What pillow face is
Pillow face is the everyday name for facial overfilled syndrome. The face looks puffy and rounded, and natural contours blur. It usually shows in the cheeks, under the eyes, around the lips and along the jaw. It often looks heaviest in a smile, when the eyes narrow.
It rarely comes from one treatment. It tends to build across repeat sessions, sometimes with filler sitting in the wrong layer. Because it builds gradually, each step may have seemed small at the time.
Pillow face correction in Singapore: the short answer
The usual route is mapping followed by selective dissolving. Areas with appropriate volume are left alone. This is a staged, careful process and not a single reset. The treatment is described on the pillow face treatment page, which explains each stage. Worries about filler complications more widely are covered under complication care.
Why overfilling happens
Hyaluronic acid filler can stay in the tissue for longer than people expect.
Hyaluronic acid draws in water.
Filler placed to chase a line or shadow can sit in the wrong plane.
Migration, fat-graft overgrowth and fluid or swelling can mimic overfilling, and each needs a different plan.
How correction is carried out
Why dissolving is staged
Taking everything out at once can leave the face looking older or flatter. Filler may also be masking changes that came with age. So the aim is to remove what is excess and leave what is doing a useful job. Each round is judged after the face has settled, and the next step is decided then. People expecting all filler to disappear in one round are asked to wait and reconsider, because that is not what this treatment does.
What can and cannot be dissolved
| What is there | Dissolved by hyaluronidase? | Route to assess |
|---|---|---|
| Hyaluronic acid filler | Yes | Selective dissolving after mapping |
| Radiesse, Ellansé, Sculptra, or PDLLA in Juvelook | No | Sculpting mode of Time Freeze Laser LCLR® |
| Grafted fat | No | Lipo-remodelling arm of the same laser, or fat-grafting correction |
Who it suits, and who should wait
Known or suspected excess or misplaced hyaluronic acid filler, including build-up from several sessions, if you are willing to be reassessed before adding anything new.
Active infection or inflamed skin, and pregnancy or breastfeeding, where the plan is reviewed first.
Known hyaluronidase allergy, blood thinners or a bleeding tendency, and bee or wasp venom allergy, which is flagged and discussed.
Heavy lax skin or structural change after dissolving goes to a plastic surgery specialist.
What correction cannot do
It is not an undo button. Stretched tissue may not fully tighten. Filler broken into small pockets may need several rounds, so complete removal in one visit cannot be promised. Dissolving everything at once can leave the face looking older or flatter. Hyaluronidase does not act on fat or non-HA fillers. Any ageing that the filler was masking may also become visible.
After dissolving: what comes next
Reassessment comes before anything new. If skin looks loose or the face looks flat once it has settled, refinement is often energy-based and not more filler. Options are chosen after review. Heavy lax skin goes to a plastic surgery specialist. If filler is considered again later, the amount, plane and reason should be clear. For how filler should be chosen in future, read the dermal fillers guide.
Risks to discuss first
Aftercare and fees
In the first 24 hours, avoid pressing or massaging the area unless advised. In the first week, expect swelling and bruising, and avoid new filler or facial treatments until reviewed. Keep out of direct sun while bruised or swollen. The fee depends on the areas treated, the amount and spread of filler, whether ultrasound mapping is needed, the amount of hyaluronidase, and whether refinement is considered later. A written quote follows history, examination and, where useful, ultrasound.