Dr. Sam Lam Plastic Surgery Forum

Hello Dr. Lam

I currently have 2-3 injections of Redexis Ultra in my cheeks (beneath the eyes) and was wondering at what point would you begin to see the product wearing off?

The person who performed the injections informed me that Redexis Ultra has the longest life span of any temporary filler, around 20-24 months. For somewhere like the cheeks where there isn't as much movement, at what point would you start to see the filler begin to dissolve and eventually lose volume? In other words, when would it be noticeable? Halfway at 12 months?

I am just curious to know this as I am considering getting a fat transfer in the same area, and was eager to know the natural timeline of the filler.

anywhere between 6 months and 2 years depending on the injection technique, amount placed, and metabolism of the product. my best suggestion is to enjoy what you paid for until you start noticing a sizable dip, then get everything dissolved and move toward fat transfer. if you are older (say 45 or whatever plus) and really need more volume then when you are ready, just dissolve the product and move to FT which is much better in general. stay with hyaluronic acid based products as you are so that it can be dissolved and moved to fat at the time when you are ready.

Have you ever had patients who got fat transfers in areas where they also had fillers? Is it possible to have a fat graft/transfer in an area where a filler still resides? Can they coexist?

yes, they can coexist. if there is very little product left i leave it. but in general, it is almost always better to dissolve out temporary product before putting in permanent. that is typically how i handle previous injections. obviously, if you had a non-HA product, i would be stuck guessing when it is gone. since you are using a canadian version of restylane, i can dissolve it when you are ready and move to fat.