Dr. Eric M. Joseph, MD

In 2013 I had Silikon 1000 injected into my lips. Shortly after receiving the injections, I developed three bumps in my upper lip and one in my lower lip. These were treated with Kenalog which resulted in indentations at the injection site. Furthermore, I developed two indentations in the area above my upper lip adjacent to the injection site which I later had filled with Silikon 1000.

Fast forward seven years and my lips are far from soft and natural-looking. They have changed over the years and I currently have the following problems:

- Two semi-visible dents/uneven textured skin in the area above upper lip
- Two dents in upper lip
- One bump in upper lip
- One dent in lower lip (which makes my lip look split)
- One bump in lower lip
- One nodule in the corner of lower lip
- Hardness in half of lower lip
- Frequent inflammation in both upper and lower lip

Surgical excision and/or steroid injections are not an option as I don’t want to risk further disfigurement. I would like to have the indentations filled with a hyaluronic acid filler but it’s a costly procedure that I unfortunately can’t afford to get done every few months.

To say that these complications have had a negative impact on my life would be an understatement. Besides the physical aspect which in itself is terribly upsetting, there’s also a constant worry that my lips may further worsen - I especially worry about the risk of migration and plan to have an MRI scan done to see if the silicone has migrated to other areas.

Silikon 1000 and Kenalog have caused me nothing but problems; if I could go back in time I would tell my younger self to stay away from permanent fillers.