What about using cannulas instead of needles for fillers?
Yes – there was a lot of discussion about using cannulas instead of needles for fillers at both the IMCAS meeting in Paris and the AAD meeting in San Diego this year.
To make a long story short, blunt tip cannulas can be used instead of needles for injecting fillers. The cannulas discussed at the meetings were usually blunt tipped rather than sharp like a needle. To insert them into the skin, a small hole has to be made with a needle first and then the cannula inserted into hole created by the needle.
The advantage is that they may cause less bruising in some areas, they can be used where there are important arteries to improve safety by lessening the chance your doctor could accidently puncture an artery (this is a rare side effect), and they are longer and may reach spots that are hard to reach with some needles.
The disadvantage is that they are thicker than most needles and may cause more tissue swelling in some areas, may be more painful because they are larger, and will not be helpful for many types of wrinkles and lines that we treat with needles now because they are too big.
In my opinion, they will be most useful when using thicker fillers like Voluma (not yet approved in the U.S.) and when working in the temple area, cheeks, and for some problems around mouth. They are another helpful tool to get you the safest, best results possible. Hope this helps, Dr. I
