Is it safe to inject hyaluronic acid fillers on top of other fillers like Sculptra, Radiesse or Artefill?

Dr. Irwin
June 29, 2014
Hi Dr.Irwin I'd like to know if it's safe to have HAs injected on top of where sculptra filler was injected? thank you Morgan

Thank you all for asking such good questions!   Just so you know….in my opinion, Artefill is not safe (ever) because it’s a permanent filler (micron sized plastic beads) and when a serious reaction occurs, there is no real remedy besides surgically cutting it out.  In our practice, we don’t inject over an area where Artefill was placed either.  There are good dermatologists and plastic surgeons who disagree with this however.  More on filler problems.

Regarding HA fillers over Sculptra or Radiesse, there is no real data on this.  Scuptra and Radiesse both last, in general, about 1-2 years so after that time, there really isn’t an issue.  Also Sculptra and Radiesse are usually injected at a very deep plane –  deep dermis or even a little lower.   HA fillers are usually placed above that level, so it’s generally thought that this is not a issue.   At every conference I attend, I go to the talks on filler complications, and have never seen this presented or seen a case of an adverse reaction in our practice.

We would all love it if one of the companies would study this more, but the definitive answer is still not available. 

I 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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