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Cosmetic fillers can cause blindness and skin damage if injected incorrectly, experts have warned.
Non-surgical procedures, such as fillers, are rise in popularity Nearly 10,000 were performed by members of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) in 2024.
Cosmetic fillers are injectable substances that are commonly used to target and smooth wrinkles. rejuvenate skin -The most common filler is hyaluronic acid.
But if it is administered incorrectly and the filler is injected into or too close to the blood vessels, it can key results Resulting from a blocked artery.
Clinics are now being advised to perform ultrasound before injecting dermal fillers to see where the vessels are located.
Rosa Maria Silveira Siegrist, author of the study and a radiologist at the Department of Radiology of the University of São Paulo in Brazil, said: “Vascular occlusion events in the face can be devastating, because, if they are not properly treated, they can lead to necrosis and even facial deformity.”
For the study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), researchers studied filler-related vascular complications in 100 patients.
In only less than half of the cases, ultrasound scans revealed that flow was absent in the blood vessels connecting the superficial and deep arteries of the face. In more than one third of cases, flow in major blood vessels was absent.
The area around the nose is a particularly risky injection site, because the blood vessels of the nose communicate with some vital parts of the head, including the eyes.
Dr. Siegrist warned that damage to these vessels can lead to serious complications, including skin damage, blindness, and stroke.
To treat filler-related complications, an enzyme called hyaluronidase is injected to break down the hyaluronic acid filler material. Ultrasound also helps guide physicians to the area that needs treatment.
“If injectors are not guided by ultrasound, they treat based on clinical findings and inject blindly,” Dr. Siegrist said.
“But if we can see the ultrasound finding, we can target the exact location where the occlusion occurs. Instead of flooding the area with hyaluronidase, we can do guided injections that use less hyaluronidase and provide better treatment outcomes.”
Ultrasound is also a useful tool for self-directing filler injections and can help with accuracy, so that less is needed and there is less chance of complications from the start, he explained.
People who have experienced complications after filler injections stress the importance of getting it done by a qualified doctor.
Lauren Bateman mentioned earlier Independent About how getting fillers under her eyes made her feel like her “face was going to explode” and caused an infection on her face that could reach her eye. He admitted that the person applying the filler had no qualifications.
Ultrasound can help prevent impurities, but BAAPS cautions that it is not yet standard care, although its use is increasing.
Nora Nugent, Chair of BAAPS, said: “Mapping the location of blood vessels undoubtedly provides valuable information before treatment.
“Such risks from dermal fillers are one of the many reasons why BAAPS has long campaigned for increased regulation of aesthetic procedures and to restrict the provision of medical procedures such as injection treatments to those who have not received medical training.
“We hope the government will eventually improve safety and regulation with the proposed licensing scheme for non-surgical procedures.”
The government has previously said it plans to introduce restrictions to crack down on “cowboy” cosmetic procedures which have left people disabled, injured and needing urgent NHS care.
Practitioners will be required to meet rigorous safety, training, and insurance standards before they can practice legally. A public consultation will be published in early 2026 ahead of the proposed changes.