Service
Filler dissolving and removal
A hyaluronic filler that has gone wrong — lumps, asymmetry, too much volume — is dissolved with the enzyme hyaluronidase. A filler that cannot be dissolved, or one you want removed completely, is removed surgically or by mini-liposuction.
A filler that has gone wrong
Lumps, asymmetry, too much volume, a filler that has moved, or a filler whose type you do not know. The result of a filler depends on the amount, the site, the depth and how the tissue reacts to it — and tissue changes over time, so a filler can move, collect into lumps or stay visible longer than you were told. In some people an inflammatory reaction forms around the filler, months or years later. It can happen even after a single treatment.
See also:
When is it urgent, and when can it wait?
It is urgent if after a filler injection the skin turns white or blue, hurts a great deal, or a patchy redness appears and spreads, especially beside the nose, between the eyebrows or on the forehead: these are signs that the filler has pressed on or blocked a blood vessel, and hyaluronidase has to be given within hours, not days. The same applies to a sudden change in vision after an injection. In these cases, call straight away, either us or the place where the filler was placed.
These can wait for a regular examination: a lump you can feel or see, a filler that has “slipped” or moved, asymmetry, a bluish tinge under thin skin, and swelling that keeps returning for months after the injection. None of this is dangerous, but it does not get better by itself.
Dissolving with hyaluronidase
The enzyme is injected at the site of the filler and breaks it down within hours to a few days. Sometimes more than one treatment is needed. An allergy test is done before dissolving. Only hyaluronic filler is dissolved — not your own fat tissue or permanent products.
Filler removal
Any filler you want removed — hyaluronic, silicone, polymers or older products — is removed as a standard procedure, in one of two ways: surgically, through an incision at the site of the deposit, or by mini-liposuction, through a puncture with a fine cannula. Which way is right for you depends on the type and position of the deposit and is decided at the examination. Silicone, polymers and older products do not dissolve, and a permanent filler becomes interwoven with the tissue, so it is removed as far as is possible without harming the surrounding tissue — this is discussed openly at the examination; sometimes several steps are needed.
The most difficult case is liquid silicone in the lips, injected in the 1990s and 2000s. It was never registered in Croatia and cannot be dissolved — it is removed surgically, in several stages, and the resulting gaps are filled with your own fat tissue.
When is the procedure not suitable?
The treatment is not done during pregnancy and breastfeeding, when there is active inflammation or infection of the skin at the treatment site, or with a known allergy to the ingredients of the product.
Dissolving is not done until it is clear what was injected — if you are not sure whether it is a hyaluronic filler, this is clarified first; the enzyme has no effect on a permanent product, and it can damage the surrounding tissue. Surgical removal is not done during acute inflammation — that is allowed to settle first.
General reasons for postponing a procedure (pregnancy, breastfeeding, inflammation, a clotting disorder, smoking): When is a procedure postponed?
Anaesthesia
Before a procedure under general or regional anaesthesia, you are seen by the anaesthetist, who works full time at the clinic; the same doctor is also present during the procedure. The anaesthetic assessment and the anaesthesia for larger operations are included in the price of the procedure. What happens before, during and after anaesthesia is described on the Anaesthesia page.
Risks
Occasional — loss of your own volume as well at the site of dissolving, the need for a repeat treatment, a scar after surgical removal.
Expected, and rare but serious → Risks and complications: what is the course of healing, and what is a complication?
Price
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Filler dissolving with hyaluronidase | €200–300 |
| Removal of silicone and unknown filler | on request |
Specialist and team
Specialty: plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery.
Head nurse Martina Šereg arranges appointments and is your contact after the procedure.
What happens at the examination?
Before the treatment there is an examination: the doctor examines the area, asks about illnesses, medicines and allergies, and talks with you about what you expect. How many treatments make sense in your case is agreed at the examination.
What if the result is not as agreed?
The result of a procedure is assessed at a follow-up visit, once the swelling has gone down and the scar has matured, not in the first weeks. If it differs from what was agreed at the examination, the same surgeon carries out the correction.
→ Poliklinika Barbel's correction policy
In the same visit
- Facial fat transfer — after a filler is dissolved or removed, volume can, if you wish, be replaced with your own fat tissue.
Frequently asked questions
I do not know what was injected — what is done? First we try to get the information: who injected it and when, and whether there is a declaration for the product. For every product placed in your body you have a right to a declaration. If there is no information, it is assessed at the examination from the look, hardness and behaviour of the deposit, and sometimes part of it is taken for analysis.
Will my own hyaluronic acid dissolve too? The enzyme also breaks down some of the natural hyaluronic acid in the skin, so the site can look emptier for a short time after dissolving. In most people this recovers within a few weeks.
What about lumps that appear years after a filler? Late lumps and swellings are more common with permanent products and can appear even twenty years later. With a hyaluronic filler they are treated by dissolving; with permanent ones, surgical removal is considered.
Do you see people whose filler was placed elsewhere? Yes. Bring documentation of the product if you have it. If the filler was placed in a beauty salon rather than by a doctor, we see you just the same — it is important to try to find out what was placed, because only a hyaluronic filler can be dissolved.
Will my face look “empty” after dissolving? If the filler was there for a long time, the skin in that area may have stretched, so some looseness can be noticed after dissolving; we talk about this beforehand.
When can a new filler be placed? On average two weeks after dissolving, once the swelling has gone down and the real situation can be seen. We do not advise dissolving and placing a new filler in the same visit.
How much does the result depend on care after the procedure? The larger the procedure, the more it depends on it, but it always does. Healing takes weeks and months and happens almost entirely at home, so the instructions you receive when you go home, about the wound, physical activity and the scar, are part of the procedure, not a recommendation.
Medical review: doctors of Poliklinika Barbel · October 2026.