There are many different types of materials used to increase the volume of the lips and other parts of the body. Many of these injections are silicones or silicone derivatives that are durable because they do not break down over time compared to hyaluronic fillers (Restilan or Juvederm).

Types of permanent fillers

Permanent fillers such as silicone, biopolymer, biogel, PMMA and Biopolymer can be injected into the soft tissue of the lips to increase the volume.

Certainly the most popular permanent filler is Biopolymer. Biopolymer, or liquid silicone, is a synthetic material formed by polymerization and cross-linking of the basic unit of this chemical compound.

Cosmetic surgery specialists, who do lip augmentation, advise patients against the use of permanent fillers, and experience tells us that despite all the possible complications, patients insist on Biopolymer. The fact is that despite everything, there are a large number of lip augmentations with Biopolymer. The reason is definitely the price and the lasting result. Patients prefer to pay a one-time 130 euros and enlarge their lips permanently, instead of enlarging with hyaluronic, degradable fillers, which cost 195-250 euros / ml and need to be replenished over time.

The difference between biopolymers, silicones and hyaluronans

Unlike hyaluronic acid, biopolymer is not natural and biodegradable. It is actually a type of silicone. It is known that liquid silicone has been banned in the world for years, and a similar thing is with biopolymers, at least as far as most EU countries and the USA are concerned. No experienced expert will recommend biopolymers due to the possibility of various complications: from the formation of granulomas (lumps on the lips) to the very difficult repair of problems that are solved surgically.

As it is a non-degradable synthetic substance, the biopolymer can lead from moderate to severe reactions of the organism to a foreign body.

However, until about ten years ago, this material was used as a so-called permanent filler and most often for lip augmentation. Today, we encounter a large number of complications and consequences related to the use of biopolymers.

The most common complications on the lips are made of biopolymer

• swelling
• unnatural hardness of the lips as a result of hardening of the synthetic material,
• asymmetry
• lip deformities
• formation of granulomas (lumps) as a consequence of the body’s natural defense reaction to a foreign body or foreign material.
• infection
• leakage of silicone material
• tissue necrosis (extinction)

These complications go beyond aesthetic problems and as such require serious surgical treatment because they pose a danger to the patient’s health.

When it’s time to take silicone out of your lips

Long-term risks of biopolymer injection include inflammation and later granulomas, which can deform the lips and cause permanent swelling and cracking. There are also cases in which an excessive amount of biopolymers, in addition to aesthetic damage, also caused deformities. Atlas General Hospital surgeons specializing in cosmetic surgery and biopolymer removal advise patients to seek early “treatment” and removal of biopolymers from the lips.

Complications are inevitable, the only difference is when the complication will appear, as early, immediately after the application of biopolymers or as late sometimes and ten years after use, in the form of changing the position of the material moving under gravity and then becoming visible and aesthetically unacceptable .

Removal of the soft tissue reaction of grades I to III is possible, provided that the removal of the permanent filler does not endanger the neurovascular structures.

Biopolymers can cause a wide range of soft tissue reactions, including uncontrolled inflammatory reaction, granuloma formation, soft tissue infection, fibrosis; and material migration. In the event of any reaction, removal of the material from the lips is necessary and should be done as soon as possible.

Removing biopolymers from the lips

The only way to remove biopolymers from the lips is by surgical removal. The reason for this is that after being implicated in the lips, the biopolymer sticks to the surrounding tissue, so removing it requires literally removing piece by piece the plastic, which until then had given volume to your lips. This operation is performed under local anesthesia or analgesia and, depending on the amount of biopolymer used, lasts from 45 minutes to 90 minutes. No procedure in cosmetic surgery hurts, because it is performed under anesthesia. As it has already been said, you will not feel any pain when removing silicone from your lips.

Before the operation, it is necessary to come to a detailed clinical examination by a specialist in plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery, and as part of the preparation for the operation, it is necessary to perform basic biochemical analyzes and a blood picture.

Recovery after surgery to remove biopolymer from the lips

After the operation, the patients are discharged for home treatment. Antibiotic therapy as well as analogue therapy are used. Recovery is almost always accompanied by swelling that passes after 5 to 7 days.

The day after the operation, there is permission to use the toilet of the oral cavity and fluid intake, and two days after the operation, food intake.

In a high percentage, the success of the operation is complete, which means restoring the natural shape, volume and core of the lips, and it is extremely rare to remove the biopolymer in several stages.

Does the scar remain after removing the silicone from the lips?

The scar is not noticeable because it is located on the mucous membrane of the lip, on the inside, and the sutures are removed after 10 days.

Hyaluronic acid instead of biopolymers

Today, there are several hyaluronic acid-based preparations on the market that have been registered and fully tested. Hyaluronic fillers are used for the correction of wrinkles, cheekbones, lip augmentation, etc.

The most important thing is to choose a specialist in plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery for the application of hyaluronic fillers, because the technique of injecting fillers is as important as the choice of adequate material.

Atlas General Hospital uses hyaluronic fillers from the renowned manufacturer Restylane at a price of 195 euros per milliliter. Our hospital has all the necessary conditions and equipment for proper and sterile injection of fillers, and all our doctors are specialists in aesthetic, plastic and reconstructive surgery, so you are as safe as possible with us.

Health and beauty are never at a discount. The choice of a doctor must not be made on the basis of price, but exclusively on the basis of professional qualifications.

By combining experience, careful monitoring and respect for the patient’s wishes and a quality filler, great results are achieved in a simple and safe way that can last up to 2 years.

Dr. Lazar Pajević and Dr. Natasa Popović with assistants, make up an experienced aesthetic team, which very successfully performs the procedure of removing silicone from the lips.

For all information and to make an appointment, you can call our call center at 011 785 88 88 or 0603292411. You can also send us an email at office@atlasestetika.rs