When filler has gone wrong
How to tell a bad result from normal settling, what can be corrected, and what to do next.
This page exists because people search for it at two in the morning, frightened, and mostly find clinics advertising at them. Here is a straight account instead: what is normal, what is not, what can be fixed, and what to do about it.
First — is it actually settled?
Swelling in the first two weeks makes almost everybody think something has gone wrong. Lips especially look far bigger and often asymmetric for several days. Do not judge a result, or make decisions about correcting it, before two weeks have passed.
What should not wait: severe or increasing pain, blanching or white patches, skin turning dusky, blue or mottled, or any change in vision. Those can indicate a vascular occlusion, which is a medical emergency. Go back to whoever treated you immediately, and if you cannot reach them, contact NHS 111 or attend an emergency department. It is treatable when caught quickly.
What a bad result usually looks like
Migration — product sitting outside where it was placed, most often as a shelf above the lip border. Overfilling, which reads as heaviness rather than fullness and shows worst in photographs. Lumps or nodules persisting beyond a few weeks. Asymmetry still present after full settling. Under-eye filler that has gone puffy or taken on a bluish cast.
None of that is your fault, and none of it means you have to live with it.
What can be corrected
Hyaluronic acid filler — which is most of what is used in the UK — can be dissolved with hyaluronidase. That includes work done by someone else, and work done years ago. The area looks flat for a couple of weeks afterwards because the enzyme also breaks down some of your own hyaluronic acid, and that recovers.
The usual sequence is: dissolve, wait two to four weeks for the tissue to settle, then reassess and rebuild properly if you still want to. Adding more product on top of a bad result does not fix it.
Going back, or going elsewhere
Give the original practitioner the chance to put it right first — most will want to, and a good one will not charge you for a review. If you are not comfortable going back, or they will not engage, you are entitled to a second opinion and to raise a formal complaint. You do not need their permission for either.
I see corrections regularly and there is no judgement in it. Filler migrates, techniques and products have improved, and what was placed five years ago was not necessarily wrong at the time.
Sources and further reading
This page is general information, not personal medical advice. Every treatment needs an individual assessment, and what is right for someone else may not be right for you.
About the author
Ashleigh Trickett
Registered Nurse & Aesthetic Practitioner
Registered Nurse with a BSc in Nursing and a PGCert in Critical Care (Manchester Metropolitan University, 2025). Ten years in the NHS, four of them in critical care. Advanced facial anatomy education at the Royal College of Surgeons with BAMAN, June 2026. Member of BAMAN and the Aesthetic Complications Expert Group. BAMAN Awards 2026 finalist for Rising Star of the Year.
Treatments this relates to
- Filler Dissolving (Hyaluronidase)From £150
Removal of hyaluronic acid filler — for migration, overfilling, or a result that no longer suits you.
- Signature Lips£250
Hyaluronic acid lip enhancement built around your existing anatomy — shape and balance before volume.
- Facial HarmonisationFrom £495
Full-face assessment and treatment planning — restoring support and balance across the face rather than treating features in isolation.
Common questions
- Can filler from another clinic be dissolved here?
- Yes, provided it is hyaluronic acid, which most UK filler is. Bring whatever detail you have about what was used and when — but not knowing is not a barrier.
- Is dissolving safe?
- Hyaluronidase carries a small risk of allergic reaction, which is why patch testing is discussed at consultation. It is well established, and it is also what is used in an emergency.
- Will my face go back to normal?
- In almost all cases, yes. The area looks deflated for a couple of weeks and then settles. Permanent change from dissolving hyaluronic acid filler is not a typical outcome.
- How much does it cost to fix?
- Dissolving is priced separately from any rebuild, and you are under no obligation to have the rebuild done here, or at all.
Read next
Lips
Filler migration: what it is and what to do
How to tell migration from swelling, why it happens, and why the right answer is almost always to dissolve and start again rather than to add more.
Choosing a practitioner
How to choose a safe injector
The UK aesthetics industry is barely regulated. Here is exactly what to check, wherever you go.
Lips
Lip filler aftercare
What to do in the first forty-eight hours, what is normal in the first week, and the specific symptoms that mean you should contact me immediately rather than wait.
Get in touch
Book a consultation
Consultations are £30, and that comes off the cost of your treatment if you go ahead. No pressure to book anything on the day — if you are not sure whether you want treatment at all, that is still a good reason to come and talk.