How Do You Know if You Were Injected into an Artery with Radiesse?

It sounds like you are describing a vascular event.  Blanching, throbbing, change in color such as redness, or turning dark or dusky. Usually followed by increasing pain. If the occlusion is severe there can be tissue damage.  To avoid injecting into a vessel, It requires a thorough understanding of the anatomy. There are certain landmarks to avoid, in addition to injection techniques that minimize the risks. Injecting dermal filler should only be done by experienced, well trained medical professionals capable of administering emergency care if required. Complications can be serious but fortunately they are rare.

  Skin death and blindness from filler injection is possible.  Blunt-tipped cannulae can reduce the risk over needle injection.

Thank you for your question. From your description, it sounds like arterial injection was a possibility.  This is a known complication of all injectable fillers.  I would recommend you seek treatment from a surgeon experienced in using blunt tipped micro-cannulas for injection and the aspiration technique. These devices and maneuvers can help to reduce the risk of arterial injection and embolizaiton.

Hi Mia.  Regardless of which product is being injected, it's possible to hit a blood vessel.  One of the techniques that help avoid this is to inject the product as the needle is being moved backward and outward toward the surface of the skin.  By injecting only as the needle is being pulled out, it dramatically reduces the chance of injecting into a blood vessel.

A good and experienced injector will be able to recognize immediately when this has happened and use massaging and warm packs to release the product from the vessel.

Thank you for your question. It is difficult to give you advice without examining you in person. However, if necessary you can have the filler dissolved with hyaluronidase. I recommend having a follow up with your injector for an evaluation. Best of Luck!