Ultrasound-Guided Filler Dissolving

Hyaluronic acid (HA) filler can be broken down by a dissolving solution placed into the filler. Your body then clears it, as it would over time, only much faster. It’s a medical procedure, offered only after a consultation.

Because filler can’t be seen through the skin, and it doesn’t always sit where it was placed. Ultrasound shows where it is, how deep, how much, and the blood vessels nearby, so treatment goes where the filler is rather than across a whole area. It’s most useful under the eyes, in the lips, beside the nose and in the midface, where blood vessels run close.

The dissolving solution is the same. What changes is what can be seen. Without ultrasound, filler is found by look and feel, and the blood vessels are known from anatomy, which varies between people. With it, the filler and the vessels are on screen, so the solution goes into the filler itself rather than across the area, and a review scan shows what’s left. Ultrasound doesn’t remove the risks of dissolving. It helps the treatment go where it’s meant to.

Yes. Dissolving doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Because the scan shows where the filler sits, a lump, a migrated edge or one side can be treated while the rest is left alone. Partial dissolving is one of the main reasons people choose ultrasound guidance.

Only hyaluronic acid filler. Most lip, cheek, under-eye and jawline fillers are HA, but not all. Permanent fillers and collagen stimulators, such as silicone, PMMA, poly-L-lactic acid and calcium hydroxylapatite, can’t be dissolved this way. The scan can often help tell them apart.

That’s common. Bring what you can: the clinic’s name, rough dates, old photos. The scan shows what’s there and where it sits, which often matters more than the brand.

The filler starts to break down within hours. Swelling from the treatment settles over a few days, and the result is usually clear by about two weeks.

Most people feel a sting and some pressure as the solution goes in, then tenderness for a day or two. The scan itself is painless: cool gel and a smooth probe on the skin.

Usually a little. Swelling, redness, tenderness and sometimes bruising are common for a few days. Many people go back to work the same or the next day.

Keep it simple for the first day: no heavy exercise, alcohol, saunas or facials, and nothing pressed or massaged into the area unless you’ve been told to. A cool compress helps with swelling. Aftercare is explained at your appointment, and you can call us with any worry.

Often one. Larger amounts, older or firmer filler, or filler in more than one area can need a second session, usually a couple of weeks later. The scan helps decide.

Sometimes. If the scan is clear, the risks have been explained and you want to go ahead, treatment can follow the consultation on the same day. You can also take the findings away and think about it. No treatment agenda.

It’s a medical procedure, and its risks are explained before any treatment. The common ones are swelling, redness, bruising and tenderness. Allergic reactions are uncommon but possible, so allergies, including to bee and wasp stings, are checked first. Occasionally an area looks flatter than expected once the filler has gone.

A little, nearby, and briefly. The solution can act on some of your skin’s own hyaluronic acid as well as the filler, which is one reason an area can look flatter for a short time. Your body replaces its own within days. The filler doesn’t come back.

It removes filler. It doesn’t age you. But if filler has been holding an area up for years, it can look flatter without it, and it takes a few weeks to see where you’ve landed. That’s why what to expect is talked through first, and any next step is planned after your review.

Once the area has settled, usually at least two weeks. Many people prefer to wait longer and see their face without filler first. There’s no rush, and no treatment agenda.

Yes, if it’s hyaluronic acid. Lip filler that has moved above the lip line, sometimes called a filler moustache, is a common reason people come in. The scan shows where it has travelled, so it can be treated where it sits.

Yes. Under-eye filler can hold fluid and look puffy, or show through thin skin as a bluish tinge, known as the Tyndall effect. It’s also an area with important blood vessels, which is where ultrasound guidance is most useful.

Yes, if it’s hyaluronic acid. Filler in these areas often sits deep, close to bone and to the vessels that run through the midface and jaw, so seeing it on screen is useful before anything is dissolved.

Yes, with care. The nose is one of the highest-risk areas for filler, and for dissolving it, because of the blood vessels that run through it and connect towards the eye. The scan maps them first. If you’re weighing up filler in the nose rather than dissolving it, see non-surgical rhinoplasty.

It can. Filler sometimes lasts much longer than the months often quoted, and can still show on ultrasound years later. The scan shows whether yours is still there. Old filler can usually still be dissolved, though firmer, older filler sometimes needs more than one session.

Yes. Where your filler was done doesn’t matter. With your permission, we’re happy to speak with your injector, and if they’d like to keep treating you afterwards, we’ll send them our findings.

Yes. Some surgeons prefer filler dissolved before a facelift, eyelid, lip lift or nose procedure. The scan shows what’s left, and the timing is planned around your surgery date.

Severe pain, a white, grey or dusky patch of skin, or changes to your vision soon after filler can mean a blocked blood vessel. That’s an emergency. Contact the clinic that treated you straight away. If you can’t reach them, or your vision is affected, call 000 or go to the nearest emergency department.

At Cleon, ultrasound-guided filler dissolving starts from $600 per session, and the average session is around $1,200. The price depends on how much filler is being dissolved, and it’s confirmed at your consultation before anything is done. There’s no Medicare rebate.

No. You can book directly. Surgeons, injectors and GPs can also refer patients to us.

Email a referral to hello@cleonclinic.com or call 0438 163 638. Include the area treated, the product and date if known, any symptoms, photos, and any MRI or imaging reports. We’ll contact your patient to book, and Dr Brandon will write back with the scan findings and the plan.

Yes. The scan and the treatment are the same for everyone. Men’s treatments are also covered by Male by Cleon.

Cleon is at Ground 02, 46a Macleay Street, Potts Point, a short walk from Kings Cross station, and close to Elizabeth Bay, Darlinghurst, Rushcutters Bay, Woolloomooloo and the CBD.

Book a consultation. It’s the first step, and the only one you need to take today. Not sure where to start? That’s what the consultation is for.