Who should do your filler treatment?

The other day I passed a hair salon that openly advertised not only cut and colour, but also injectable filler treatments. I was shocked! Why would anybody risk their health and have cosmetic injectables in a salon? Maybe it’s because people don’t realise that this may not be safe?

So I thought it’s a good idea to write a blog post about this topic and explain why it is absolutely crucial to visit a reputable medical clinic for your filler treatments.

Firstly, superior knowledge of facial anatomy is essential to minimise risks of cosmetic injectables. With many aesthetic procedures, we’re putting a needle into very precise locations with complex anatomical structures. Without specialist knowledge and training you can cause actual harm. The most worrying fact is that many non-medic injectors don’t even know what they don’t know.

I have learned this from first-hand conversations with non-medics planning to inject fillers. They were blissfully ignorant about their lack of true understanding of facial anatomy and possible complications. Truly alarming.

However, even in the very best hands, there are still possible risks associated with cosmetic injectables, as with all effective aesthetic treatments.

So, you want to be in the very best hands, not only to minimise the occurrence of complications (not to speak of obtaining the very best and natural looking result!), but also because, should you experience any problems after your treatment, you want to be in a clinic that can deal with these swiftly and confidently. Let me tell you more.

One of the possible post treatment complications of any filler injection is infection which might require a prescription antibiotic to settle. A doctor can deal with this.

Also, fillers around the lips have a known tendency for triggering cold sores. A medical prescriber can prescribe you anti-viral tablets to prevent or treat cold sore flare-ups.

And in the unlikely event of needing to dissolve the filler (although in unexperienced hands, this may not be quite as unlikely as you may think…), hyaluronidase – the enzyme that does this – is a prescription-only medication.

Another example – most fillers now contain a local anaesthetic and it’s possible, albeit in very common, to react with an allergy to them. Only a trained medic will be able to deal with this kind of emergency on the spot. It’s a rare complication, but it’s also highly unpredictable and can happen to anyone.

Looking at all these examples, you can see how crucial it is to only go and have fillers with a medically qualified practitioner who has a prescribing licence and furthermore is highly experienced in administering these, so can deal with complications, should they arise (complications are uncommon, but you want peace of mind!).

Unfortunately, it’s ultimately up to the patient to find a safe clinic, as there are no compulsory regulatory schemes in place as yet.