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Does Restylane Cause Acne or is This a Coincidence?

asked 1 year ago by Tylie in Minneapolis, MN
Latest answer by Ronald Shelton, MD
Question viewed 563 times
Tags: nasolabial folds, redness, 6 months post-op, acne, causes, injection, reaction

I had Restylane for nasolabial lines about 6 months ago and ever since I have had acne breakouts constantly along those lines now with pretty constant redness as well.

The dermatologist did the 'ferning' technique so there were many many injections on each side. I have hormonal acne breakouts but had never had any problems in that area before. Is this a reaction to the Restylane or having so many injections in such a small area? It is extrememly frustrating and I am reluctant to have this again.

13 answers to Does Restylane Cause Acne or is This a Coincidence?

There is no direct link between restylane & acne

Development of acne might be just a co incidental happening.I have never seen it happen in my practice.Maybe,the repeated needling may flare up infective acne in few cases.You better go back to your physician for a review.

Anup Dhir, MD
India Plastic Surgeon

Restylane does not cause acne!

I have a large practice in Newport Beach and use injectables frequently and I have never seen this to be a reaction or complication for any of the hyaluronic acid fillers. The most commonly reported side effects are temporary injection site redness, swelling, tenderness, firmness, and bruising. I would suggest an appointment with a dermatologist and he/she should be able to direct a skin care regimen to reduce your acne. Many of my patients and my own children have used proactive and have... more

Michael Elam, MD
Orange County Facial Plastic Surgeon

Restylane and Acne Flare-Up

Restylane is unlikely to cause facial acne. Acne is an inflammatory disease of the skin, and any irritation such as multiple needs injections might contribute to flare-up. One option to consider, if the acne is really troubling you, is to remove or reverse the Restylane. This reversal may be achieved with hyaluronidase, given via small injection. Only after a comprehensive evaluation can a specialist help determine appropriate options for you. Best of luck. Dr. Chaboki more

Houtan Chaboki, MD
Washington DC Facial Plastic Surgeon

Uncommon breakouts after filler injection

I agree with the other responses. Acne flaring for that long of a duration does not seem to be directly related, any residual redness or disomfort from your procedure- especially this far out- is quite unusal. You should follow up with a dermatologist to ensure you are not having a reaction to the product. Hopefully this is simply a bit of chronic rosaea or perioral dermatits.

Marcy Alvarez, DO
Miami Beach Dermatologist

Restylane Injections Should Not Cause Acne

I have been doing Restylane injections for many years and have never seen it to cause acne to flare. However, anytime there is something irritating the skin it can cause flaring of someone's acne. For it to persist this long seems quite unusual. You should return to your dermatologist to have your acne treatment adjusted to achieve better control. In the future, I believe that Radiesse would be a better choice for treating the nasolabial folds since it typically gives better, longer... more

Mitchell Schwartz, MD
South Burlington Dermatologic Surgeon

dorsetstreetdermatology.com

Restylane is unlikely to cause acne

Restylane is unlikely to cause acne. However, acne is an inflammatory disease and any irritation such as repeated needle sticks may flare acne.

Edward Lack, MD
Chicago Dermatologist

Restylane or Juvederm cleanly injected does not cause traditional acne.

Tylie, You describe acne-like breakouts directly overlying the areas you recently had Restylane injections in your nasolabial (melolabial) folds. I agree with you, this is not a traditional site for acne breakouts, and yours started only after your injections. It's possible your skin was not cleaned well before the injections, or that you also started to use some topical creams around the same time that are causing breakouts. See your board-certified dermatologist if your injector... more

Jessica J. Krant, MD, MPH
Manhattan Dermatologic Surgeon

www.ArtofDermatology.com

Restylane

"Localized acne" is quite unusual. Please check with ur dermatologist to make sure this is not Herpes Simplex flare-ups. I have been using the ferning technique for more than 3 years, & my experience with it is that is as safe as all the other filler injection techniques & does not cause any adverse events.

Khaled El-Hoshy, MD
Detroit Dermatologic Surgeon

Acne in area of Restylane injections probably a coincidence

The multiple punctures would not make acne cysts. In my experience I have never seen acne in areas of Restylane injections. And a search in the medical literature to answer your question had no reports of hyaluronic acid fillers associated with acne. My question is what if anything is being applied in that area? Sometimes moisturizers or creams with growth factors can produce acne. Also, the nasolabial folds are prone to rosacea and seborrheic dermatitis. I... more

Emily Altman, MD
Short Hills Dermatologic Surgeon

www.advancedskinwisdom.com

Restylane and Acne

Hi Tylie, It is possible (though rare) to have had some telangiectasias ("broken blood vessels") appear over the injection sites of a hyaluronic acid filler like Restylane. However, a long-standing, focal, acne-like eruption would be highly unlikely. I'd recommend that you return to the physician who performed the injections to discuss this problem with redness and breakouts with him/her. You may have something called seborrheic dermatitis, which is a... more

Monika Kiripolsky, MD
San Diego Dermatologic Surgeon

Restylane does not cause acne

Although Restylane does not cause acne, any mechanical trauma that disrupts an acne pustule or cyst, has the risk of creating greater inflammation. Restylane injections should not be done through an area that has open sores or pus. The Restylane should not be allowed to get infected via the approach through an inflammed or open wound area. see video

Ronald Shelton, MD
Manhattan Dermatologist

www.thenyac.com

No acne from HA fillers

Neither Restylane, Juvederm, or other hyaluronic acid gel fillers should cause or aggravate acne, in my opinion. This side effect is not reported by the manufacturer to my knowledge. There are other options for fillers if you are reluctant to try this again. Discuss this with your physician in consultation.

Harrison C. Putman III, MD
Peoria Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.specialface.com

Restylane didn't cause acne breakouts

I don't think the Restylane had anything to do with your continued acne break outs, for 6 month safter the Restylane injections, and it's nothing more than coincidence.