Complications of Self-Injected Facial Fillers: A Treatment Conundrum in the UK

Abstract

There has been a rise in nonsurgical cosmetic procedures seen within the UK population in the past decade. A change in legislation has placed restrictions on the distribution and provision of such treatments. Therefore, patients may seek alternative methods to bring about a change to their appearance, such as self-injection of a filler. Complications may include oral ulceration, foreign body tissue reaction, and infection due to a lack in sterility during injection. Such presentations may mimic that of oral cancer and can lead to misdiagnoses and undue cost to the National Health Service. This case highlights the common features leading to correct identification of patients self-injecting with facial fillers and discusses the controversy surrounding the economic aspects of their care. We would like to report one such case presenting to our oral and maxillofacial surgical unit.

Complications, Treatment, and Outcomes of Self-Injecting Substances Into the Face: A Systematic Review

“…The most commonly injected substance was hyaluronic acid (76.4%, excluding 1 patient who injected an unknown substance). 7 Excluding 1 patient with insufficient information, 6 the lips were the most common site of injection (33%), followed by cheeks (22%). The most reported complications were edema (61%) and erythema (28%).…”

<p>Complications Following Self-Administration of Hyaluronic Acid Fillers: Literature Review</p>

“…[3][4][5][6] Conversely, the present literature review showed a significant low incidence of reported complications following self-administration of HA filler: only 4 case reports have been published. [7][8][9][10] Three of these case reports referred to facial injection and one to penis injection; in all the cases HA filler was bought on the internet. Regarding self-administration of facial filler, one paper presented the clinical case of a woman who was referred to the hospital with a 4-week history of suspicious upper lip swelling.…”

“…Conversely, the present literature review showed a significant low incidence of reported complications following self-administration of HA filler: only 4 case reports have been published. 7 – 10 …”

“…A conservative approach was proposed to the patient and self-reduction of the clinical condition was observed within 2 months. 10 Another paper presented a patient suffering from swelling around the nasolabial fold, which she had since her self-injection filler 10 months previous. The case was treated with hyaluronidase injection.…”