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Dermal Fillers questions

Answers drawn from published studies, FDA approvals and ASPS. Treatment depends on an exam by a licensed medical provider.

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Answers

What patients ask

How long does filler last?

FDA lists about 6 to 12 months for hyaluronic acid, about 18 months for calcium hydroxylapatite and up to 2 years for poly-L-lactic acid. Juvederm Voluma held 67% responders at 24 months in its trial.[1][2]

Can filler be dissolved?

Hyaluronic acid filler can be dissolved with hyaluronidase. Fillers not made of hyaluronic acid, and permanent fillers, can be difficult or impossible to remove.[1][2]

Is any filler permanent?

FDA has approved one filler made from a material that is not absorbed: PMMA beads in cow collagen, sold as Bellafill. It is approved for nasolabial folds and acne scars on the cheek.[1][2]

Which areas are FDA-approved?

Wrinkles and folds such as nasolabial folds, lips, cheeks, chin, jawline, temples, under-eye hollows and the back of the hands, each for specific products. FDA has not approved fillers to enlarge the breasts or buttocks.[1][2][3]

How much does filler cost?

ASPS reports an average of $715 for hyaluronic acid fillers, $901 for non-hyaluronic acid fillers and $743 for lip augmentation with filler. Health insurance does not cover dermal fillers.[1]

How common is blindness from filler?

Reviews call it rare. Published reviews collected 98 cases by 2015, 48 more by 2018 and 365 more by 2023. In the latest review, 68.2% of cases with outcomes had no recovery of vision.[1][2][3]

Is a cannula safer than a needle?

In a study of 1.7 million syringes, occlusion followed 1 in 6,410 needle syringes and 1 in 40,882 cannula syringes. Injectors with more than 5 years of experience had 70.7% lower odds of occlusion.[1]

Are hyaluron pens safe?

FDA warned in 2021 not to use needle-free devices for fillers. It has not approved any needle-free device for filler and is aware of serious injuries, some permanent.[1]

Who can get filler?

FDA approves fillers for adults 22 and older. Safety is unknown in pregnancy, while breastfeeding and in people prone to keloids. Active skin infection or inflammation should be managed first.[1]

What is the downtime?

Most activities can resume right away. ASPS advises avoiding intense activity for 24 to 48 hours. Swelling and bruising usually resolve in days to weeks.[1][2]

Sources

Sources

Checked 2026-10-25. Every fact links to its source.

  1. FDA, Dermal Fillers (Soft Tissue Fillers), content current 2023-07-06
  2. ASPS, Dermal Fillers Cost
  3. ASPS, 2025 Plastic Surgery Statistics Report
  4. FDA, FDA-Approved Dermal Fillers, content current 2020-11-09
  5. ASPS, Dermal Fillers
  6. Kroumpouzos G, Treacy P, Hyaluronidase for Dermal Filler Complications, JMIR Dermatol 2024
  7. FDA PMA P020023, Restylane Injectable Gel, approved 2003-12-12
  8. FDA PMA P050047, Juvederm 24HV, 30 and 30HV gel implants, approved 2006-06-02
  9. FDA PMA P050052, Radiesse Injectable Implant, approved 2006-12-22
  10. FDA PMA P020012, ArteFill (Bellafill) PMMA collagen filler, approved 2006-10-27
  11. FDA PMA P090016, Belotero Balance, approved 2011-11-14
  12. FDA PMA P170002, RHA 2, RHA 3, RHA 4, approved 2017-10-19
  13. FDA PMA P040024/S051, Restylane lip augmentation, 2011-10-11
  14. FDA PMA P110033/S018, Juvederm Volbella XC lips, 2016-05-31
  15. FDA, Juvederm Volbella XC P110033/S018 Summary of Safety and Effectiveness Data, 2016
  16. FDA PMA P110033, Juvederm Voluma XC cheek augmentation, 2013-10-22
  17. FDA, Juvederm Voluma XC P110033 Summary of Safety and Effectiveness Data, 2013
  18. FDA PMA P040024/S073, Restylane Lyft cheek augmentation, 2015-07-01
  19. FDA PMA P110033/S053, Juvederm Volbella XC infraorbital hollows, 2021-05-28
  20. FDA PMA P040024/S135, Restylane Eyelight infraorbital hollows, 2023-05-08
  21. FDA, Restylane Eyelight P040024/S135 Summary of Safety and Effectiveness Data, 2023
  22. FDA PMA P110033/S047, Juvederm Voluma XC chin augmentation, 2020-06-12
  23. FDA, Juvederm Voluma XC chin P110033/S047 Summary of Safety and Effectiveness Data, 2020
  24. FDA PMA P040024/S142, Restylane Lyft chin augmentation, 2025-11-04
  25. FDA PMA P110033/S065, Juvederm Volux XC jawline, 2022-07-29
  26. FDA, Juvederm Volux XC P110033/S065 Summary of Safety and Effectiveness Data, 2022
  27. FDA PMA P050052/S049, Radiesse hand augmentation, 2015-06-04
  28. FDA PMA P110033/S070, Juvederm Voluma XC temple hollowing, 2023-10-06
  29. Narins RS et al., Restylane versus Zyplast for nasolabial folds, Dermatol Surg 2003
  30. FDA, RHA P170002 Summary of Safety and Effectiveness Data, 2017
  31. FDA, Belotero Balance P090016 Summary of Safety and Effectiveness Data, 2011
  32. Bass LS et al., Calcium hydroxylapatite (Radiesse) for nasolabial folds: long-term results, Aesthet Surg J 2010
  33. FDA PMA P030050, Sculptra for HIV facial lipoatrophy, 2004-08-03
  34. FDA PMA P030050/S002, Sculptra Aesthetic, 2009-07-28
  35. FDA, Sculptra Aesthetic P030050/S002 Summary of Safety and Effectiveness Data, 2009
  36. FDA PMA P020012/S009, Bellafill acne scars, 2014-12-23
  37. FDA, Bellafill P020012/S009 Summary of Safety and Effectiveness Data, 2014
  38. Cohen SR et al., Five-year safety and efficacy of a PMMA soft tissue filler, Dermatol Surg 2007
  39. Kontis TC, Rivkin A, The history of injectable facial fillers, Facial Plast Surg 2009
  40. Knapp TR, Kaplan EN, Daniels JR, Injectable collagen for soft tissue augmentation, Plast Reconstr Surg 1977
  41. FDA PMA P800022, Zyderm Collagen Implant, approved 1981-07-22
  42. Lemperle G et al., PMMA microspheres (Artecoll) for skin and soft-tissue augmentation, Part II, Plast Reconstr Surg 1995
  43. Duranti F et al., Injectable hyaluronic acid gel for soft tissue augmentation, Dermatol Surg 1998
  44. Beleznay K et al., Avoiding and Treating Blindness From Fillers: A Review of the World Literature, Dermatol Surg 2015
  45. FDA, Do Not Use Needle-Free Devices for Injection of Dermal Fillers, Safety Communication, 2021-10-08 (archived copy)
  46. Beleznay K et al., Update on Avoiding and Treating Blindness From Fillers, Aesthet Surg J 2019
  47. Doyon VC et al., Update on Blindness From Filler: a Century of Published Cases, Aesthet Surg J 2024
  48. Alam M et al., Rates of Vascular Occlusion With Needles vs Cannulas for Filler Injection, JAMA Dermatol 2021
  49. ASPS, Dermal Fillers Recovery
  50. Seo J et al., Incidence of Delayed Inflammatory Reactions After Hyaluronic Acid Fillers, meta-analysis, Aesthet Surg J Open Forum 2026