Impending Facial Skin Necrosis and Ocular Involvement After Dermal Filler Injection: A Case Report

Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2017 Oct;41(5):1198-1201. doi: 10.1007/s00266-017-0898-8. Epub 2017 May 31.

Abstract

Demand for non-surgical rejuvenating procedure is constantly increasing due to the aging population, increasing expense of aesthetics and beauty procedures, introduction of new applications and rising demand for noninvasive aesthetic procedures over surgical procedures. Skin necrosis is a rare but severe potential complication. It is caused by impediment of the blood supply to the skin area by compression and/or obstruction of the vessel with filler material, and/or direct injury to the vessel. We report the case of a young patient who presented an acute and severe complication after a dermal filler injection by an unlicensed therapist. High-dose corticosteroids i.v. therapy among others helped in the process of healing. Skin necrosis left the patient with a full thickness scar on the forehead region. Dermal fillers are to be considered safe only when handled by trained doctors. Level of Evidence V This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Keywords: Dermal; Dermal filler; Face rejuvenation; Filler complication; Filler injection; Hyaluronic acid; Skin necrosis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Cosmetic Techniques / adverse effects*
  • Dermal Fillers / administration & dosage
  • Dermal Fillers / adverse effects*
  • Eye Diseases / chemically induced*
  • Eye Diseases / physiopathology
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Injections, Subcutaneous
  • Necrosis / chemically induced
  • Necrosis / pathology
  • Risk Assessment
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Skin Diseases / chemically induced*
  • Skin Diseases / pathology*
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Dermal Fillers