Aquamid: What You Need to Know

Aquamid is an injectable filler designed to restore volume to sunken cheeks, plump lips, and smooth nasolabial folds. Water makes up 97.5% of its formula, with polyacrylamide as the other 2.5%. It’s not yet approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), but it was approved in Europe in 2001 for facial augmentation and body contouring. 

Unlike hyaluronic acid–based fillers, Aquamid is considered permanent even though it’s advertised as having results lasting for 10 years, because polyacrylamide forms long chains that can’t be split or metabolized by the body. The gel remains in place and becomes part of the tissue. But as the aging process continues, follow-up treatments might be required.

Aquamid’s long-lasting results are its principal selling point, particularly when compared to temporary hyaluronic acid fillers, like Restylane, or semipermanent fillers (results last 18 months at most). The medical community has been hesitant to embrace long-lasting dermal fillers, given their correlation to hardening, nodule formation, and migration. Aquamid’s duration and safety have been demonstrated in clinical trials spanning up to 10 years, though the FDA has not yet been convinced.

Polyacrylamide, made from polymerized acrylamide, is not harmful, but acrylamide is considered a dangerous toxin. Aquamid’s manufacturer, Contura International, says that it takes every precaution to ensure that acrylamide neurotoxins are entirely removed and that the polyacrylamide is not biodegradable, but there have been reports from Aquamid patients of adverse effects, including swelling, immune-related side effects, and bacterial infections. 

While Aquamid injects easily, many doctors say it should be treated more like a surgical implant. Since implants run the risk of infection, Aquamid must be injected in an aseptic environment, under strict protocols and by an experienced physician. In such conditions, Aquamid reportedly results in few complications.

Aquamid side effects are minimal but can include inflammation, asymmetry, transient pain, edema (fluid retention), redness, and minor hematoma, particularly during the first two days after injection. If they’re not caused by infection, these effects should all subside within a few days. 

If you experience a tingling sensation or unusual redness or swelling a few weeks after injection, it may be a sign of infection, and you should consult your doctor right away.

Removal of Aquamid, even after several years, is possible. Patients choose to remove the filler for a variety of reasons, but if it’s uncomfortable or produces an undesirable result immediately after injection, your doctor can swiftly remove it by suction through a small incision.

Some providers offer patients Aquamid injections for their buttocks, as an alternative to a Brazilian butt lift or hip augmentation. Since hydrogel butt injections are not safe and not approved, no reputable surgeon should offer the procedure. Patients who’ve undergone these procedures have died from such complications as kidney failure, pulmonary embolism, and infection.