I'm starting to lose my
HA gains and ready for
PMMA and seeking advice about whether it's better to dissolve my remaining
HA first. If so, what's the cost to dissolve and how far in advance of the
PMMA should I dissolve?
It took me multiple
HA procedures with Dr.
Carney starting 6 years ago to increase my EG from 4.25 to 6.0 (my EL is 5.25.), and I don't want to go back to my baseline if I don't need to. But my top priority is doing whatever I can to get the best
PMMA outcome.
It seems like
PMMA injectors differ on this. Some examples:
Dr.
Carney: He advised NOT to dissolve my remaining
HA before
Bellafill because he believes it helps improve
Bellafill outcomes. He said the
HA acts as a buffer to help prevent
Bellafill from causing too much inflammation, which can lead to complications like nodules and granulomas. In fact, he requires
Bellafill patients to start first with a layer of
HA.
Avanti Derma: I haven't yet consulted with them, but I understand from other posters that they require patients to completely dissolve all
HA at least 30 days beforehand. Why? I've read that it's because the
HA could prevent the
PMMA from setting uniformly. This makes sense to me. For example, my
HA has dissolved unevenly, leaving pockets of
HA that are bigger and denser in some areas. It makes sense that those blobs of
HA could block the
PMMA from settling in those areas and push it into areas without as much
HA.
Rupeka: I haven't consulted him yet or read anything about his views.
Any ideas of why opinions differ? Is it because of a difference in
Bellafill used by
Carney and Linnea Safe used by
Avanti Derma? Is
Bellafill more inflammatory because of the bovine collagen carrier and therefore needs the
HA buffer more than Linnea Safe? Is
Bellafill less likely to settle unevenly when applied over
HA because of the same bovine collagen carrier?
I'll be consulting AD and
Rupeka and getting another consult with
Carney, but real life experiences and thoughts are appreciated.
.
