A case of side effects such as severe swelling, scabs, and blisters after receiving lip filler was revealed.
On the 1st, the Chilean Aesthetic Medicine Anti-Aging and Functional Optimization Institute reported a case of lip filler side effects in a patient in his 20s through the journal ‘Cureus’.
The patient was a 29-year-old transgender person, and the exact gender was not disclosed. After receiving hyaluronic acid-based filler on the lips, the patient visited a nearby hospital because his lips gradually became swollen and the pain became severe. Although he received emergency antibiotic treatment, his symptoms continued to worsen and he was transferred to a larger hospital.
The patient said that his symptoms continued to worsen for 48 hours after the filler injection, and severe erythema, yellow scabs, and clusters developed, and the pain was severe. He had difficulty speaking or eating.
After testing at a hospital, it was suspected that it was due to bacterial infection and reactivation of the herpes virus.
After controlling the acute infection using antibiotics and antivirals, the medical staff administered hyaluronidase, which dissolves hyaluronic acid, to dissolve the filler injected into the lips. Fortunately, the symptoms gradually subsided, the inflammation was completely resolved, and the lip tissue was regenerated. There were no permanent aftereffects.
Lip angioedema side effects from hyaluronic acid fillers are rare but very dangerous. The medical staff explained, “The incidence of human hypersensitivity to non-animal stabilized hyaluronic acid varies depending on the product generation or impurity content, but is approximately 0.42 to 0.8%. Hypersensitivity reactions can occur immediately, and can occur several weeks or months after filler injection.”
As in the patient case, symptoms may occur due to herpes virus reactivation after lip filler injection. Herpes virus is a virus that creates blisters on the skin and mucous membranes, lies dormant in the body, and recurs repeatedly. Passing the filler injection needle multiple times can contaminate the filler and increase the risk of subsequent infection.
The medical staff emphasized, “If the diagnosis of filler side effects is delayed, it is dangerous as it can lead to tissue ischemia, secondary infection, and long-term aftereffects,” and “It is important to recognize symptoms early and receive treatment.”
