What does a “high risk area” entail and what can happen?

Dear educated patient, the answer is within the message, simply it means there is a potential of complications.
In the world of injectables, because in some areas, the blood vessels are terminal as result the blood flow to the organ can become affected and cause tissue to die, like in forehead above the brow can cause blindness.
good luck and best of health

You are right there are certain areas that if injected and occluded the surrounding skin could die. Providers trained in fillers understand where and where not to place product. Also all providers should have agents to reverse the filler quickly as well as other available medicines to cause vascular dilatation. Trained provider can look at the skin after injection and know is there is a problem. Hope this helps. JB

Hi,Thank you for your question. One of the inherent risks of filler is something called "vascular occlusion." This occurs when filler is inadvertently injected into a vessel and can block blood flow, resulting in ischemia (oxygen deprivation) and possible tissue death, scarring or blindness.Certain areas are considered "high risk" because there is an increase risk for occlusion due to the circulation pattern in that region and the increased chance of connecting with the central retinal artery which is responsible for partial or complete blindness. If occlusion of this vessel occurs, there is low possibility for reversal even with hyaluronidase.I can understand why some injectors would choose to minimize their liability and risk by not offering this treatment area. It's up to the patient to choose an experienced, qualified provider that they both feel comfortable with the procedure, risks and benefits.Hope this helps!

Temporary gel fillers are associated with necrosis, infection, biofilm, and rarely blindness if the product blocks an artery, or travels to the eye. A "high risk" area may be an area that contains a lot of blood vessels. We do not use fillers for camouflaging brow bossing, since that may lead to irregularities and visible product in the brow - that may be what your doctor is referring to. Hope this helps. Dr Joseph

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Any area of the face is an at risk area, however some areas are higher risk due to larger vessels, lower blood supply or nerves which lay in the area. If the filler is injected into the vessel it can cause necrosis or filler blindness. This is why it is important to always see an experienced injector, if they are not a Cosmetic Doctor they show;d have the support of one, who is nearby, to assist with any complications. In Australia you must be consented by a Doctor.Warm Regards,Dr Glenn Murray, Absolute Cosmetic Medicine

Areas that are high risk for fillers include: the forehead, nose, temples and nasal labial area around the nose.   They are deemed high risk as the vasculature or blood vessels in that area do not have a collateral or back up supply.  Thus,  if the vessel is occluded with filler it could cause skin necrosis        (skin death) or even blindness if those vessels  also supply the eye area.    Experienced injectors have tools  and techniques such as cannulas and micro-droplet injection techniques to minimize risk in these areas.  We also are trained in the use of hyaluronidase to liquefy filler immediately should an occlusion occur.  Experienced injectors check for capillary refill and skin changes post injection to identify early signs of occlusion.   Prior history of plastic or reconstructive  surgery to an area can make that area higher risk as well due to alteration of the blood supply post surgery.  Some areas in my opinion are not worth injecting such as the forehead.  Safety first when it comes to fillers. 

Emarie731,
High risk area differs according to patient, treatment, and location. There are some high risk areas for fillers as forehead , glabella (between eye) , and Nose for e.g. These areas have a limited blood supply and their vasculature connects to dangerous places as eyes and brain. This will make injecting fillers into these areas prone to skin necrosis , blindness , and stroke. This happens very rare but it has been documented. An experienced injector will modify his technique , injecting pressure and volume to eliminate such a risk.
Similarly the lower part of face is a risk area for neuromodulators as it can mess up the lip muscles.
Please let me know if you have any more question about this or other topics.

A high risk area for an injectable filler is an area where blood vessel injury or penetration by the injected material can lead to serious harms, such as BLINDNESS (possible when hyaluronic acids are injected into nasojugal folds, for example) or SKIN DEATH (aka skin necrosis).
It is important for the patient to research the experience level and knowledge base of the injector, and to know of the availability of a medical-school trained physician (ie. M.D. or O.D.) to be onsite in the event of an adverse event.  The most atrocious adverse events I have seen have been associated with injectors who thought they knew more than they did, or were cavalier about the dangers of injecting in the high risk areas.
Thanks for that great questions!

Hello
To answer your question, I would suggest to only have fillers in a medical office and not at a random party since experienced injectors know their anatomy and they would recommend other treatments that what some think it should be a filler. Usually the sides of the nose and that triangle between the nose tip, side of the nose and the middle of the eye are highest risk. also in general having deep injections can oppose a risk since arteries run deeper that veins.