Is there such a thing as a filler “emergency?”

Dr. Irwin
December 8, 2015
Hi, I had dermal filler done on my labionasal fold this afternoon (for the 2nd time) and also on the hollows of my chin & just above that on the corners of my mouth (for the 1st time). I used a numbing creme but the left side of my face still feels numb - the right doesn't - and has taken on a purplish tinge, as has the left half of my top lip. My nose is also feeling numb.Should I see a doctor or leave it until the morning to see if it wears off?

IMPORTANT!!  IF YOU HAVE AN UNUSUAL REACTION, LIKE THIS ONE, TO A FILLER, YOU MUST CONTACT YOUR  DOCTOR/NURSE IMMEDIATELY !   An alternataive is an emergency room.   There ARE filler emergencies and I’ll explain why.

On rare occasions, a filler injection can block an artery in the face.  The blockage of an artery can cause the blood flow to be cut off (thus the purplish mottled color) and then tissue death, then possibly permanent scarring.   This is another reason WHY it’s very important to choose good doctors, good offices with competent personnel and do your homework on this carefully.

If you have something happen, similar to the above, you must contact the office where this was done immediately.  There is a small window of time when this can be corrected or reversed and a good office will know how to do this.   We tell all our patients that a small or medium size bruise  is normal with a filler treatment, but they must call us with large or unusual bruising or sensations like the above.

At SkinTour.com, we get many wonderful questions and I answer 3-6 per week that pertain generally to the entire skin care community to try to help educate all of us.  I cannot answer individual questions with an individual answer ……only YOUR doctor or nurse can do that.   Please be sure not to ask questions that need answers right away on this site!

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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