Increasing complications due to illegal filler injections of unknown origin

A 25-year-old patient met a girl who was studying beauty at a local spa. Because she wanted to beautify her boyfriend herself, the girl injected filler into her boyfriend, leading to him being permanently blind in one eye because the filler injection blocked the capillaries of the eye. Another case is Ms. NT (20 years old, Go Vap district, Ho Chi Minh City) who had filler injected into the nasolabial folds and cheeks at a beauty facility in Ho Chi Minh City. After examination, the patient did not know what type of filler she had been injected with or its origin, so treatment was difficult.

According to Dr. Tran Nguyen Anh Tu - Head of the Department of Dermatology, Ho Chi Minh City Dermatology Hospital, these patients still have many aesthetic consequences after successful treatment, because at this time the underlying fibrous tissue has hardened, the blood vessels are no longer normal, so it is very difficult for these patients to recover as before. The technique of injecting fillers must have a clear understanding of the characteristics of the product and the injection area, because fillers have many different characteristics suitable for the needs of each different skin area. For example, the eye area needs a softer filler, the mouth area needs a moderate amount.

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Hieu Liem - Head of the Department of Plastic Surgery - Aesthetics, Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine and Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, said that filler is a scientific invention worth using, the nature of filler has many substances, the most common is hyaluronic acid. However, it is also a substance that can cause great harm, because many people take advantage of fillers of unknown origin, containing unsafe substances for injection. In Vietnam today, the problem of filler injection by people who are not properly educated and have no expertise is becoming more prominent, leading to many cases of complications when filler is injected directly into the artery causing retinal embolism, causing blindness.

“This is a downside, filler is inherently a good substance, but in the hands of people who don't know how to use it, it becomes dangerous,” Dr. Hieu Liem expressed his opinion.

In end-line hospitals, filler accidents are not uncommon. Most patients suffer from abscesses and necrosis at the injection site due to unprofessional spas and practitioners. The result is many cases of permanent blindness.

“Another common reality in Vietnam is that it is very easy to buy these types of fillers on e-commerce platforms and social networking groups. It is easy to buy, so injections are also easy to do because the price is cheap, averaging from a few hundred thousand to more than a million VND per injection. When complications occur, most patients who go to the hospital do not share any information about the place of production or the name of the filler product. From our perspective, we still have to try to treat patients according to the filler treatment regimen,” Dr. Hieu Liem added.

Source: https://laodong.vn/y-te/gia-tang-bien-chung-do-tiem-filler-chui-khong-ro-nguon-goc-1373215.ldo