Is Juverderm and Botox Safe for Patients with Lupus

I have communicated with my patient's rheumatologists and dermatologists who have Lupus and have never been told not to inject Botox, or Juvederm or Restylane on these patients. Certainly, if one is having a lupus flare, I wouldn't suggest doing any elective treatment at that time.

I would feel more than comfortable injecting patients with these underlying condition & others. Refer back to the only true contraindications to injections & go from there.

Juvederm has not been studied in patients with Lupus.  If the Lupus is active, the immune system is over-reactive and I would definitely not use BOTOX with these patients.  If the Lupus is in-active, it could be fine to use it.  I think doing a little trial with a tiny bit of BOTOX to see if the body reacts would be a safe way to go.  This way you know before injecting a lot of it at once. 

Although the use of Botox and fillers such as juvederm and restylane have not been widely studied in lupus or any other medical condition for that matter, most experienced dermatologists would not hesitate to use it, nor have any of us observed any specific problems. That said, the lupus should be stable (well-controlled) ideally, & make sure you have an experienced injector taking care of you.

Personally I believe that both products are unlikely to cause a problem if used in a patient with lupus.

As many others have said, there are no controlled studies to prove that these procedures are as safe in a patient with lupus as with those in the general population. Having said that, most experienced physicians will use them. The benefit of Juvederm and the other hyaluronic fillers in a patient with an autoimmune disorder, is that they are virtually identical to the hyaluronic acid already present in our bodies, so reactions are very rare. In addition, since there is an antidote to all the hyaluronic acid products, should you have a problem, the product can be removed. I would avoid any of the non hyaluronic acid fillers. As far as Dysport and Botox are concerned, the likelihood of a problem is also low. I would clear it with your rheumatologist prior to the treatment. Best to you.

I have used all of them with success in patients with Lupus. There is no perfect answer because adequate large scale studies have not been performed, but I use them in my patients with Lupus, successfully,  and so do many others, as noted in these doctor comments.

Dear Ggg, You ask a very good question, and one that I have dealt with on many occasions.  This has never been studied with any degree of reliability.  When we call the manufacturers of these products to ask the same question they say there is no data available to give a recommendation.


The concern is that placing any foreign substance in your body could rev up your immune system, and suddenly your Lupus (or any other autoimmune condition) could become worse.  So the answer is: it is a risk that can not be ignored, and should be thoroughly discussed with your physician.  I do emphasize physician, as someone like you should only be treated by an MD/DO, and not a nurse or other ancillary provider.  You might want to discuss this with your Rheumatologist too.  Although you may not get a yes/no answer, at least you will have all the information necessary to make an informed decision.

Good luck,

Yoash R. Enzer, MD

I have not seen any problems with injecting Botox or any of the new hyaluronic acid fillers such as Juvederm, Restylane, or Perlane into Lupus patients. I would recommend avoiding any of the older "collagen" fillers to be safe.

 

I have at least one lupus patient who has been treated with BOTOX® [frown lines] and Juvéderm® [nasolabial folds]. She was pleased with the results, and has been returning from time to time over the past few years for additional treatment.

When you have a condition like lupus, I think it helps to have treatments like BOTOX® and Juvéderm® so that you can look and feel as good as possible.

Depressed scarred areas from discoid lupus could certainly be treated with Juvéderm®, if that became necessary.