Complications after contouring with fillers - how to deal with the consequences?

Pain during contouring - myth or reality?

Thanks to unscrupulous players in the beauty market, potential clients have the impression that lip correction using fillers is a pleasant and painless procedure. But in reality this is absolutely not the case. Even the use of special anesthetic gels does not relieve pain. Subcutaneous manipulation with a needle is, to put it mildly, unpleasant, especially on such a sensitive area as the lips. Even those who have a fairly high pain threshold experience discomfort.

Manufacturers of lidocaine fillers claim that their solutions can reduce sensitivity by 35–40%. Cosmetologists also talk about positive experiences and slight swelling. But stories about serious complications that arise specifically from lidocaine-containing drugs are regularly covered in the media. Although we are mostly talking about overdoses or violations of sanitary standards.

An initial consultation with your doctor before the procedure is a wise thing to do. It is necessary to discuss with a specialist the selection of the drug, execution technique and contraindications. The doctor will take into account the individual characteristics of your body. This will help reduce the risk of side effects and eliminate allergic reactions.

What you should tell your doctor before lip augmentation

Your doctor can discuss the pros and cons of your lip augmentation options with you and help you decide which method or product is best for you. But you should also tell him all the information about yourself:

if you have ever had herpes in the past;
known allergies or allergies to lidocaine;
about any medications you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medications;
as well as herbal supplements.

The most important thing is to find a doctor who is qualified and experienced in administering injections and who you trust.

Don't go to just anyone. Lip augmentation poses a real risk, especially if the person doing the injection is inexperienced. When deciding which doctor to see, ask about his or her training and education. How many injections did he have? Are they a board-certified physician or member of a medical association in their specialty? Also ask to see before and after photos of patients the doctor has treated.

Unpleasant complications after contouring - swelling and hematomas

From a medical point of view, slight swelling on the lips where the needle was pricked is quite natural. Microtrauma is caused to the vessels, hence the swelling. But it is still worth minimizing possible complications. Use the services of only professional cosmetologists, and follow all doctor’s recommendations. If a lip contouring session has already been performed and the result is not entirely successful, do not delay and immediately seek help from specialists. Attempts at self-medication will only worsen the situation.

Severe swelling is one of the side effects of filler, which is based on hyaluronic acid . Such preparations quite actively sublimate water. This situation is not considered a complication; the swelling subsides within 8–10 days. There are exceptions, but in cases of introducing a large volume of gel. Contrary to popular belief, it is not always possible to get rid of swelling with lymphatic drainage massage. We recommend reading how to remove lip filler without harm to your health.

Biorevitalization: consequences and complications

Injection procedures may be accompanied not only by the temporary effects that we discussed above, but also by more serious side effects that require qualified medical attention. In these cases, you should not self-medicate. Otherwise, the negative consequences of the procedures may intensify and lead to even more serious complications.

Allergy

Some people have an allergic reaction to the anesthesia, the drug, or even the material the needle is made of. Allergies after biorevitalization or mesotherapy can manifest themselves in different forms. This may be allergic dermatitis, accompanied by persistent redness and sometimes blistering rashes.

When exposed to an allergen, a local anaphylactic reaction with itching, blisters and swelling may also develop. In rare situations, there may be anaphylactic shock, Quincke's edema and urticaria. In any case, if an allergy occurs, the help of a qualified doctor is necessary.

Inflammation and infections

Complications after biorevitalization or mesotherapy in the form of infection can occur if antiseptic standards are not observed during the procedure or if skin care is improper. As a result of the inflammatory process, the patient may develop small, painless nodules under the skin.

In case of inflammation and infection, you must immediately contact a specialist to avoid more serious consequences.

Skin depigmentation

This side effect is rarely encountered in practice. And the main reason is a violation of the technique of the procedure. Thus, if a filler gets into a vessel, the patient may experience quite severe pain, and the risk of subsequent skin depigmentation increases significantly.

Nodules and other structures under the skin

Sometimes there are quite serious consequences of mesotherapy: persistent lumps under the skin, prolonged redness, necrosis (death of an area) of the skin.

The causes of such complications may be inflammation against the background of an associated infection, impaired blood supply due to damage to a vessel, or ignoring serious contraindications to a cosmetic procedure.

In the absence of timely help, these consequences will not pass without a trace, and a person will remain with unesthetic skin defects for the rest of his life. Therefore, if you notice such consequences after biorevitalization or mesotherapy, immediately consult a doctor. This requires competent diagnosis and treatment, and sometimes surgical intervention.

Lip contouring: consequences in the form of inflammation

Inflammation cannot be called a direct side effect. Non-sulfated glycosaminoglycan (hyaluronic acid) is completely biologically compatible, but despite this, after its administration the body activates its standard protective reaction. As a rule, biological processes return to normal within a few days and inflammation goes away on its own. But in some cases, redness remains. There are two possible options:

Along with the puncture, an infection entered the body . But this is not always the cosmetologist’s mistake. The viruses could have been developing for several days, and the injection triggered their launch.
Autoimmune diseases reacted to the drug injected into the lip area, activating an inflammatory reaction and an increase in connective tissue.

In terms of neutralization, each of the points requires different therapy. In case of infection, you must make an appointment with a doctor to clarify the diagnosis and take pharmacological medications. If an autoimmune disease is to blame, then it is worth undergoing steroid therapy - it effectively reduces the immune response. But only a doctor prescribes the prescription and regimen for taking any medications. Self-medicating the consequences after contouring is extremely dangerous. Instead of reducing inflammation, you can, on the contrary, provoke suppuration and the formation of permanent scars.

Find out which method of correcting scars and stretch marks is optimal for you!

doctor Svetlana Viktorovna Ogorodnikova.

doctor

Possible consequences:

Itching and redness. As a rule, this is a temporary phenomenon caused by the individual skin reaction to injections and damage. Most often, redness and itching go away on their own within two days. However, if your face itches or the redness persists longer, you should consult a doctor.
Peeling of the skin. As in the first case, this may be a short-term reaction of the body to the injection. As a result of the procedure, new cells appear and old ones die. When this process is completed, the skin will no longer peel.
Microhematomas, which usually go away on their own after a few days.
Unpleasant sensations (tightness, heat). Some patients feel their face burning after injections. Usually we are talking about the body’s natural reaction to the puncture, which should go away naturally during the day. If a feeling of tightness occurs, you must follow the care recommendations of your cosmetologist.

Fibrosis and compaction - complications after lip contouring

In the first days after the injection of fillers, lumps may appear at the injection site, this is due to the fact that the substance has not yet had time to distribute evenly. Sometimes it happens that a hematoma (bruise) appears due to damage to a vessel. Within a week, it usually resolves, but if the cause of the lump is fibrosis, then the situation is much more complicated and requires your close attention.

Why does fibrosis occur?

The distribution of fillers in the lip occurs gradually, and the effect can last up to 12 months. Immediately after administration of the drug and during the first week, balls are felt under the skin, which dissolve on their own. Clots are nothing more than drops of filler, which is quite natural. Fibrosis is an unpleasant complication when connective tissue grows with the appearance of scar changes.

One of the obvious reasons for the formation of fibrosis is the rejection of a foreign substance by the body . In this case, a well-chosen injection solution can solve this issue. But only a professional cosmetologist can determine the dosage and prescribe the necessary drug that will not aggravate the situation. The doctor will also tell you what care is suitable after lip contouring in your case.

Unobvious reasons for the formation of fibrosis include:

inexperience of the cosmetologist;
violation of sanitary norms and rules;
mechanical damage to the walls of blood vessels;
counterfeit or low-quality filler;
violation of the technology and technique of drug administration;
incorrectly selected dose of the administered substance.

Rehabilitation after lip contouring

Fibrous changes after filler injection can occur anywhere on the face, but a particularly favorite area for localization of compactions is the upper lip. This is due to the fact that the skin here is extremely sensitive, delicate and thin. Swelling may not even arise from the filler, but simply from trauma to the skin with a needle.

Seals on the lips cannot be corrected with makeup. Fibrosis is noticeable to the naked eye, and you won’t be able to hide lumps with lipstick and gloss; rather, on the contrary, you only focus attention on this area. It is possible to get rid of fibrosis in one of two ways: surgical or conservative. In the first case, surgical intervention will be required, and in the second, an external agent with collagenase enzymes. The operation is an extreme measure, which is usually used to extract biogel; most often, gentle methods can be used.

Reasons for the appearance of seals after lip augmentation

There are several reasons for such problems:

incorrect filler injection technique due to the low level of qualifications of the specialist who performs contouring . Most often, hyaluronic acid is not injected deeply enough or in large volumes. Such seals are especially noticeable in women with thin skin. They look like bluish or grayish formations. You can wait - the filler dissolves on its own within 1-2 months - or remove the excess with the help of special preparations;
migration of hyaluronic acid : displacement of the gel during the first time after administration in tissues due to mechanical action or other reasons. This occurs when the bag holding the substance has not yet formed;
inflammatory process in the area of filler injection : redness of the skin and swelling, local increase in temperature, severe pain. Occurs due to the penetration of pathogens into the deep layers of the skin through punctures or due to the presence of autoimmune diseases;
connective tissue growth : hyaluronic acid stimulates the activity of fibroblasts that produce collagen and elastin. Seals can appear after a long time, and getting rid of them is quite difficult;
formation of a hematoma due to severe damage to blood vessels : most often, hematomas are formed on the lips due to the large number of vessels located in them. As a rule, they resolve on their own;
growth of cysts : formations in soft tissues filled with fluid. In the case of contouring, they may occur in response to the introduction of a gel;
the use of low-quality fillers : the easiest way to avoid such a complication is that contour plastic surgery should be performed only in specialized clinics by professionals.

A cosmetologist should warn about the possible appearance of dense formations and explain in which case you should worry, and in which case you just need to wait.

Why might you need to remove hyaluronic acid from your lips?

Inflammation.

In principle, this is normal. The body is simply struggling with a foreign, albeit biocompatible, fluid that has suddenly poured into it. However, if the inflammation does not go away within 3 days, we can talk about its infectious nature. The foreign substance from the lips must be removed.

Granulomas and fibroses.

If inflammation is left untreated, connective tissue compaction forms in this area. Over time, these phenomena turn into a clearly visible cosmetic defect. Seals may also appear due to incorrect dosage or incorrect choice of drug.

Individual hypersensitivity.

Cases of allergic reactions are rare and do not always appear immediately. Inflammation and hardening of the lip tissue may begin several months after the procedure.

Protrusion or movement of the drug.

If you inject hyaluronic gel too close to the surface, it will change the natural contour of the lips and make the skin look bumpy. Or it may turn it a bluish-purple color.

If injected too deeply, the gel may simply flow into other areas of the face, which will distort its proportions.

This is also an indication for removing hyaluronic acid from the lips.

Errors or inexperience of the doctor.

Incorrect selection of filler can lead to uneven lip augmentation or hypercorrection, gel migration, inflammatory processes, etc.

How to quickly remove hyaluronic acid from lips?

There is a fairly wide range of techniques to correct the situation. In general, they all solve the same problem - to enhance metabolic processes in the correction area, which ultimately leads to accelerated breakdown and removal of the injected hyaluronic acid from the body.

Microcurrent therapy

The therapeutic effect is exerted by weak pulse currents with a strength of 10 to 600 μA. The procedure is so delicate that it causes virtually no discomfort.

Preparation consists of cleansing the skin, after which the cosmetologist applies a conductive gel to it and begins the effect using an electrode: stationary; movable; conductive gloves.

Electroporation

A hardware method in which cosmetic preparations are introduced into the skin using weak electromagnetic pulses. It is painless and has virtually no side effects.

Vaporization

Vaporization is a deep cleansing of the face with special steam. This manipulation increases blood circulation, due to which accelerated removal of the filler occurs.

Contraindications for this procedure include hypertension and respiratory diseases.

Massage and compresses

Affordable, safe, pleasant procedures. But they must be carried out by an experienced doctor, since excess filler stretches the skin and, if the manipulations are carried out incorrectly, this effect will intensify.

Hyaluronidase injections

Hyaluronidase refers to enzymes, that is, protein substances that accelerate the occurrence of chemical reactions in cells. Under its influence, hyaluronic acid, which was introduced as a filler, breaks down into its component parts (oligomers) and is quickly removed from the tissues.

Using hyaluronidase injections, you can remove both fresh filler and the one that was injected several months ago.

It is interesting to note that hyaluronidase can only remove hyaluronic acid and cannot be used to remove collagen, silicone or hydroxypropionic acid. The effect of the drug begins immediately after its administration. Sometimes, if a large amount of hyaluronic acid needs to be removed, several injections of hyaluronodase may be required. In most cases, within 1-2 days (sometimes within 7 days) the hyaluronic acid will be completely removed.

Hyaluronodase should only be administered by an experienced specialist. Some conditions may be contraindications for the procedure.

The introduction of hyaluronodase has some nuances. For example, if a patient wishes to correct newly acquired volume, the injection of hyaluronidase will cause the gel to dissolve unevenly and the lips to appear asymmetrical. As for side effects and allergic reactions, they can occur with absolutely any drug.

“White spots” on lips from filler?

Sometimes in my practice as a cosmetologist, I hear from patients that after the lip augmentation procedure, some “white spots” appeared on the lips and they were not there before. It's time to discover the secret of the appearance of “white spots”. In fact, there is no secret. These dots have been on your lips since you were 13-16 years old, that is, since puberty. I’ll say right away that they are safe, they do not cause any harm to health and only cause aesthetic discomfort. In dermatology, this phenomenon is called Fordyce granules, in honor of its discoverer, the American dermatologist John Addison Fordyce. They are small spots from 1 to 2 mm or papules of a whitish or yellowish color; these are sebaceous glands, which are located more superficially to the upper layers of the skin; during the process of accumulation of secretions in them, they become visible. They can be single or numerous, located closer to the mucous membrane of the lips or along the red border of the lips.

By the way, there are more than 120 sebaceous glands per 1 cm2 in human skin; during life, under the influence of various factors, they undergo various changes, including the possibility of becoming clogged and forming cysts.

There is still no clear opinion why they appear, but the following reasons are identified:

- hormonal imbalance during puberty or due to neoplasms in the endocrine organs, resulting in increased production of male hormones - androgens, which leads to hyperplasia of glands of exocrine origin and their hyperproduction of secretions;

— violation of personal hygiene rules creates favorable conditions for the development of bacterial microflora and disrupts the process of exfoliation of keratinized cells, resulting in blockage of the ducts through which sebum should be released;

— bad habits, such as drinking alcohol, fatty, spicy, smoked foods also contribute to increased sebum secretion;

- lipid metabolism disorder, more often observed in elderly patients, since they experience an age-related decrease in the metabolic activity of fat in the body.

Fordyce granules most often appear on the mucous membranes of the genitals, nipples and areolas, but can also occur on other parts of the body, including the face and lips. Sometimes patients confuse the granules with protruding herpes and try to cure it on their own, of course, without effect. Squeezing out the granules is fraught with the formation of bruises and infection, so if you want to part with them, it is better to consult a dermatologist to clarify the diagnosis and choose the most effective treatment method. In modern medicine there are several ways to get rid of them.

Cryo destruction or application of liquid nitrogen. Under the influence of low temperatures, local necrosis of the formation occurs.

Electrocoagulation is the effect of high-frequency electric currents on granules, during which fluid is evaporated from the cells and their subsequent destruction (destruction). The minimal rehabilitation period and low relapse rate, as well as the cost of the procedure, make this method quite promising.

Laser therapy involves exposing papules to a laser beam, which also results in heating and destruction of the formation, while the precision of the beam eliminates damage to adjacent tissues, but the method is highly expensive.

When choosing a method, you must remember that none of the methods guarantees complete elimination of the problem and cysts can form again.

Since Fordyce granules are regarded as variants of the norm, there are no effective methods of prevention, however, it is recommended to give up bad habits, observe personal hygiene rules, and undergo routine examinations in medical institutions. The use of oily cosmetic products is also not recommended because they accumulate in the pores, clogging them. I always recommend that all my patients with oily skin use cosmetics labeled “non-comedogenic.” It is not recommended to be exposed to solar insolation, to follow a healthy and balanced diet, supplements of vitamins A, C, D, E, K are possible.

After the lip augmentation procedure, in which the lip tissue is stretched with filler and the lip folds are straightened, the granules become more noticeable, but the procedure itself does not contribute to their appearance, so before the procedure, carefully examine your lips so that their “appearance” does not come as a surprise. If you observe them in yourself and want to fight them, then it is better to do this before the lip augmentation procedure.

Dermatovenerologist-cosmetologist Anna Aleksandrovna Belyaeva.