u/Status-Character8854

Hi everyone,

About two months ago, around 18 hours after taking Arveles (dexketoprofen), my entire lips became severely swollen. The ER treated it as a delayed allergic reaction with steroid injections, and I was fine for about a week.

After that, I began developing recurrent localized swelling in different parts of my lips. The swelling migrates, is warm, tender, and firm at first before softening and resolving. Antihistamines have never helped, while steroids only suppressed the attacks temporarily—they always returned after stopping them.

Initially, I was treated for chronic angioedema, but after getting a second opinion, my doctor suspected a delayed inflammatory reaction to my hyaluronic acid filler.

I underwent two hyaluronidase sessions. The first reduced the severity but not the frequency. The second helped much more—I went from almost daily attacks to one every 5–7 days. An ultrasound later showed little to no remaining filler, but one area was still suggestive of an inflammatory/granulomatous reaction.

Recently, I caught what seems to be a viral infection (runny nose, sore throat, low-grade fever), and my lip swelling has flared up again. My doctors think the infection may have reactivated the inflammatory process, so we’re waiting for me to recover before deciding on a third hyaluronidase treatment.

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone with a similar experience. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping someone here has experienced something similar because this has been going on for about two months and it's been incredibly frustrating.

We think everything started after I took Arveles (dexketoprofen). About 18 hours later, I woke up and my entire upper and lower lip were massively swollen. I went to the emergency department, where they suspected it was a delayed allergic reaction to Arveles. I received two steroid injections, and the swelling resolved. I was completely fine for about a week.

Then everything changed.

Instead of my whole lip swelling, I started getting localized swelling in different parts of my lips. One day it would be my upper lip, another day my lower lip, sometimes several different areas over time. The swelling is inflammatory, tender, warm, and firm at first, then softens before it goes away.

At first, we thought I might have chronic angioedema, and my first doctor(he was an allergy immunology professor) treated me as if that was the diagnosis. Unfortunately, I can't say I had a great experience with my first doctor. He told me the attacks had to stop before we could figure out the cause, so he kept me on oral steroids for about two weeks. I was prescribed large amounts of oral steroids and antihistamines. The strange thing is that antihistamines have never helped at all. Not even slightly.

Steroids would suppress the attacks while I was taking them, but every time I stopped the steroids, the swelling came back. Some attacks became so severe that even 32 mg of steroids (two 16 mg tablets) wouldn't bring the swelling down easily. He also never told me to take them in the morning, so I was taking them at night, which really affected my mood and skin. Looking back, I feel like we just lost time, especially since he already knew I had hyaluronic acid fillers.

It was like a nightmare. I had no social life, mirrors were scary, and going to sleep became the most stressful time of my life because I usually woke up with a VERY swollen lip. So being able to sleep peacefully wasn't an option for me.

Eventually, I sought a second opinion.

The new doctor suspected that the problem might be related to my hyaluronic acid lip filler rather than classic angioedema. We performed hyaluronidase (filler dissolving).

The first dissolving session helped for about two days, but then the attacks returned. They weren't quite as enormous anymore, but they were still happening almost every single day. The size decreased from massive to moderate/large, but the frequency barely changed. Although there was one point where I went five days without any attacks, which honestly felt like a miracle. Unfortunately, after those five days, it came back with a very large swelling in my lower lip.

We then did a second hyaluronidase session, and that made a much bigger difference.

After the second treatment, my attacks became significantly less frequent. Instead of swelling almost daily, I started going 5–7 days without any attacks, which was the best improvement I'd had since this all began.

An ultrasound later showed very little to no remaining filler, but there was one area with findings suggestive of an inflammatory/granulomatous reaction.

Unfortunately, I've recently caught what seems to be a viral infection (runny nose, sore throat, low-grade fever), and for the past three days my lip attacks have increased dramatically again. They're happening much more frequently, they're lasting longer, and they're slightly larger than they had been before I got sick.

My doctors think the infection may have triggered my immune system and worsened the inflammatory reaction, so we're currently waiting for me to recover before deciding whether to proceed with a third hyaluronidase treatment.

At this point, I'm wondering:

• Has anyone experienced recurrent inflammatory swelling after hyaluronic acid filler?
• Did your symptoms migrate to different parts of the lips?
• Did viral illnesses make your flare-ups worse?
• How long did it take to completely resolve?
• Did hyaluronidase eventually stop the attacks completely?

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone with a similar experience because this has been a long and confusing journey.

Thank you for reading.

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping someone here has experienced something similar because this has been going on for about two months and it's been incredibly frustrating.

We think everything started after I took Arveles (dexketoprofen). About 18 hours later, I woke up and my entire upper and lower lip were massively swollen. I went to the emergency department, where they suspected it was a delayed allergic reaction to Arveles. I received two steroid injections, and the swelling resolved. I was completely fine for about a week.

Then everything changed.

Instead of my whole lip swelling, I started getting localized swelling in different parts of my lips. One day it would be my upper lip, another day my lower lip, sometimes several different areas over time. The swelling is inflammatory, tender, warm, and firm at first, then softens before it goes away.

At first, we thought I might have chronic angioedema, and my first doctor(he was an allergy immunology professor) treated me as if that was the diagnosis. Unfortunately, I can't say I had a great experience with my first doctor. He told me the attacks had to stop before we could figure out the cause, so he kept me on oral steroids for about two weeks. I was prescribed large amounts of oral steroids and antihistamines. The strange thing is that antihistamines have never helped at all. Not even slightly.

Steroids would suppress the attacks while I was taking them, but every time I stopped the steroids, the swelling came back. Some attacks became so severe that even 32 mg of steroids (two 16 mg tablets) wouldn't bring the swelling down easily. He also never told me to take them in the morning, so I was taking them at night, which really affected my mood and skin. Looking back, I feel like we just lost time, especially since he already knew I had hyaluronic acid fillers.

It was like a nightmare. I had no social life, mirrors were scary, and going to sleep became the most stressful time of my life because I usually woke up with a VERY swollen lip. So being able to sleep peacefully wasn't an option for me.

Eventually, I sought a second opinion.

The new doctor suspected that the problem might be related to my hyaluronic acid lip filler rather than classic angioedema. We performed hyaluronidase (filler dissolving).

The first dissolving session helped for about two days, but then the attacks returned. They weren't quite as enormous anymore, but they were still happening almost every single day. The size decreased from massive to moderate/large, but the frequency barely changed. Although there was one point where I went five days without any attacks, which honestly felt like a miracle. Unfortunately, after those five days, it came back with a very large swelling in my lower lip.

We then did a second hyaluronidase session, and that made a much bigger difference.

After the second treatment, my attacks became significantly less frequent. Instead of swelling almost daily, I started going 5–7 days without any attacks, which was the best improvement I'd had since this all began.

An ultrasound later showed very little to no remaining filler, but there was one area with findings suggestive of an inflammatory/granulomatous reaction.

Unfortunately, I've recently caught what seems to be a viral infection (runny nose, sore throat, low-grade fever), and for the past three days my lip attacks have increased dramatically again. They're happening much more frequently, they're lasting longer, and they're slightly larger than they had been before I got sick.

My doctors think the infection may have triggered my immune system and worsened the inflammatory reaction, so we're currently waiting for me to recover before deciding whether to proceed with a third hyaluronidase treatment.

At this point, I'm wondering:

• Has anyone experienced recurrent inflammatory swelling after hyaluronic acid filler?
• Did your symptoms migrate to different parts of the lips?
• Did viral illnesses make your flare-ups worse?
• How long did it take to completely resolve?
• Did hyaluronidase eventually stop the attacks completely?

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone with a similar experience because this has been a long and confusing journey.

Thank you for reading.

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping someone here has experienced something similar because this has been going on for about two months and it's been incredibly frustrating.

We think everything started after I took Arveles (dexketoprofen). About 18 hours later, I woke up and my entire upper and lower lip were massively swollen. I went to the emergency department, where they suspected it was a delayed allergic reaction to Arveles. I received two steroid injections, and the swelling resolved. I was completely fine for about a week.

Then everything changed.

Instead of my whole lip swelling, I started getting localized swelling in different parts of my lips. One day it would be my upper lip, another day my lower lip, sometimes several different areas over time. The swelling is inflammatory, tender, warm, and firm at first, then softens before it goes away.

At first, we thought I might have chronic angioedema, and my first doctor(he was an allergy immunology professor) treated me as if that was the diagnosis. Unfortunately, I can't say I had a great experience with my first doctor. He told me the attacks had to stop before we could figure out the cause, so he kept me on oral steroids for about two weeks. I was prescribed large amounts of oral steroids and antihistamines. The strange thing is that antihistamines have never helped at all. Not even slightly.

Steroids would suppress the attacks while I was taking them, but every time I stopped the steroids, the swelling came back. Some attacks became so severe that even 32 mg of steroids (two 16 mg tablets) wouldn't bring the swelling down easily. He also never told me to take them in the morning, so I was taking them at night, which really affected my mood and skin. Looking back, I feel like we just lost time, especially since he already knew I had hyaluronic acid fillers.

It was like a nightmare. I had no social life, mirrors were scary, and going to sleep became the most stressful time of my life because I usually woke up with a VERY swollen lip. So being able to sleep peacefully wasn't an option for me.

Eventually, I sought a second opinion.

The new doctor suspected that the problem might be related to my hyaluronic acid lip filler rather than classic angioedema. We performed hyaluronidase (filler dissolving).

The first dissolving session helped for about two days, but then the attacks returned. They weren't quite as enormous anymore, but they were still happening almost every single day. The size decreased from massive to moderate/large, but the frequency barely changed. Although there was one point where I went five days without any attacks, which honestly felt like a miracle. Unfortunately, after those five days, it came back with a very large swelling in my lower lip.

We then did a second hyaluronidase session, and that made a much bigger difference.

After the second treatment, my attacks became significantly less frequent. Instead of swelling almost daily, I started going 5–7 days without any attacks, which was the best improvement I'd had since this all began.

An ultrasound later showed very little to no remaining filler, but there was one area with findings suggestive of an inflammatory/granulomatous reaction.

Unfortunately, I've recently caught what seems to be a viral infection (runny nose, sore throat, low-grade fever), and for the past three days my lip attacks have increased dramatically again. They're happening much more frequently, they're lasting longer, and they're slightly larger than they had been before I got sick.

My doctors think the infection may have triggered my immune system and worsened the inflammatory reaction, so we're currently waiting for me to recover before deciding whether to proceed with a third hyaluronidase treatment.

At this point, I'm wondering:

• Has anyone experienced recurrent inflammatory swelling after hyaluronic acid filler?
• Did your symptoms migrate to different parts of the lips?
• Did viral illnesses make your flare-ups worse?
• How long did it take to completely resolve?
• Did hyaluronidase eventually stop the attacks completely?

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone with a similar experience because this has been a long and confusing journey.

Thank you for reading.

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping someone here has experienced something similar because this has been going on for about two months and it's been incredibly frustrating.

We think everything started after I took Arveles (dexketoprofen). About 18 hours later, I woke up and my entire upper and lower lip were massively swollen. I went to the emergency department, where they suspected it was a delayed allergic reaction to Arveles. I received two steroid injections, and the swelling resolved. I was completely fine for about a week.

Then everything changed.

Instead of my whole lip swelling, I started getting localized swelling in different parts of my lips. One day it would be my upper lip, another day my lower lip, sometimes several different areas over time. The swelling is inflammatory, tender, warm, and firm at first, then softens before it goes away.

At first, we thought I might have chronic angioedema, and my first doctor(he was an allergy immunology professor) treated me as if that was the diagnosis. Unfortunately, I can't say I had a great experience with my first doctor. He told me the attacks had to stop before we could figure out the cause, so he kept me on oral steroids for about two weeks. I was prescribed large amounts of oral steroids and antihistamines. The strange thing is that antihistamines have never helped at all. Not even slightly.

Steroids would suppress the attacks while I was taking them, but every time I stopped the steroids, the swelling came back. Some attacks became so severe that even 32 mg of steroids (two 16 mg tablets) wouldn't bring the swelling down easily. He also never told me to take them in the morning, so I was taking them at night, which really affected my mood and skin. Looking back, I feel like we just lost time, especially since he already knew I had hyaluronic acid fillers.

It was like a nightmare. I had no social life, mirrors were scary, and going to sleep became the most stressful time of my life because I usually woke up with a VERY swollen lip. So being able to sleep peacefully wasn't an option for me.

Eventually, I sought a second opinion.

The new doctor suspected that the problem might be related to my hyaluronic acid lip filler rather than classic angioedema. We performed hyaluronidase (filler dissolving).

The first dissolving session helped for about two days, but then the attacks returned. They weren't quite as enormous anymore, but they were still happening almost every single day. The size decreased from massive to moderate/large, but the frequency barely changed. Although there was one point where I went five days without any attacks, which honestly felt like a miracle. Unfortunately, after those five days, it came back with a very large swelling in my lower lip.

We then did a second hyaluronidase session, and that made a much bigger difference.

After the second treatment, my attacks became significantly less frequent. Instead of swelling almost daily, I started going 5–7 days without any attacks, which was the best improvement I'd had since this all began.

An ultrasound later showed very little to no remaining filler, but there was one area with findings suggestive of an inflammatory/granulomatous reaction.

Unfortunately, I've recently caught what seems to be a viral infection (runny nose, sore throat, low-grade fever), and for the past three days my lip attacks have increased dramatically again. They're happening much more frequently, they're lasting longer, and they're slightly larger than they had been before I got sick.

My doctors think the infection may have triggered my immune system and worsened the inflammatory reaction, so we're currently waiting for me to recover before deciding whether to proceed with a third hyaluronidase treatment.

At this point, I'm wondering:

• Has anyone experienced recurrent inflammatory swelling after hyaluronic acid filler?
• Did your symptoms migrate to different parts of the lips?
• Did viral illnesses make your flare-ups worse?
• How long did it take to completely resolve?
• Did hyaluronidase eventually stop the attacks completely?

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone with a similar experience because this has been a long and confusing journey.

Thank you for reading.

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping someone here has experienced something similar because this has been going on for about two months and it's been incredibly frustrating.

We think everything started after I took Arveles (dexketoprofen). About 18 hours later, I woke up and my entire upper and lower lip were massively swollen. I went to the emergency department, where they suspected it was a delayed allergic reaction to Arveles. I received two steroid injections, and the swelling resolved. I was completely fine for about a week.

Then everything changed.

Instead of my whole lip swelling, I started getting localized swelling in different parts of my lips. One day it would be my upper lip, another day my lower lip, sometimes several different areas over time. The swelling is inflammatory, tender, warm, and firm at first, then softens before it goes away.

At first, we thought I might have chronic angioedema, and my first doctor(he was an allergy immunology professor) treated me as if that was the diagnosis. Unfortunately, I can't say I had a great experience with my first doctor. He told me the attacks had to stop before we could figure out the cause, so he kept me on oral steroids for about two weeks. I was prescribed large amounts of oral steroids and antihistamines. The strange thing is that antihistamines have never helped at all. Not even slightly.

Steroids would suppress the attacks while I was taking them, but every time I stopped the steroids, the swelling came back. Some attacks became so severe that even 32 mg of steroids (two 16 mg tablets) wouldn't bring the swelling down easily. He also never told me to take them in the morning, so I was taking them at night, which really affected my mood and skin. Looking back, I feel like we just lost time, especially since he already knew I had hyaluronic acid fillers.

It was like a nightmare. I had no social life, mirrors were scary, and going to sleep became the most stressful time of my life because I usually woke up with a VERY swollen lip. So being able to sleep peacefully wasn't an option for me.

Eventually, I sought a second opinion.

The new doctor suspected that the problem might be related to my hyaluronic acid lip filler rather than classic angioedema. We performed hyaluronidase (filler dissolving).

The first dissolving session helped for about two days, but then the attacks returned. They weren't quite as enormous anymore, but they were still happening almost every single day. The size decreased from massive to moderate/large, but the frequency barely changed. Although there was one point where I went five days without any attacks, which honestly felt like a miracle. Unfortunately, after those five days, it came back with a very large swelling in my lower lip.

We then did a second hyaluronidase session, and that made a much bigger difference.

After the second treatment, my attacks became significantly less frequent. Instead of swelling almost daily, I started going 5–7 days without any attacks, which was the best improvement I'd had since this all began.

An ultrasound later showed very little to no remaining filler, but there was one area with findings suggestive of an inflammatory/granulomatous reaction.

Unfortunately, I've recently caught what seems to be a viral infection (runny nose, sore throat, low-grade fever), and for the past three days my lip attacks have increased dramatically again. They're happening much more frequently, they're lasting longer, and they're slightly larger than they had been before I got sick.

My doctors think the infection may have triggered my immune system and worsened the inflammatory reaction, so we're currently waiting for me to recover before deciding whether to proceed with a third hyaluronidase treatment.

At this point, I'm wondering:

• Has anyone experienced recurrent inflammatory swelling after hyaluronic acid filler?
• Did your symptoms migrate to different parts of the lips?
• Did viral illnesses make your flare-ups worse?
• How long did it take to completely resolve?
• Did hyaluronidase eventually stop the attacks completely?

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone with a similar experience because this has been a long and confusing journey.

Thank you for reading.