Silicone Injections Before Dermabrasion and Acne Scar Revision?

Question

I have some deep acne scars and superficial irregularities.  I have recently decided to treat deeper scars with silicone microdroplets.  What concerns me is the compatibility of this treatment with scar revision surgery (for icepick scars) and dermabrasion. Would I be able to have the later after silicone injections? It doesn't make sense to me to have dermabrasion for the skin before the depressions are filled. Thank you for your help.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD · Answer

This would only be a hypothetical situation because the technique has not been widely studied or reported on due to the off-label indication.
Although silicone injections have been performed for some time the lack of good data has hampered its widespread use.
We commonly remove ruptured silicone breast implants and it is likely that microscopic amounts of silicone are in the scar without any adverse consequences. However, it is difficult to apply these observations to the face.

Carlos Alberto Ríos García, MD · Answer

Regards, 
Liquid silicone is unsafe, please do not use it ever. The autoimmune response could be triggered by this substance, if you look around on th Internet, you will find patients that have a lot of problems with this product. The inical use is for retine problems. 
The problem are the silicone injections, it doesn´t matter if they are micro injections. The Biopolymers cause a severe inflammatory reaction, known as Iatrogenic Allogenosis and Autoimmune Syndrome (A.S.I.A. Syndrome), then the use of any substance that is permanent is not advised, it also could migrate at the inicial injection suddenly, via retrograde arterial flow, at blood stream to organs and even to the lungs; that would be a catastrofic event. In our plastic surgery center, I developed the technique of resection of biopolymers in face, lips, buttocks and lower back through video endoscopy, a surgery performed with minnimal incissions to treat patients with permanent deformities, secundary to biopolymers injections. On the other hand, the dermoabrasion is a good treatment for facial acne scars, they stimulate the collagen proliferation. 
Please remember to be aware, do not let any permanenrt filler to be injected into your face, breast, buttocks, calfs, genitalia, etc. The safest way to increase buttocks is through your own fat injections or through silicone implants.
I hope the information was usefull, have a nice day! Dr Carlos Alberto Ríos.

Raj S. Ambay, MD · Answer

Silicone injections in various parts of the body has been done quite frequently all over the country.  The difficulty with silicone injections begins with the quality of the silicone itself.  I have seen many cases where industrial grade silicone has been injected inside the human body.  This can be a tremendous disaster.  Problems can include infections, granulomas, cellulitis, and persistent skin infections, disfigurement and skin dimpling.  It is very easy to have silicone injected, but very difficult to have it removed.  The removal can frequently be very complex and involved lengthy surgery. Multiple operation is not uncommon.   It is not uncommon to expect scars in locations that would otherwise be undesirable.  If you do have silicone, or are having problem with silicone that was injected by a non-healthcare provider then you should certainly seek medical attention.  Some solutions include IV antibiotics, oral antibiotics and surgery after the inflammation has subsided.  Removing the silicone is not just a cosmetic issue but also an issue of better health.  Depending on the type of silicone injected concerns with autoimmune diseases and infections are foremost.  Taking medications such as ibuprofen or cortisone is only a temporary measure.  The real solution is surgery.  Not all plastic surgeons are willing to operate on patients who have had silicone injected in their body.  Many of these cases are not covered by insurance because they were performed for cosmetic reasons.  My recommendation to anyone that has had silicone injections and wishes to have it removed, is to seek a board certified plastic surgeon who is likely willing to do more than 1 operation as well as willing to do some of these operations in a hospital setting. I have had patients visit me for removal of silicone and the discussion to proceed is never an easy one.

Stephen Mandy, MD · Answer

I have been using microdroplet silicone injection combined with dermabrasion for more than 30 years.  In experienced hands it gives the very best outcome for severe acne scarring. I usually do the silicone injections in several sessions one month apart first. For many patients the results are so good that dermabrasion is not needed. If we then do dermabrasion, we may use silicone afterwards for fine tuning.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

Acne scars are difficult to treat.  Some times subcision can help. Ablative lasers may help with lowering the skin around the pits. Some lasers can be used to improve the collagen underneath. Fillers can be used or even fat to treat the soft tissue atrophy. I am not a fan of silicone because it ha been known to cause a lot of problems.

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Silicone Injections Before Dermabrasion and Acne Scar Revision?

Answers (6)

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