Complications after dermal fillers and their treatment

All dermal fillers are associated with the risk of both early and late complications. Early side effects such as swelling, redness, and bruising occur after intradermal or subdermal injections. The patient has to be aware of these risks and be prepared to accept them. Adverse events that last longer than 2 weeks can be attributable to technical shortcomings (e.g., the implantation of a long-lasting filler substance was too superficial). Such adverse events can be treated with intradermal 5-fluorouracil and steroid injections, vascular lasers, or intense pulsed light, and later with dermabrasion or shaving. Late adverse events also include immunological phenomena such as late-onset allergy and nonallergic foreign body granulomas. Both react well to intralesional steroid injections, which often have to be repeated to establish the right dose. Surgical excisions should remain the last option and are indicated for hard lumps in the lips and visible hard nodules or hard granulomas in the subcutaneous fat.