Can non-cross linked hyaluronic acid products still cause vascular occlusion?

Hi Irdeto.  The issue you are addressing gets to the viscosity of a product, in other words how think it feels.  Generally speaking lower cross linking means a less viscous, thinner feeling product.  And generally you are correct, there is a lower incidence of occlusion with thinner products like Belotero.  With that said and as the other answers have pointed out, occlusion is possible with any product if it's injected into a blood vessel.  With thinner products it's less likely to stay occluded and much easier to reverse with hyaluronidase if it dies happen, this the safety profile is better for thinner products.Here's the bad news.  Thinner products are easier to inject but they don't last as long.  We have found Belotero to last 3-4 months vs. Radiesse at 1 year.Finally, Realself has identified you as a Los Angeles user.  Not sure if this is correct but if it is, getting an injection of a drug like these at a beauty spa would be illegal.  If anything ever went wrong it's very unlikely that you would be covered by malpractice insurance. In addition, the beauty salon owners and whomever is injecting could be in trouble with their boards or the legal authorities.Ultimately it's the consumers choice, but to protect yourself we always recommend going to a reputable medical office.  There are great physician, nurse and physician assistant injectors and you just need to ask around to find a reputable one.To see examples of dermal filler injection before and after pictures for our Los Angeles practice, click on the link below.

Dear Irdeto,Any injectable product can cause vascular occlusion and for that reason it is very important to see an expert for dermal fillers. It is not worth having any kind of complication because someone is offering something to you for an excellent price. In addition, a beautician may not be the best person to get injectable fillers. Please see a professional. Best regards,Nima Shemirani

 Absolutely, any injectable product can cause a vascular occlusion. There are even reports of medications in suspension, which are essentially just liquid, causing vascular occlusion when injected in the wrong location. This is why an intimate and knowledge of vascular anatomy is key with injectables. Cameron Chesnut #RealSelf500 physician