{"id":83962,"date":"2026-01-20T13:21:40","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T13:21:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thetweakmentsguide.com\/?p=83962"},"modified":"2026-02-02T10:00:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T10:00:54","slug":"how-long-does-filler-last-alice-mri-result","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetweakmentsguide.com\/blog\/how-long-does-filler-last-alice-mri-result\/","title":{"rendered":"My Face\u2026 and The Filler Beneath: What My Second MRI Revealed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two years ago, my article about an MRI scan that showed some 35ml of filler quietly residing in my face went a bit viral. Since that first scan, I\u2019ve had more filler \u2013 and now I\u2019ve had another MRI. Here\u2019s the update, with expert input from key voices in the ongoing discussion around how long \u2018temporary\u2019 hyaluronic acid fillers may last \u2013 and what this means for our faces. <\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The story so far<\/span><\/h2>\n

Over the 25 years I\u2019ve been reporting on cosmetic procedures I\u2019ve had a fair amount of dermal filler<\/a> injected — the sort made from hyaluronic acid that, we are told, last for six to 18 months. Just a millilitre here and there, to support whichever parts of my face were starting to look a little deflated as the years took their toll \u2013 my cheeks, my lips, my temples\u2026<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Back in 2021, I was already aware of concerns being raised by some aesthetic doctors<\/a> and radiologists around the world who were finding that, in some patients, these supposedly temporary fillers appear to hang around far longer than expected. So, curious to see what my own face would show, I booked in for an MRI scan.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What the scan revealed was a big shock<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite having had no filler injections for four years, an estimated 35ml of hyaluronic-acid filler was still visible throughout my face.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"3dfiller
2021 MRI: The red patches indicate hyaluronic acid filler. MRI scan of Alice Hart-Davis’s face interpreted by Dr Simon Morley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why shocked? That\u2019s a lot of filler. I\u2019m sure I\u2019ve had at least that much injected, but wasn\u2019t this stuff meant to break down and vanish? Also, you might expect someone with that much filler in their face to look a bit \u2018done\u2019, or possibly like a puffer fish. I don\u2019t. I look reasonably normal.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When the <\/span>Daily Mail<\/span><\/a> picked up the story, the reaction was extraordinary. Some senior practitioners took issue. It\u2019s ridiculous, said one. The entire global filler industry is based on the premise that these products break down, so patients need regular retreatment. I know, I replied, but this is what my MRI shows. Another requested my scan, so he could get it analysed by a radiologist of his own choosing. I became used to delegates at aesthetic-industry conferences scrutinising my face like some real-life exhibit.\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After a popular Brazilian news outlet reposted the story, dermatologists over there shared it enthusiastically on social media. I don\u2019t read Portuguese, but the gist of their comments was clear enough:\u2018Is this true or is she lying?\u2019<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Readers were aghast. What was I going to do? Wasn\u2019t I going to have all that filler dissolved<\/a>? (No, it\u2019s all sitting exactly where it was placed, doing a great job at holding my face up, and doing no harm). Was their own filler going to be with them forever? (Probably not, but we\u2019ll come back to that). And wasn\u2019t my filler migrating from where it was injected? Would theirs? (More on that later).\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some people developed their own theories. \u2018You just faked the pictures,\u2019 said one clinic-owner. \u2018You\u2019ve lied, haven\u2019t you,\u2019 said another, filming me on her phone as she approached at a conference. \u2018You had it all dissolved and won\u2019t admit it!\u2019<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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A post shared by Alice Hart-Davis – your tweakments guide (@alicehartdavis)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n