Does Restylane Cause Acne or is This a Coincidence?

Hi Tylie,

  It is possible (though rare) to have had some telangiectasias ("broken blood vessels") appear over the injection sites of a hyaluronic acid filler like Restylane. However, a long-standing, focal, acne-like eruption would be highly unlikely. I'd recommend that you return to the physician who performed the injections to discuss this problem with redness and breakouts with him/her. You may have something called seborrheic dermatitis, which is a pretty common dermatologic condition (unrelated to injection of fillers), and can to involve the nasolabial fold area. If so, this is an easy to treat/control dermatologic condition, with which your dermatologist should be familiar.

  I hope this helps! Good luck to you!

MK

Although Restylane does not cause acne, any mechanical trauma that disrupts an acne pustule or cyst, has the risk of creating greater inflammation.  Restylane injections should not be done through an area that has open sores or pus. The Restylane should not be allowed to get infected via the approach through an inflammed or open wound area.

Thank you for your question. I have never know Restylane to cause acne to flare. However, anytime something irritates the skin it can cause flaring of acne. For it to persist for 6 months is very rare. I recommend following up with your dermatologist to have this treated. In the future, you can try Radiesse for the nasolabial folds since it typically gives better results and is longer lasting. Also, Radiesse is injected more deeply and is likely to cause flaring of acne. Best of Luck!