Most of the time, the potential side effects from injectable fillers are minimal and temporary, with swelling, bruising and tenderness being the most common. However, fillers do come with
some very real risks. Vascular occlusion and vessel constriction caused when the filler is
inadvertently injected into a vessel or compresses it, can happen anywhere on the face.
Vessel occlusion or construction can lead to damaging tissue, necrosis and in rare cases
visual impairment, blindness or distal embolism.
These complications are rare; research has put the incidence of vascular compromise at
0.05%.
It’s critically important that the injector not only is well trained but also has the capability to reverse a problem should it arise
All injectable fillers can cause vascular occlusion, but hyaluronic acid formulations can be reversed via an enzyme known as hyaluronidase.
** Are you confident regarding Hyaluronidase dissolving? If not please visit our Hyaluronidase
Dissolving Course**
These complications can happen with the best of injectors. The tricky thing with fillers is that
you’re injecting blindly. You can have a sense of where the vessels are, but you can’t see them
Areas of concern when using facial injectables
Lets have a quick look at some of the risky areas
1) The glabella - this is the most dangerous area on the face for filler. The most common site leading to visual loss
2) Eye area - particularly risky due to the dorsal nasal artery located on the bridge of the nose
3) The cheek pads - Infraorbital region is risky as it is one of the terminal branches of the maxillary artery. Deep injections must be avoided
4) The Nose - nasal augmentation is the main cause of nasal tissue necrosis and the second cause of visual loss after the glabella region. This is because of the dorsal nasal artery
5) The temples - requires practitioner knowledge of vessel mapping and locating arterial pulse as some arteries run closer to the skin here.
6) The lips - avoid injecting the wet/dry border in the lower and upper lip
7) Nasolabial fold - third most common site for visual loss. Extreme caution should be exercised when injecting near the alar groove
8) Jawline - the facial artery branches from the carotid artery here. Injections must be perpendicular to the vessel
9) The ear - the external carotid artery comes up from the neck here. Avoid one fingerbreadth the entire length of the anterior border of the ear from base of mandible to superior temporal fossa.
All the areas discussed are connected in one way or another. Whether it be the flow from the
facial artery to the angular artery to lateral and dorsal and nasal arteries connect to the
ophthalmic artery to the central retinal artery.
Anatomy is not the same for every person. There is no black and white text book for knowing
exact locations.
This discussion mainly focused on the arterial system of the face. Extensive knowledge of
veins, nerves, and muscles are also crucial for client safety.
We have various online accredited courses to support your knowledge:
- Dissolving with Hyaluronidase
- Facial Anatomy and Physiology for Aestheticians Level 3
- Anaphylaxis shock
Visit our website for more details
