In the pursuit of beauty, one of the most popular treatments to enhance facial features is dermal filler. However, this quest for aesthetic improvement can take a dangerous turn when entrusted to unqualified practitioners.
Dermal Filler: Magic Youth Elixir
Dermal fillers have become a staple in the world of aesthetic enhancement, offering individuals a non surgical means to rejuvenate their appearance. The purpose of fillers are to outline, to lift and restore volume, diminish wrinkles and enhance facial contours, making them another option for those who are afraid of going under the knife, which usually have longer downtime and recovery time. Plus, for some patients, not everything can be solved with surgery itself as it cannot restore volume like dermal fillers do on this anti-aging journey, yet giving you that natural, harmonious results.
Dark Side of Unqualified Practitioners
As the demand of dermal fillers rises, so does the potential for complications when the treatment is done in the hands of unqualified practitioners.
Why is it important to be injected by a qualified medical professional? The risks that anyone is betting by entrusting your face to individuals lacking proper medical qualifications are basically a no brainer.
a. Limited Understanding of Facial Anatomy
Non medical professionals often lack the extensive medical training required to comprehend the complexities of a facial anatomy. Facial anatomy is not just a fixed map but a dynamic landscape with various contours and structures.
Inadequate knowledge increases the likelihood of unintended complications to happen. I like to categorize these as 5 rights of dermal fillers injection.
Right Site:
Is it injected at the correct anatomy site?
Right Indication:
Is it the correct indication for the fillers to be injected at the specific site?
Right Product:
Is it the correct product to be used at that specific site?
Right Dose:
Is it being injected in the correct amount and not creating an overfill effect?
Right Route/Technique:
Is it injected using the correct technique that minimizes the risk of complications?
b. Inadequate Recognition of Individual Variability
Every face is unique, and each individual’s response to dermal fillers can vary. That is why a trained or qualified medical professional has the ability to appreciate and navigate this variability and treat the patient in a rightful way with minimized risks of complications.
c. Lack of Emergency Treatment Training
Complications during filler injections demand swift and informed responses. One of the most common complications that needs emergency attention is Vascular Occlusion.
A trained medical professional has the knowledge and ability to identify the signs of vascular occlusion and treat it immediately according to the treatment protocol.
Vascular Occlusion: What Is It?
Vascular Occlusion occurs when blood is no longer able to pass through a blood vessel. It may be a complete occlusion or partial occlusion, resulting in reduced blood supply to the supplied skin, causing skin death (skin necrosis)
When a blood vessel is inadvertently injected with filler material, the normal circulation can be impaired, leading to reduced tissue oxygen supply and causing skin death. Most of the soft tissue fillers used in cosmetic practice consist of hyaluronic acid.
Many cases of vascular compromise occur immediately with injection and the medical practitioner will be aware of the signs of this. Some of the signs are like:-
Pain. Severe pain is usually experienced by the patient at the time of injection. Some cases could also be sudden or escalating pain in the hours following the treatment.
If this happens, you need to alert the practitioner as it warrants an urgent review.
Blanching. When the blood vessels are affected, the area will often initially look pale, white or dusky, due to the reduction in blood supply to the affected tissue. The blanching might be initially short lived and local but if unresolved, the pattern of the blanching will become irregular.
Dusky, purple discoloration. This is more typical several hours following treatment and is due to accumulation of unoxygenated blood in the affected tissue. The appearance can mimic that of bruising, but bruises do not blanch, as they are caused by blood leaking into the skin.
Coolness. When blood supply has been affected, the tissues are not being supplied with blood, so the temperature will be reduced. This will not be apparent immediately following injection.
Areas of Caution
It is essential to consider that there are no safe areas of the face and all areas should be treated with the same respect.
But special attention should be given when injecting into the midline, as this area appears to be a more dangerous area to inject in terms of vascular occlusion.
Some of the danger areas are like forehead, nose tip, nasolabial fold and tear trough area. These are the areas where it is supplied by arteries with limited collateral blood flow.
Do check out another previous article by us, “Safeguarding Beauty: Choosing the Right Professional for Your Aesthetic Journey”, where we enlightened on recent reports about patients who went for aesthetic treatments under unlicensed beauticians that caused complications and even lives as the end results after the treatment. https://www.dreamclinic.my/post/safeguarding-beauty-choosing-the-right-professional-for-your-aesthetic-journey
We all have unique facial features and it is very important to entrust your skin only to trained medical professionals so that each treatment carried out can significantly reduce the risks of complications.
If you have any queries about anti-aging treatments, make your appointment with us now in Dream Clinic. If you have friends who are also beauty enthusiasts, you can also share this article and make sure your loved ones only receive the best and safe treatment to achieve their aesthetic goals.
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