Injectable silicone is not FDA-approved for cosmetic use: in fact, the FDA issued this safety warning against its use. It is still used “off label,” however, by some dermatologists and plastic surgeons. These doctors may use medical-grade liquid silicone conservatively, in microdroplet fashion, to permanently augment certain facial features.Â
Of far greater concern are unlicensed providers who inject illicit forms of silicone, including industrial-grade silicone, biopolymers, Hydrogel, PMMA, and Aqua gel. These foreign materials can lead to serious complications in the surrounding tissues, sometimes years down the line.Â
Illegal forms of silicone should be surgically removed, even if they’re not yet causing symptoms, because they can eventually migrate, leading to potentially fatal problems.
Dr. J. Timothy Katzen, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California, explains that “your body recognizes silicone as a foreign body and creates scar tissue, which can lead to localized pain and hardness. It can also pinch on neighboring nerves. If the silicone is injected into the buttocks, silicone and associated scar tissue may cause pain in the thighs, calves, and even feet."
As Dr. Katzen explains, "Over time, this scar tissue can turn into nodules and granulomas [tumors]. In the medical literature, there have been reports of these granulomas turning into cancer.”Â
These complications can reach beyond the treatment area, as the silicone migrates throughout your body over time.
Injected silicone can also cause serious infections, particularly if it’s contaminated or not medical-grade. Some patients have also experienced tissue death so severe that they have lost limbs, as the BET documentary Killer Curves so painfully illustrated.
