Restylane-L Injected W/ Extra Lidocaine and Epinephrine; Is This Safe?

If you are having treatment with a reputable and well-trained provider, I would trust they have your best interest in mind when adding lidocaine with epinephrine to the product to help minimize bruising in this area. It's not an uncommon practice.

There is no evidence that diluting the fillers with these added products will cause any harm and could make the procedure less painful and possibly result in less bruising. That being said I have found that sometimes diluting the product decreases the duration of the effect but other than that does no additional harm.

There is no evidence that this reduces the risk of bruising.  The risk comes when you are poked by a needle.  The injection of this local itself can cause a big bruise.  The best way to reduce the risk of getting a big black eye is to avoid medications and herbal products that inhibit platelets for about 3 weeks prior to being injected.  Even still the risk is not zero.

I have done this for over 4 years now and it has made all the difference in my patients' experiences with fillers.  It is an incredible benefit as it reduces bleeding and pain significantly and is MUCH better than just the lidocaine alone.  It is a shame that the companies didn't add epinephrine to it as that would have made their products even better, but they went for lidocaine alone and that can sometimes end up with more bruising than even the older fillers with nothing.  So I would definitely go for it.  Enjoy!

I do exactly what you described for fillers in the tear troughs to minimize the risk of lumps and to minimize the risks of bruising. I will often use ice packs as well after injection.

Many experienced injectors will add lidocaine and epinephrine to fillers to make them more dilute. This is done for several reasons.  The epinephrine will constrict blood vessels and reduce the risk of bruising.  The dilute filler will flow easier and is less likely to cause lumpiness or excess fullness.  Hyaluronic acid based fillers such as Restylane are reversible or dissolvable with a medicine called hyaluronidase which makes them safer than other fillers in the eye area. 

There really should not be any additional risk with doing this. However the epinephrine can mask a major complication if there is an injection into a blood vessel. So having a very experienced injector is critical. Lidocaine is already added to most fillers these days by the manufacturer. Epi is what helps with bruising and blanches the skin

This is a great way to do fillers. This is how I've done it in my practice for 20 years. Lidocaine with epi was done by many injectors before the products came with lidocaine in them. When the companies added in the lidocaine this was done primarily for injectors who didn't do the prenumbing. Prenumbing with lidocaine and epi does two things: 1. Epi constricts blood flow slightly so it means the capillaries in the injection area are less likely to bleed, meaning less bruising and swelling, and 2. It makes the procedure even more comfortable for you be the area is numb before any of the injection is done. I think this is the perfect technique for making patients comfortable, and it does absolutely help with bruising and swelling. There is nothing to be concerned about.