If you have itching, a rash, trouble breathing, or swelling in your face or throat after the injections, get help right away. Eye problems: Fillers near your eyes could cause vision issues or even blindness in rare cases.
As with any medical procedure, there are risks involved with the use of dermal fillers. Most side effects associated with dermal fillers, such as swelling and bruising occur shortly after injection and many resolve in a few days to weeks. In some cases, side effects may emerge weeks, months, or years later.
Late complications are defined as those appearing after about 2-6 weeks. They comprise late allergic reactions, chronic inflammation and infection, granulomas, filler migration, loss of function, telangiectasia, and hypertrophic scars. A detailed history may disclose a potential allergy.
Persistent Puffiness
Several signs point to a facial filler injection gone wrong, but the main one is puffiness that doesn't go away after the first injection. Typically, you will experience some swelling and puffiness on the treated area, but this goes down after 24 hours.
Late-onset inflammatory response occurs at least 2 months after HA injection, and presents as diffuse, firm, red, nonfluctuant inflammation of all areas containing the dermal filler. Patients are otherwise systemically well.
Severe or persistent pain: If the pain at the injection site is really bad or doesn't go away with over-the-counter pain meds, talk to your doctor. Extreme swelling: While some swelling is normal, if it's really bad or getting worse quickly, especially with redness or warmth, get in touch with your doctor.
If you experience any signs of an allergic reaction after a filler injection, such as tenderness, swelling or asymmetrical fullness, seek medical attention immediately. Ask your doctor to test for allergies to the injectable fillers and/or the liquid gel in which they are suspended.
The symptoms of ischemia can occur immediately after the injection or several hours after the procedure. Here, the authors report three cases of necrosis after hyaluronic acid injection with the first symptoms presenting only several hours after the procedure.
“Pillow face” occurs when too much filler is injected into areas like the cheeks, nasolabial folds (the lines from your nose to the corners of your mouth), lips, and under-eye area. This repeated overfilling can result in a bloated, round appearance that looks far from natural.
After your first dermal filler appointment, you want to avoid any hot and humid place. For example, don't rush to the sauna or a hot tub right after your treatment. The high heat makes swelling in your face a lot worse.
The best results of dermal fillers are seen typically 1 to 2 weeks post treatment with some of the swelling and bruising dissipating by then. It could take up to 4 weeks for everything to completely settle down, at which point you will notice the results you're expecting.
Vascular occlusion warning signs (2): pallor
After the initial injection, the next sign of a problem with a VO is usually pallor. In the case of a true, complete vascular occlusion, pallor is very stark, particularly in lips. There will be a grey patch on the lip that sometimes has zero capillary refill.
Don't get a facial, massage, or dermaplaning
Similarly, don't rub your injection sites for the first day following your dermal filler injections, as this can irritate the skin and cause or exacerbate bruising or swelling.
The most common side effects include swelling, redness, bruising, and pain at the injection site.
These reactions, occurring months after injection, can include swelling, inflammation, and infections. The research highlights the importance of patient selection, high-quality products, and strict hygiene to minimize risks, providing valuable guidelines for practitioners to ensure safer aesthetic treatments.
The initial infected symptoms include pain along with tenderness and redness. These signs will typically occur within the first week between days 2 and 6. The formation of an abscess occurs between day 6 and 14. Normal post-procedural inflammation has some overlap but tends to peak at 6 hours and then start to reduce.
Adverse reactions from facial fillers most commonly include prolonged swelling, asymmetry, bruising, and lumps or bumps. These can be embarrassing but are not serious in terms of health risks. Rarer, severe symptoms may include allergic reactions, blindness due to embolism, and death of skin cells.
The decision to stop using dermal fillers is personal and can be due to the desire for a more natural look or dissatisfaction with previous treatments. Excessive filler use can lead to tissue integration and “microcystic expansion effects,” causing potential aesthetic concerns over time.
If dermal filler is injected in the wrong place it can block your blood vessels and potentially cause death of the skin tissue. This can cause continuous pain and skin discoloration. As with other risks, if you choose a practitioner or doctor with extensive anatomy knowledge and experience you can minimise the risks.
We are presenting this case report because of its uniqueness in the fact that most of the intra-arterial occlusions and signs of ischemic skin necrosis occur immediately or within few hours of the filler injection going intravascular.
The most important sign of occlusion is poor capillary return on the affected area. In comparison, a bruise will have quick capillary return. The bruising is contained in a certain location and takes on a relatively defined shape, as opposed to discoloration, spreading and a mottled appearance.
The backflow of substances from the injection area into the internal carotid artery and small facial arteries occurs due to pressure and the vascular network, leading to complications such as ocular and cerebral infarction, skin ischaemia and necrosis7 (Fig.