Danger Zone – Filler in the Temples

I have been advised by my dermatologist to have the hollow area of the temples on my face treated with a filler of some sort. I am a 64 year female. Have you ever done this for a pt? Now that he has pointed this out to me I do see that I would look better, but would like to know your thoughts.

Here’s why this area is a danger zone!    There are blood vessels in this area which, if injected incorrectly, can be blocked and could cause blindness.  There are about 40 cases of this in the medical literature now.  About 50% were from fat transplantation.  Of the other 50%, most cases were the more “permanent” fillers (never use these please) like Artefill, and hyluronic acid fillers like Juvederm, Restylane and other HA fillers found in Europe, Asia, South America, etc.   There was 1 case involving Sculptra.  And the answer to your question is yes!

So…..experts only please!   This is safe to do with hyaluronic acid fillers …….if the injector is very experienced and uses a blunt tipped canula (much less risk of puncturing a vessel), rather than a needle.

Sculptra is a much thinner consistency (more like water and less like a gel) and so is lower risk.  Still Sculptra should be injected in the temples only by very experienced injectors who know in which plane to work and always aspirate (check to make sure not in a blood vessel) before each injection.   There have been greater than 30,000 treatments now with only one problem.

Hope this helps,  Dr. I

Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD

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Hi, I’m Dr. Irwin. I believe that consumers deserve a medically trained and unbiased skin care advocate.

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