Dissolving Lip Fillers: When and How Hyaluronidase Is Used
Quick Answer: Hyaluronidase is an enzyme that breaks down hyaluronic acid fillers within 24–48 hours — used to correct migration, lumps, overfilling, asymmetry, or simply unwanted results, and urgently in rare vascular emergencies. In Delhi it costs ₹5,000–₹12,000 per session; some cases need two rounds. It's the reason HA fillers are called "reversible" — an undo button, in medical hands only.
When Dissolving Is the Right Call
- Migration above the lip border (see our migration article).
- Persistent lumps or nodules beyond the settling window.
- Overfilled or unwanted results — including inherited work from elsewhere you simply don't like.
- Asymmetry corrections where subtraction beats addition.
- Old accumulated filler before a fresh, correctly-planned rebuild.
- Emergency use: in the rare event of vascular compromise, immediate hyaluronidase is the sight-and-tissue-saving intervention — the single strongest argument for treating only where the enzyme and the doctor live.
The Procedure
Allergy patch test where indicated, numbing, targeted enzyme injections into the filler zones, visible softening often within hours, full effect by 48. Swelling for a day or two mimics having more filler before the deflation shows — expect the paradox. Review at two weeks; stubborn or layered old filler sometimes needs a second pass.
The Emotional Half of Dissolving
Patients arrive embarrassed ("I hate them") or anxious ("will my real lips be ruined?"). Reality: baseline lips return, usually looking better than remembered, and the reset enables the result they originally wanted. There is no shame in the undo button — using it is aesthetic maturity.
FAQs
Does hyaluronidase dissolve my natural HA too? Transiently in the treated zone; your body replenishes natural HA — lips return to baseline.
Can all fillers be dissolved? Only HA fillers. Non-HA products (biostimulators, permanent fillers) cannot — one more reason premium HA is the sane lip choice.
How long after dissolving can I refill? 2–4 weeks for accurate assessment and rebuild.
Is it painful? Comparable to filler injections — stinging, brief, numbed.
Consult Dr Neha Batra at DermaWorld Skin Clinic, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi 📞 Call: 9911100050 | 💬 WhatsApp Us | 📩 Book via Contact Form Clinic: Q-4, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi – 110027