Autoimmune diseases – are injectibles and lasers safe?

Dr. Irwin
March 28, 2015
Hi Dr. Irwin I would like to get injectibles but I am concerned because I have an autoimmune condition called Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. What advice can you give me about this?

Hashimotos, systemic lupus, multiple sclerosis, Sjogren’s, Bell’s palsy, rheumatoid arthritis …………these are all autoimmune diseases……just to name a few.    Autoimmune diseases are a group of diseases that are caused by our own immune systems getting confused and attacking our own tissue/organs.   These disease can range from very mild to severe.

As far as injectibles go, the hyaluronic acid fillers like Juvederm and Restylane have the best safety profiles because hyaluronic acid is such a natural substance already found in our bodies.  In my opinion, avoid all permanent fillers like silicone or Artefill –  if you have a bad reaction to these there is no way to fix the problem, except by surgical excision which is not a good option.  More on Fillers and Safety.

In general, each of these is slightly different in the way it affects people, so it’s impossible to give a blanket answer .    In Dermatology , some of us are board certified in derm but also in another specialty like Internal Medicine or Pediatrics.   For example, I am also board certified in Internal Medicine.

If you have one of these diseases, try to find a Dermatologist who is board certified in Internal Medicine also …….. she/he will have much more training working with these diseases.  And…..whomever you choose can also work closely with your doctor if needed.

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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