MRI study reveals new concerns about lasting effects of facial fillers
Enthusiasts of using hyaluronic acid for lip or cheek fillers might be concerned. An American plastic surgeon conducted a study showing the appearance of a woman's face who used fillers. The doctor also arrived at a surprising conclusion.
20 July 2024 16:13
Plastic surgery and cosmetology are developing at a rapid pace. In cities worldwide, people whose beauty conforms to standards smile from posters. Billboards assure that absolutely everything in the body can be fixed—smoothing wrinkles, removing receding hairlines, enlarging lips, and even improving the quality of intimate life with one tiny procedure. However, more and more specialists warn against excessively fixing what is not broken. They are concerned not only with visual aspects but, above all—medical ones.
A plastic surgeon showed MRI images
Doctor of Medicine Kami Pasa is an American plastic surgeon who specializes in beautification and reconstruction. Aware of the dangers of excessive face injections with hyaluronic acid, he shared his knowledge on TikTok. To this end, the surgeon ordered an MRI scan of a patient's face and showed the results in a video.
A 33-year-old woman had 12 syringes of hyaluronic acid injected into her lips and cheeks over six years, roughly 11 grams. The MRI images clearly show that the filler in the cheeks migrated but did not dissolve over time, contrary to what some cosmetologists claim. On the contrary, the volume of acid in the patient's face increased by more than twice, to about 25 grams.
Why did the volume of fillers in the patient's face increase? This results from the properties of hyaluronic acid, which binds water. One molecule of the acid can bind even water molecules. Cosmetic creators use this action by using hyaluronic acid as a moisturizing substance.
Do fillers block the lymphatic system?
A matter of interest to Dr. Kami Pasa was the impact of fillers on the lymphatic system. The surgeon considered that using hyaluronic acid is associated with the action of open lymphatic vessels, whose task is, among others, to neutralize substances harmful to the body. To this end, the surgeon administered a substance containing UV dye to the patient. In complete darkness, the woman's face glowed in places where the filler was present. The rest of her body remained dark, indicating that the lymphatic system works flawlessly in those places. The UV dye remained in the woman’s cheeks for up to five days. The doctor declares further studies on fillers used in plastic surgery and cosmetology.
