Paraffin Oil Injection in the Body: An Obsolete and Destructive Procedure

Abstract

Injection of foreign materials, such as paraffin oil, is an old and obsolete procedure. The authors describe previous uses for this procedure that had been used since the 19th century and the treatment of patients affected by such a disease.

Doping cosmético: a problemática das aplicações intramusculares de óleos

“…The use of substances to fill in anatomic or surgical cavities as well as body contours with reconstruction or cosmetic aims is ancient and began in 1899 with the Austrian surgeon Robert Gersuny, when he injected vaseline in the scrotum of a patient to mimetize a testicle he had lost (1)(2)(3) . Heated vaseline in liquid means, when cools inside the organism, solidifies.…”

“…Penis, breasts, cheeks, nose and eyelids were target of increase or alterations in their contour by this technique. However, short and long-run complications were reported, such as the paraffin oil migration (2) . One of the most reported injection sites in the literature for volume increase is the penis.…”

“…There are reports of applications of commercial paraffin oil on the cheeks, lips and chin, as well as the oil known by the brand name as Baby Johnson, and a consequent paraffinoma, being the complete removal of the entire tissue which involves the injury necessary (3) . Di Benedetto et al (2) report 26 cases of patients with many complications by illegal paraffin oil injection in the breasts of women with cosmetic aims, and in the knee or elbow regions for men, to avoid the Italian mandatory military service. The main complications were inflammation, redness, skin stiffness and rupture, extrusion of the oily material from pectoralis and joints and difficulty in performing limb flexion or extension.…”

“…Its intensity depends on the injected amount. Large amounts lead to acute inflammatory reactions, but they decrease as time passes by (2) . Allergic reaction may also occur, which can lead to vasculitis (20) .…”

“…There are cases in the literature of adverse effects which manifest after 24 years from the injections of mineral oils or liquid silicone (4,11) . Subsequently, we have the chronic reaction, when the macrophage response increases in a trial to metabolize the foreign bodies through fragmentation (2,19) , which may lead to formation of paraffinoma (6,26) . The paraffin oil and other mineral oils are resistent to the action of lysosomal enzymes, which leads to chronic granulomatous inflammation (which agrees with other reactions to foreign bodies) (21) .…”