How do I know if a blood vessel was hit or not after Juvederm?

Question

Hello, I had Juvaderm injected 3 days ago for nasolabial folds. I have read that there are chances to go into the blood stream and cause blindness and other things. This freaked me out, especially that I had tired eyes these days. How do I know if a blood vessel was hit? Can even a small blood vessel that was touched cause problems? I am so scared now...I don't know what possible symptoms to watch out for and how long to monitor these symptoms for...?

Steven F. Weiner, MD · Answer

Problems with vascular issues after filler will occur nearly always immediately, while you are in the office. The number of cases of blindness from filler is about 100. It mostly occurs when fat is injected and the most common area is the glabella area. I don't think there has been any cases after a few days. Vascular necrosis, when the skin can die, is caused when the vessels to the skin are occluded from the filler. If it is not recognized, the skin will start as being very pale and then have a reticular blue pattern. Areas far away from the injection site will be affected in some cases. Hyaluronidase, aspirin, warm massage, viagra, nitropaste are all used to improve this problem. Blindness has only been reversed in one patient, maybe a couple more.

Sean Doherty, MD, FACS · Answer

What you are describing is extremely rare and typically happens immediately. So, you are in the clear. You can expect to have some swelling and possibly bruising after your filler so don't be concerned. This will resolve within a couple of weeks. Best of luck.

Faiyaaz Kalimullah, MD, FAAD · Answer

Thank you for your question.  Generally speaking, vascular complications from filler injections become evident very soon after treatment (and in many cases, almost immediately after injection) - if you are not experiencing any symptoms 3 days after treatment, I don't think you have anything to worry about.Blindness is an exceptionally rare complication of filler injections - as of 2015, there are less than 100 cases of blindness after filler injections reported in the medical literature worldwide.  To put that in perspective, just in 2015, nearly 2.5 million patients underwent filler injections in the US alone.  Damage to the skin and necrosis due to vascular compromise is more common, though still a relatively rare complication of filler injections.  It's important to ensure that your injector understands facial anatomy to minimize these risks - for this reason, I recommend only seeing physicians trained in the core aesthetic specialties (dermatology, plastic surgery, facial plastic surgery, and oculoplastic surgery) for cosmetic injections.  I hope this helps!

Leonard Grossman, MD · Answer

you can stop being scared right away. Fillers that get in the blood vessel show the signs immediately. It does not happen even a minute after the filler has been injected. You're in the clear. Good luck from New York City

How do I know if a blood vessel was hit or not after Juvederm?

Answers (4)

Answer: Filler complications

Answer: Filler complications

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Everything you need to know about Juvederm

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How do I know if a blood vessel was hit or not after Juvederm?

Answers (4)

Answer: Filler complications

Answer: Filler complications

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Juvederm

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.