“Bio-Alcamid Causes Dangerous Infections, Do NOT Consider Using It!”

Dear Tom

I am so sorry to hear about your experience with Bio-Alcamid. I too have had a terrible ordeal with this product and currently in bed after major surgery to remove it.

I naively had the product injected into my lips about 6/7 years ago in my early twenties. I have since learnt through painful experience that this product should NOT be put in the lips ever due to its bulk, immobility, and the likelyhood of lumps etc.

It looked very bad from the start but I suffer from accute BDD and could not see that I looked so artificial and was just gratful I no longer looked like me. It functioned a bit like a mask and gave me the confidence to do things. Anyway soon after I started getting heckled in the street and people were always making comments. I got very depressed by this and started having the Bio-Alcamid removed by a very kind and skilled Dr in London. But then a large absess appeared whilst I was abroad and developed into a massive infection in June of this year. My whole face swelled up and I was hospitalised for 3 days and put on a combined anti-biotic drip. The infection never went away and the Dr's tried over 10 types of anti-biotics,but to no avail. I was told my only option was to have it removed surgically. The Dr who had been helping me in London referred me to a man who is experienced at this procedure and I had the surgery two weeks ago. This surgeon has been very kind and this was a highly complex procedure. They had to cut across the whole of the top of my lip and suck the product out with a special device. The surgery went well but they did have to remove some of my own tissue because the product had began to attach itself to it, so I will need a fat graft or something later down the line. I don't think that there are may Surgeons who have the experience to do this so I was very lucky to find this Dr and he has done a very good job. My advise, get that stuff out as soon as possible, it can bond with healthy tissue and become impossible to remove without removing it too. It is such a dangerous product I don't understand why they are allowed to market it as easily removable and safe when there are so many reports of problems. I would be happy to supply both Dr's who have helped to remove the products details if you like because they have both been great. Please seek help, don't let this ruin your health and happiness as it did mine for so long. Good luck.

Hi, sorry to hear your experience.
Who was your doctor? and Where?
I had BA filler injected 6years ago, to cover a rubbish liposuction op done by Paul Levick, and now I'm mildly scared from what you have said - there doesn't seem to be many people over the 5 year mark.
I've had no problems but....
You say it attches to your own tissue??? Is this true??
Regards

hi Beth,
Thanks so much for sharing your horrific experience with Bio-Alcamid, which is so similar to mine. I live in the US now, where it has not been approved for use, so there are not many doctors who know about it here. I too am surprised that in Europe it continues to be used, considering the high rate of infection.

I'm also surprised that a doctor would inject a permanent filler in your lips! As far as it "attaching" to your tissue, my understanding is that the body forms a capsule of connective tissue around it because it is a foreign body. This happens quite soon after it is injected. That's why, when you develop an infection and take antibiotics, the drugs don't work - because the infection is inside of this capsule and the antibiotics don't reach it. When my doctor here tried to remove it, what probably happened was that some of the fluid came into contact with blood and got spread. So removing it is very tricky.

In the process of researching the infection, I discovered a medical journal online documenting the work of a clinic in Israel where they are removing Bio-Alcamid by rinsing the site with water via needles for several days, while keeping the patient on IV antibiotics. It is quite a process. I will look for it and post a link here if I can find the article again.

I wish you all the best in your recovery. I assume that you are also working with a good psychotherapist to help you in your healing process.

Catherine

Catherine

Hi again,

This is not the medical article I was referring to, but it is a very useful article on Bio-Alcamid and dealing with infections:

http://www.poz.com/articles/hiv_bioalcamid_polyalkylimide_401_16308.shtml

Also, I want to say to Britt and anyone else who has already received B-A injections: if it isn't causing you problems, then DON'T try to have it removed. Most infections occur with injection and attempted removal. Once it's in there and surrounded by its capsule it's probably okay. It may not look that great any more as time goes by, but removing it is far more risky than leaving it in. If you are going to remove it, find someone who knows the risks. Do NOT allow your doctor to try to remove it from inside the mouth, as there is far more risk of infection this way. And the doctor should take care not to allow any blood to get into the injection site during the removal process.

Good luck!

Hi All,
I had a similar nightmare with bio-alcamid filler that was done 3 years ago in Canada by a plastic surgeon no longer practising. The filler migrated and I had some extracted by a specialist that wasn't experienced. I ended up with many infections and trips to the emergency room and several courses of clindamycin. I found a specialist in Toronto named Dr. David Ellis who has a fair amount of experience with the product and removal. His approach is very aggressive and he was able to remove most of the filler to the point where infection has cleared up. He charges $3,600 for the procedure but is the only doctor in North America that knows how to deal with this issue properly!

hi Marcanuck2,
Can you please elaborate on how your doctor removed the Bio-Alcamid? Needle extraction? Squeezing? Or did he make an incision? Also, do you think that the clindamycin was helpful? Thanks.

The doctor froze the area away from the bio-alcamid site and used a 14 guage needle to squeeze out the filler. Two doctors manipulated the are to squeeze from all angles very aggressively! I began clindamycin 300mg three times a day one day prior to the procedure. The doctor recommended continuing it for 5 days after which seemed to do the trick. One thing I must add is, following the procedure at the doctor's office, I went home and took a hot shower and continued to massage the remaining filler and pus out of the affected area. I continued this daily until ALL the filler and granuals were out and only blood came out. I used an alcohol swab following this routine. At times the area was somewhat painful following all the manipulation so I applied an ice pack. Clindamycin is a very affective treatment but it does play havoc with your stomach. I found it more tolerable taken with food. As well, I took high doses of acidophilus 11 billion plus/10 cuture(refrigerated) twice a day to deal with the diarrhea it caused and continue to take it once a day now. So glad to have my life back!!!

Hi,

I need more filler, I think, to cover indentations caused by liposuction to my chest.

I already have some bio-alcamid near my right nipple on my chest, and 2 different surgeons suggest having fat injections because it is safer than permanant fillers. I'm kind of worrying now - What would the best way to remove it be???

Many thanks

Can Bio-alcamid be removed????

Or is it just too dangerous to do this? Plus would injecting more bio-alcamid near and around the same site be a good or bad idea?

Would injecting BA into the existing BA be highly dangerous? It seems that injecting clean BA into the body may be safe but, once the collagen has formed around the BA, introducing anything new into this capsule is dangerous???

Who has the answers on these things??

I'm scared :-(

Hi,

Very sorry to hear about your dilemma. I can say that I had additional bio-alcamid injected in my face a few years ago and had no complications following the procedure. My whole problem when the product migrated down my cheek to the jaw area where I had it removed by a plastic surgeon that didn't know what he was doing and that started my major infections and subsequent removal.
I know that some specialists are injecting other fillers around previous BA sites. The one I know of in Canada is called Juvederm and has an antibiotic in the filler. It is only a temporary filler and lasts up to 18 months.
I opted to have as much of the BA removed as possible as it always felt bulky and unnatural inside my skin and would rather not risk any further complications down the road. If you wish you can call Dr. Ellis in Toronto and find out his recommendation. His phone number is 416-416-229-1050. His receptionist Barb is also very friendly and compassionate. Don't worry, you will get this resolved. Best of luck!

BA was approved by Health Canada more than 5 years ago. I am not sure how many trials were done prior to approval but it has never been approved in the USA. The plastic surgeon who performed my treatment was board certified and had extensive experience and credentials both in Toronto and New York City. He claimed to have done the BA proceedure to more than 800 patients. Although he is still a licensed doctor, he mysterious quit his practice about a year ago and retired, despite his middle age. It was rumoured that he was sick??
All of the people I know that have this filler appear to have it. It is very unnatural looking in my opinion as it is overly bulky in the areas it is injected.

I my case, the product migrated from my left cheek to lower jowl which is about 3cm or so.
I know that the plastic surgeon Dr. E that remove my filler has removed it from 15 other people. The low number he has treated is because he does not accept government insurance for the procedure and charges close to $4,000. Very few other doctors are willing to deal with the removal, especially in the USA and he is getting calls from Americans who had the procedure done in Mexico. Most of the complications are occuring at least 2 years following and some suspect it is the result of dental work disrupting the BA capsule. Check letter to dentists on the faceforward.ca website.

Fat filling is an excellent alternative, however, in my case I did not have enough body fat that could be extracted due to wasting. I am not sure how it would combine with the BA already present. Dr. E highly recommends Juvederm for compatibility and the now formulation contains an antibiotic. One downside is that it is not permanent.

I did NOT have Juvederm injections. That filler was suggested to my by the specialist that removed the BA. I don't know anyone that has had this filler for facial atrophy following BA extraction and do not wish to be a guinea pig for any more fillers at my own expense.

hi Marcanuck,
Thanks for sharing your experience. I too, after having some of the BA successfully removed was advised to use Juvederm. I did try some and it too is hard lumpy and visible. I think that my skin is now too lax for filler.

But the more serious reason I would advise you against it is that if there is still any BA left, any more injections in the area carry a high risk of infection. Again, the terrible infection I incurred happened as a result of having the BA removed. The needling can introduce bacteria and the BA is highly prone to infection.

I think $4000 to remove any filler is a horrible ripoff. The removal is straightforward: needle extraction and squeezing, antibiotics and prayer. It's not rocket science.

BA is known to migrate. The nature of the filler is that it can become hard and lumpy over time. As the skin ages it becomes visible and shifts around. Once again, I do not recommend it to anyone.

Hi

My lip has now healed and I am out and about again. I will need further surgery (fat injections to fill out the areas where the Bio-Alcamid had attached itself to my healthy tissue because there are some large crevasses.) I am terribly worried about the cost of this and any ongoing maintenance which given my low income will be a huge burden for the rest of my life. In response to the question about the product bonding with my tissue, yes this is the first time I have heard of this happening also. The surgeon explained that the product had indeed started to attach itself to my healthy tissue. This resulted in me having to have a significant amount of this tissue removed. Frankly nothing about Bio-Alcamids destructive qualities surprises me.

I know how tempting it is to opt for a permanent filler given the maintenance cost of temporary fillers, but you could end up having to fork out so much more money remedying the damage that they cause. I urge you to seek alternatives. I don't know what to do because I need the reconstruction but I think it is going to be very expensive so my life continues to be on hold.

I have tried contacting the doctor who injected the product through written and phone correspondence to appeal to his better nature and request his help with the costs but he is ignoring me. I don't want to sound dramatic but this has completely unravelled me and destroyed the tiny amount of confidence that had. In short it has and and continues to ruin my life.