Nose tip turned blue 3 hours after my last nonsurgical rhinoplasty 11 months ago. Could this have been an infection? (photos)

Question

Hi. I have previously had a nose job. My tip came a little uneven afterwards. That was 10 years ago. But, these past three years I have been doing regular fillers to my tip. Last time was January 2022. That was a scary experience. My nose had turned blue when I was myself inthe mirror about 3 hrs later. I panicked and contacted my nurse who injected. She put me on antibiotics. I was worried about vascular occlusion, but she wasn’t…fast forward, it cleared well. Was it infection??

Eric M. Joseph, MD · Answer

Temporary gel fillers like HA are associated with a low risk of infection, since HA is a sugar, and vascular occlusion, since it's a large particle gel. Your photo appears to show redness that could be consistent with infection. Vascular compromise may lead to necrosis. It's impossible to answer this question with certainty based on your photos alone. Hope this helps. Dr Joseph

Robert Ciardullo, MD · Answer

Infection versus vascular occlusion: it was almost certainly not an infection. Infections take much longer to develop. It looks like a partial vascular occlusion which fortunately did not progress to the point of skin necrosis but resolved. It is a very scary experience and you were right to panic. That is one of the risks of injecting filler to the nose.

Nose tip turned blue 3 hours after my last nonsurgical rhinoplasty 11 months ago. Could this have been an infection? (photos)

Answers (2)

More Nonsurgical Nose Job Questions

Nose tip turned blue 3 hours after my last nonsurgical rhinoplasty 11 months ago. Could this have been an infection? (photos)

Answers (2)

More Nonsurgical Nose Job Questions

Nose is short and upturned - am I a candidate for a non-surgical nose job? (photos)

Can I achieve a symmetrical nose using filler or should I consider a rhinoplasty? (photo)

Non-invasive rhinoplasty - what options do I have to thin the bridge of my nose? (Photo)