Facial filler injections have become one of the most popular cosmetic procedures in recent years. They are chosen as an alternative to plastic surgery to correct wrinkles, improve facial contours, and increase skin tone. Most often, hyaluronic acid-based preparations are used for this, which are considered relatively safe and give a quick visual effect.
However, new medical observations indicate that such procedures can carry serious health risks. Vascular doctors who analyzed complications after unsuccessful filler injections concluded that the danger is often underestimated. It was possible to detect it thanks to the use of ultrasound scanning.
The study analyzed 100 cases of complications after the injection of dermal fillers. The main threat was vascular occlusion, a blockage of the arteries that occurs when the filler enters directly into a blood vessel or is injected too close to it. Such disorders can lead to skin death, tissue deformation and even loss of vision due to impaired blood circulation.
Doctors emphasize that injections in the area around the nose are especially dangerous. This is where blood vessels pass that are connected to critical structures of the head. Damage to them can have serious consequences, including blindness or stroke.
Although severe cases of complete blockage of large arteries are rare, the study showed another worrying trend. Almost half of the patients had impaired blood flow in the small vessels that connect the superficial arteries to the deep ones. In about a third of cases, the fillers partially blocked blood flow in the larger vessels. Doctors attribute this to the fact that the injections are mostly performed "blindly", without controlling the location of the vessels using ultrasound.
In case of complications, the situation is tried to be corrected by introducing special drugs that dissolve the fillers. However, doctors note that this is already treating the consequences, not preventing the problem. According to them, guided injections using ultrasound would allow to reduce the amount of drug injected and significantly reduce the risk of complications.
That's why doctors are calling for tighter controls on aesthetic medicine. They are pushing for more ultrasound guidance for filler injections and for restrictions on the use of such procedures by non-medical professionals. They believe that the popularity of beauty injections should not overshadow patient safety concerns.
