Complications after silicone injection therapy in aesthetic plastic surgery

Abstract

Silicone injection therapy plays a significant, but limited, role in soft tissue augmentation. It is confined only to a tissue defect, folds, and deep wrinkles of the face. It is important to use only a small amount of injectable silicone (1-2 ml) in one area of the face at a time. Massage is applied over the injected area for 5-6 minutes. The following side effects and complications are observed: diminished volume, descending of silicone fluid due to the gravity, and silicone granuloma formation. Liquid silicone should be available, for the time being, only to surgeons for experimental purposes, because of the danger of complications and abuse. In this experimental study, the author applied 1,677 silicone injections (only in the face).

Preliminary Experiences with Bio-Alcamid in HIV Facial Lipoatrophy

“…A possible disadvantage of this filler is that it cannot be removed once injected. It has also been reported as causing granulomas [30,31,32]. …”

Complications from injectable materials used for breast augmentation

“…This material was never meant to be used for injection, because of its impurities. In addition, in many of the preparations, contaminants were purposely added to the injected material, as in the Sakurai formula (11). Their purpose was to cause a sclerosis reaction in the breasts, to contain the liquid silicone and to hopefully prevent it from migrating through the breast tissue to other sites.…”

“…Some injections had been done by plastic surgeons. However, many were done by laypersons, who were minimally qualified to undertake this type of procedure (9)(10)(11)(12). Because of the problems caused by uncontrolled silicone injections by unqualified practitioners, in 1966, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designated silicone injections as a 'new drug' (14).…”

Calcium Hydroxylapatite Gel (Radiesse) Injection for the Correction of Postrhinoplasty Contour Deficiencies and Asymmetries

“…They believe that, in very small doses, silicone can be considered safe. 1,3,14 Conversely, more recent literature 4,5 states that, although silicone may be safe in very low doses, long-term development of granulomas and other localized reactions can occur and in some instances can cause significant difficulty for patients and physicians. On the opposite side of the spectrum, other studies 1,15 have suggested the use of collagen-derived injectable augmentation material for postrhinoplasty defects, including cadaver-derived dermal grafts (Cymetra) and human or bovine collagen.…”

“…Other investigators questioned whether liquid silicone injections can be considered safe even in small doses. [4][5][6] Public opinion currently may share a similar view. In addition, various forms of absorbable injectable agents, including human and bovine collagen and micronized acellular dermal grafts (Cymetra; LifeCell Corp, Branchburg, NJ), have been used for this purpose.…”