Are fillers safe in Tijuana?

The safety relays on the products used and who is injecting them. If you go to Tijuana, first you need go to a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon or Dermatologist, check your physician has extensive experience injecting fillers, also ask for before and after photos of his/her work, so you can have an idea about the results. Very important is to check what product the doctor will suggest for your case, the possible duration of the results, the amount needed for your case, the possible side effects and contraindications. Most of the fillers used in the U.S. are available in Mexico, like Juvederm, Restylane, Belotero, Radiesse, etc, and those are imported in Mexico and they are approved by the FDA in the U.S. There are some fillers available in Mexico that are not available in the U.S. yet like Juvederm Volbella or Juvederm Volift, but them are approved in Europe.

The same fillers are available worldwide; however unless you know exactly what to look for, you may not get a proper injection.  Generally it's not a good idea to do injections when you are traveling since it's not practical to go back if you have any questions, concerns or any corrections are needed.  That would not be cost-effective.

Would you go back to Tijuana to follow up with your injector should you develop complications or need touch ups, etc? Far too often I have dealt with complications of patients who have received Fillers, Botox, or even surgery in places like Tijuana. They always end up spending more to fix their problems. There is far more to these treatments than just cost.

My suggestion is to go to US trained physicians with FDA approved products as there is a different level of approval and standard here in the US.  There may be great injectors and surgeons elsewhere, but I suggest only going to the best.  Dr. Emer.

Hi Poizon.  You may find a good injector and you may not.  The difference is that the US has a well developed court system that protects the rights of consumers when malpractice occurs.  If the Tijuana MD is ordering their product from China and injects something that causes a problem, you will have a much more difficult time with medical malpractice recourse.  Because of this fact, US physicians are motivated to do things in a way that avoid medical malpractice issues.  This means they offer safe injection procedures with FDA approved and US purchased product.  

The big question is why ?  Why would you go to TJ when you have it all in your backyard. I personally would not trust anything injected in my face in TJ. Good luck. 

Although there are many great doctors around the world, the US has some safety measures in place that other places do not.  First, the FDA is pretty tough on what can be injected into the face for cosmetic improvements. There are hundreds of unapproved and sometimes harmful fillers available throughout the world. Second, Medical Boards and Specialty Boards credential physicians who have had proper training.  The best and safest thing to do is choose a physician well established in your community,  who is board certified in dermatology or plastic surgery and uses FDA approved fillers obtained from the manufacturer.  Sadly there are counterfeit fillers out there that are sold at very low prices.  If the cost is too good to be true, well you know the rest. Dr SVD

You live in Los Angeles, so I don't understand why you would have an invasive medical procedure in Tijuana? Is it to save some money? I would not recommend it. You have absolutely no idea what will be injected in you. There is no FDA and no regulations for your safety. I would not have any procedures done in Tijuana. Clearly you have serious doubts or you would not be asking the question.

I think the better question is why go to Tijuana for filler when you have so many well trained and qualified physician injectors in the Los Angeles area!  Perhaps you could save a buck or two, but in my opinion it is not worth the risk.

The U.S. FDA has very stringent rules for what gets approved for use in this country. This provides a freedom from unnecessary worry that I frankly feel very fortunate to be able to rest in. I hope that folks reading this can as well. Sure the FDA process is expensive and time consuming, but it is ultimately for our safety. There is enough risk in using fillers as it is. Why not at least use approved products that have been tested and have a warranty backing? It certainly is possible to get "lucky" and get good product for less money, but what if you aren't "lucky"? You can find true horror stories all over the internet where people have had injections outside of this country resulting in complete nightmare. I certainly would not risk it, especially when we have a safe alternative!