Many patients use hyaluronic acid to increase the volume of their cheeks or lips. Hyaluronic acid is also used for the treatment of wrinkles, rejuvenation, mesotherapy, even in cosmetics for many preparations.
On some occasions, the quantity of injected hyaluronic acid is excessive and causes swelling, nodules, lumps, or it is simply too much for the volume we want to obtain. Is there any solution for this?
Hyaluronic acid and hyaluronidase
Indeed, hyaluronic acid can be broken down by an enzyme called hyaluronidase. This enzyme, of which there is very little in our skin, is capable dissolving hyaluronic acid where we want to get rid of in a few hours or days. Hyaluronidase is also present in the saliva of various insects. As we can all imagine, many insects use their stings to penetrate through the surface of the skin and suck blood. In this process, they need to destroy the little hyaluronic acid that exists in the skin, and for this their saliva contains Hyaluronidase.
Hyaluronidase is also used in the treatment of cellulite, since there is an accumulation of fluid in the skin, mainly due to retention by fat and, in another part, by hyaluronic acid that the skin itself produces.
Hyaluronidase can be manufactured in laboratories and prepared at the time of injection to place it in those places where we have excessive hyaluronic acid. The process is quite simple and can be carried out by any specialist in hyaluronic acid, such as dermatologists, aesthetic doctors, or plastic surgeons.
Occasionally, doctors who frequently inject hyaluronic acid, receive visits from patients who are not satisfied with their treatments due to changes in the shape of their lips or eye trough and who think that hyaluronic acid can be broken down and re-injected as many times as they wish. These patients must understand that excessive use of hyaluronidase causes allergies and may not respond in the future to this enzyme if they use it too much.
Some patients are allergic to hyaluronidase, and right after its injection they develop some swelling and a hive-like reaction in the treatment area. Fortunately, this reaction is usually local and does not go beyond, although the patient should always be warned if they have suffered episodes of bee stings or similar insects, whose saliva contains hyaluronidase, and which causes these allergies. There are two types of hyaluronidases, the natural, which can cause this allergic reaction, and the recombinant, which is highly pure and rarely cause allergic reactions. The latter is the one used De Felipe Dermatology Clinic. Of all the available fillers, the only one for which there is an antidote or can be dissolved is hyaluronic acid. H2: Hyaluronic acid and hyaluronidase in dermatology Dermatology tip: Hyaluronic is one of the most commonly used fillers and it is the only one that has an antidote: hyaluronidase. But the excessive use of hyaluronidase is not convenient and it should be administered only when it is really necessary.
