See the vessels before the needle. Find the filler before the syringe of dissolver.
Facial ultrasound gives a non-invasive, radiation-free view of the tissue under the skin. Depending on the clinical situation it may assist with evaluating facial anatomy, identifying important blood vessels, assessing existing filler, evaluating lumps or nodules after cosmetic procedures, guiding filler dissolving when appropriate, supporting ultrasound-guided injections, and enhancing treatment planning.
Facial vasculature does not follow the textbook. Two people with the same face shape can have arteries running at different depths and along different courses, and the surface landmarks injectors are taught do not reveal that. Imaging replaces an average with your anatomy.
This is the appointment most people arrive for. You had filler somewhere else. It does not look right, or it has moved, or there is a lump that has not settled, or nobody has been able to tell you what is actually in your face. You may have been told to wait and see.
Imaging gives you something better than waiting: information. Ultrasound is the only practical way to look at filler in place, in real time, without surgery. Dr. Lawson is double board-certified in vascular and interventional radiology — reading ultrasound is the work she trained in and did in hospitals for more than a decade before she brought it into aesthetics.
In many cases ultrasound can help evaluate the presence and location of previously placed dermal filler, although findings vary by product and clinical circumstances. The scan shows where product sits, at what depth, and how it relates to the structures around it. That matters because it changes the plan: what can be treated, what should be left alone, and what is not filler at all.
One honest limit up front. Not every filler behaves the same way on ultrasound, and not every filler can be dissolved — hyaluronic acid products can be broken down with hyaluronidase, and other products cannot. Establishing which you are dealing with is part of the reason to image before treating.
Filler can settle away from where it was placed. Under-eye and lip borders are the areas patients ask about most often. Ultrasound may help identify product sitting outside its intended compartment and show its depth, its extent, and its relationship to nearby vessels. Seeing that is what separates "you have puffiness" from "there is a defined deposit here, at this depth, and this is what treating it would involve."
When dissolving is appropriate, ultrasound can help localize filler and guide treatment planning for the procedure. Locating a deposit first means hyaluronidase can be directed at the product that is actually causing the problem, rather than treating the whole area as one. It also means the result can be reassessed on screen rather than estimated from the outside.
Dissolving is not always the right answer, and it is not offered as a default. Some findings are better left to settle, and some are not filler-related at all. You will be told which of those applies to you.
Ultrasound may assist the physician in evaluating areas of concern after a cosmetic procedure — nodules, inflammatory reactions, and changes that appear in the days or weeks after treatment — and in planning appropriate management. Where a finding needs care beyond what this practice provides, Dr. Lawson will say so and recommend referral or additional medical evaluation.
If your symptoms are acute, do not wait for an appointment. Severe or increasing pain, skin that has gone white, dusky or mottled, or any change in vision after an injectable treatment needs immediate medical attention. Call us on (954) 807-2748; outside our opening hours, go to an emergency department.
Book a facial ultrasound consultation. You do not need to be an existing patient, and you do not need records from wherever you were treated — bring them if you have them. The scan is non-invasive, uses no radiation, and takes only a small amount of gel on the skin. Dr. Lawson performs it and reads it, and you will be talked through what is on the screen while you are in the chair.
Filler rescue is one half of this service. The other is what happens before anything is injected. Vascular mapping identifies the important vessels in the area being treated, so placement is planned around real anatomy rather than around an average — and, where it is appropriate, the injection itself can be performed under ultrasound guidance.
That applies most directly to dermal fillers and full facial balancing, and it informs planning for Sculptra, PDO threads and neurotoxin treatment as well. Read why we work this way.
Patients considering injectables, those with previous filler, concerns after cosmetic procedures, individuals interested in filler dissolving, and patients seeking physician-guided treatment planning may all benefit from ultrasound assessment when clinically appropriate. Patients travel to the Flamingo Road practice from Cooper City, Davie, Weston, Pembroke Pines and across Broward County, and often from further afield — there are very few places in South Florida offering this.
In many cases it can help evaluate the presence and location of previously placed dermal filler, although findings vary by product and clinical circumstances.
Yes. It may assist the physician in evaluating areas of concern and planning appropriate management.
Yes. When appropriate, ultrasound can help localize filler and guide treatment planning for dissolving procedures.
Yes. You are welcome to come for imaging alone, and you do not need to have been treated here. Findings vary by product and by how long ago it was placed, so what we can tell you depends on what the scan shows.
Ultrasound can often show where filler sits and how it is distributed. It is an anatomical assessment rather than a volume measurement, so expect a description of location and extent rather than a number of syringes.
It may help identify product sitting outside the area where it was placed, and show its depth and its relationship to nearby vessels. That information is used to plan whether and how to treat it.
Dr. Lawson will explain what she sees and, where appropriate, recommend referral or additional medical evaluation rather than treating it here.
Book a facial ultrasound with Dr. Ivy Lawson and get an answer based on an image, not an estimate.
Reviewed by Ivy Lawson, MD · Physician — Vascular & Interventional Radiology · Last reviewed September 2026. About Dr. Lawson
