Plastic Surgeon reveals The SCARY TRUTH about Face Fillers

Fillers have quickly become a popular "alternative" to facelifts and other facial plastic surgery procedures that are targeting aging changes, and are commonly used to address sagging that occurs as one ages. As Dr. Karam has communicated in past videos, fillers not only don't address the facial aging many of us are concerned about, but their lingering affects cause many patients to have an overfilled or "pillowface" appearance. The scary truth about fillers is that the more you use them, the more they build up. With continuous use of fillers, there are sometimes changes that occur in the face that are IRREVERSIBLE. Along with the face's appearance permanently changing, fillers actually make performing a facelift procedure more difficult, there being a build-up of scar tissue, a sticky texture to the tissues, and the fascia lacks the strength it used to have. While fillers are not completely bad or wrong, you want to be informed about what fillers will do in the long-run and use them conservatively.

WATCH MORE FROM DR. KARAM

Signup for the KaramMD Newsletter!

SHOP DR. KARAM SKINCARE:

00:00 Can you Reverse an Overfilled Face?
01:23 Filler Overuse: What's Going on Here?
06:11 Can you Reverse Filler Overuse?

If you have any questions, let me know. I am always just a DM away!

Schedule a virtual consultation by emailing or calling:

Instagram: @DrAmirKaram @KaramMDSkin
Tiktok: @DrAmirKaram @KaramMDSkin
Caramel Valley Aesthetics: 11943 El Camino Real, Suite 100, San Diego, California 92130 | 858.259.3223

[georginadalgleish]

Is there any chance you could do a video on what people are doing right instead of what they're doing wrong. Id be interested to hear what the people who look good are doing..

[BigHeartNoBS]

I remember when I came into your office for a consultation for under-eye filler. You refused to do it. I'm so glad I listened to you. I've seen women with beautiful faces distort their looks with filler. Thank you for being honest, having integrity, and leading me in the right direction!

[maudessen]

What a clear yet sensitive warning to all considering filler.

[gi]

As a european average woman I'm very surprised of the amount of women I see commenting they had fillers. Whaou. I mean, I know *no one* doing this stuff around me. So happy to live in a place and social circles where aging naturally is the absolute norm. Must be draining to be so self conscious and worrying that much about aging.

[Readyteddygo]

I thought that women looked best in the late 80s/early 90s when surgical facelifts were the mainstay of rejuvenation. When fillers became a thing, that’s when women started to look weird

[Savoiefair]

As a nurse injector I totally agree with this. I stopped doing fillers about two years ago in my practice, because I felt long-term I may be harming my patients. Thank you for this honest and candid video! I provide them with good education and send them to a qualified provider that can give them information about other options.

[ChristysChannelYall]

I’m 51 and I’m happy with how I look without having anything done to my face. I have maintained my weight within a 15 pound range my entire adult life (except for two pregnancies), been physically active and eat pretty healthy. Also, no smoking and drinking. I think that makes a big difference in how one ages. My philosophy is to just take care of my body and let nature take it’s course. I prefer a little aging to looking like chipmunk.

[trixiess]

I’ve gotten filler in my marionette lines and cheeks three times, two years apart, beginning around 50. I went to a highly rated dermatologist who takes a very conservative approach. The results are amazing! I look so much better, but it’s subtle. He refused to do my lips, saying that I have “average” normal lips and I’d look strange with big, oversized lips in my 50s! I truly believe people are choosing the wrong injectors…my OBGYN has an esthetics clinic with nurse injectors and sadly, that staff look like puffy-faced celebrities, I’d never get work done from them. I’ve seen horrible facelifts too, everything comes with risks, just be careful and choose the correct provider.

[Justme-hckt]

The dreaded pillow face I live in Arizona and unfortunately a lot of the ladies here in Scottsdale are overdone and look very strange, they start young in their teens getting the lip filler duck lips and the pillow cheeks by the time they’re 25 and instead of looking younger it makes them look older 😢

[fishcanon]

This cannot come more timely than this. I was thinking about undergoing the exact same type of filling method as you described and have been debating about it. It’s good to learn about all the potential side effects. I don’t think I will go ahead with it. Thanks for saving my face from all the unnecessary trouble that could potentially come my way. I am in my early 30s looking like in 20s. I guess instead of resorting to fillers, I really should learn to appreciate who I am. Would rather age gracefully!

[tommybutler]

Thank you. Aging has always been difficult for women especially. These fillers, I feel, prevent your face from aging gracefully. Nobody wants to get old, but we need to understand, we aren't going to be young forever and always take care of our skin and bodies, from the time we can be responsible for our own skin care and body regimes. Everybody ages. Nothing you can do about it, but accept it and find a good Dr who isn't in it for the money, but truly cares about their patients and doesn't overdo their work on YOU. It has to be super hard for famous people, who the world watches age. It hard.

[ArtistGV]

I think people become overfilled because drs. say the filler lasts so many months and it really lasts years. So as you are leaving the drs. office, they want to schedule your maintenance or touch up in so many months and you want to maintain the good look. The filler actually doesn't fade and you add more on top of it and that is the problem. I have tear trough filler done in 2016 and it still looks good and I haven't gone in for a refresh. My advice, take a before pic and keep comparing current pics to it. You will find this stuff lasts a long time.

[sussika]

I am 86. first complete facelift at 50. neck, chin w lipo, cheeks lifted w muscle re arranged, upper/lower eye lids. Forehead w staples into around ears. Surgeon had studied method in Sweden. I was fully awake w lidocaine at every site and valium and music playing in operating room. In Hospital overnite. Healed wonderfully, back to work in 4 days. Minimal black/blue. Looked not overstretched! Was happy and 8 yr later repeated procedure but gentler. And it held up till this day! Cheeks dont sag. Neck pretty smooth. I would not think of fillers!

[ambition]

0:18: 👩‍⚕ Dr. Amir Karem discusses the possibility of reversing the damage caused by overfilled faces with fillers and other products.
3:04: 👥 The video discusses the use of fillers to address sagging and volume loss in the face, and the potential issues with overfilling.
6:13: 😔 The video discusses the irreversible changes that can occur from using fillers in the wrong places and the challenges faced in reversing these changes.
8:32: 😬 Long-term use of facial fillers can lead to surgical difficulties and aesthetic consequences.
10:55: 🚫 Scar tissue from fillers is permanent and cannot be reversed.
Recap by Tammy AI

[carmelacristoforo]

Great video Dr. Karam. Glad you are coming out with this information that many others maybe hesitant to speak out on and inform publicly. I'm sure if patients knew the potential outcomes of these prodedures they would of passed on fillers. I've looked into fillers and found a staggering statistic that over 2.6 million people receive injectables each year... definitly a billion dollar business which is why it's still thriving and many are afraid to speak out despite the potential harm to 'we' the consumer. Thank you.

[briarrose]

Thank you for this. Clearly this is what happened to Madonna. Her cheeks look swollen. Almost like cellulite. I’m so grateful I never could afford fillers when my face started aging!

[lalala-ltfe]

It means so much that you acknowledge that the industry made a mistake. Some medical branches are very resistant to acknowledging mistakes, so it raises a lot of trust to see this acknowledgement. 😊

[erica]

That was fascinating. I didn't know that a portion of fillers stay behind, and that's why so many celebs look so utterly strange. I think I'll just age gracefully, thank you very much!

[zeedao]

I’m an aesthetician. I’m 70 years old. I’ve listened to this particular video 10 times to really understand about the advantage/disadvantage of Filler so I can share this information with my clients.
Thank you Dr Karam for this educational video.
Can you please talk about Botox

[lmcwill]

I am 69, never had fillers or any kind of plastic surgery. I never could understand how anyone would think that injecting fillers would be good . Injecting unnatural stuff is not normal or natural . Aging is a normal natural occurance, accept it, and keep in mind that some people will never age because they died young Aging naturally and gracefully is the best way for me .