Reversing cosmetic procedures

• December 16, 2018

Lately, the latest beauty headlines have been about how Kylie Jenner has had her lip fillers dissolved. Whether you thought they were too much, or whether you liked the over plump lips, Kylie now looks exactly like she did before she got the lip fillers. She might have done it for health reasons or simply because she didn’t like the way it looked, but fortunately for her and for us we don’t always have to live with a cosmetic result we don’t like.
We spoke to Dr. Costi about a few of the most common cosmetic procedures and the options for reversing them.

As always, the first step before deciding on any enhancement is to choose an experienced doctor who will show you the expected results as per other previous patients who underwent the same procedure.

Dermal fillers (facial fillers)
Dermal fillers are non-invasive procedures that help your face look younger and your skin plumper by ironing out fine lines. It is easy to get a dermal filler injection to enhance areas like cheeks, chin, forehead and nose, and it will also be possible to reverse it.
These hyaluronic acid injections can be safely dissolved with a protein enzyme called hyaluronidase. Then another option is to just wait for them to naturally dissolve over time, since they are naturally degradable.
Dr. Costi also advises not to rush after a procedure if you are unsatisfied: wait until the skin has healed, then give yourself time to decide whether you want to go back to your natural self. The bruises need to heal for at least a week until you see your final result.

Lip fillers
One of the most popular procedures and thankfully easy to reverse, even though it may require more than one injection.
You have the option when you get lip fillers, to choose a product that is known to be reversible, in case you change your mind.
Again, if you are considering reversal it is recommended to wait at least one week before you decide.

Botox
Botox can’t be reversed. If you are unhappy with the result, you will only have to wait for a few months until your facial muscles eventually return to their original appearance. What you can do to help the Botox dissolve is to gently massage the area for five or ten minutes every day.
Fortunately in this case, the duration of Botox injections is short.

Tattoo removal
Some tattoos are regretted within one hour of getting them! But please think carefully, even if we have the wonderful option to get them lasered off: this requires many sessions.
In some cases where the laser doesn’t work, the skin can be cut to remove all traced of the tattoo.

Other procedures
Lip implants can be removed, and a skilled doctor would make the incision inside the mouth so it won’t leave a scar.
Some more invasive procedures like brow lifts and upper eyelid surgery are difficult to reverse. Nose surgery as well, is very difficult to reverse.
Before undertaking these drastic surgical options, you should consider altering the feature that you don’t like with a minimally invasive procedure instead.
Mid-face augmentation, chin augmentation, non-surgical rhinoplasty, forehead fillers, fillers for the under-eye area: these can all be reversed safely and can replace the more drastic cosmetic surgeries.

Realistic expectations
If you are still certain you want to reverse any cosmetic procedure, you should always have realistic expectations. Remember that your skin might sag again, your smile lines and crows feet might return… you will be completely back to embracing the effects of aging.
Another thing to be careful of is to never get injected with permanent fillers. Just like their name indicated, these results are permanent and you could be scarred for life.
In case you are facing pain, an allergic reaction or discomfort after a procedure, Dr. Costi recommends you immediately come in to the clinic.