on your heart or your cardiologist friend?

Also lucky you to look a decade younger but filler is never used as a preventative, botox can be but not filler.

Aw, I feel so awful for you OP. You won't have to do any of this stuff. What is wrong with being a normal, happy woman? It's ok to age. Just be the best you. Do men have this shite?

You do know that doctors can do a course in all of this in an afternoon ? I use a consultant dermatologist and facial surgeon. There is no way I would let a "practitioner" loose on my face.

Grow old gracefully instead of filling your face with poison

A combination of good genes and encouragement to look after my skin since childhood have meant that I look a decade younger than I am (thanks Grandma).

So... You are hoping to mummify yourself as you are now?

Stop this nonsense. You did say, "Please advise" in your thread title, but seem very cross when the advise is anything but where to get more weird chemical crap stuffed into your face.