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Common Complications of Dermal Fillers

Dermal filler treatment is one of the most popular treatments for lips. However, you must know the potential side effects and risks of the treatment so that you are happy and comfortable with the decision that you are making. Care providers at Sky Vein & Aesthetics provide dermal fillers for patients who want to improve their appearance by targeting the lips. Some of the risk factors to watch out for include:

  • Bruising

The procedure requires a needle; therefore, wherever the doctor puts a needle against the skin, it can leave a red mark, bump, or a bruise, particularly around the lip and mouth area, since there are many tiny little blood vessels around there. If you bruise after your filler treatment, it can take quite a few days for that to settle. You might want to take some arnica tablets or cream, which may help break the bruise down quicker for you. Your doctor will also wipe the area down before starting treatment to minimize the risk of any infection.

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  • Swelling

After you have had your treatment, you might swell up a little bit, particularly around the lips, depending on the type of filler you have used. You might notice more swelling with a standard range filler because it attracts more water to the area. Please do not be alarmed by that, it can be quite significant over the first couple of days, which is to be expected. Things you can do at home to minimize that swelling include placing a cool pack on the treated area and ensuring to wrap it in a towel or sock. Hold it gently in place, not pressing too hard- you do not want to ruin the lovely shape created from the treatment. Holding it gently against your lip will help bring some of that initial swelling right down for you.

  • Necrosis

This side effect occurs if a little bit of the filler was to get into one of the blood vessels that supply the skin on your face; it would block the blood from getting through. If your skin is not getting any blood, over time, that patch of skin could potentially die off if left uncorrected. If your doctor has any concerns about the blood supply to your skin during treatment, they will use the reversal agent for the filler, which is always at the clinic. If you notice that your skin is changing color in one patch, and turning a dusky color or is painful, please get in touch with your doctor as soon as possible. This usually happens within the first 12 to 24 hours after your treatment.

Necrosis is the most serious complication of a filler, but it is rare. To minimize your risk further, before each injection, your doctor will aspirate. Meaning, before pushing and filling it into you, your doctor will pull back on the needle to confirm the absence of blood in the syringe. The presence of blood means that the needle is in a blood vessel and indicates to your doctor to come out and find a new position to keep you as safe as possible.

Sky Vein & Aesthetics want to make sure that you are happy and comfortable with your treatment decisions, which is why the specialists will go through all of the potential risks and side effects of dermal fillers with you before you have your treatment done. If you have got any further questions, enquire about these during your consultation.