What is Vascular Occlusion?
A vascular occlusion is when there is a blockage in a blood vessel. This cannot happen with botulinum toxins (Bot.Tox) but it is a risk with dermal fillers.
Botulinum toxins are watery and therefore cannot cause a blockage. Dermal fillers can travel into a blood vessel and block the flow of blood, which causes the oxygen flow servicing the skin to stop and the tissues to die.
If a filler blocks a blood vessel leading to the blood vessels in the eyes then you can become blind.
If this is recognised promptly we can inject a medicine called Hyalase to dissolve the fillers and stop any scarring or permanent disfigurement.
Although this is a rare occurrence, it is important to ensure you have a highly-trained cosmetic injector for any filler treatments you may choose to have.
What are the signs and symptoms of Vascular Occlusion?
Skin Discolouration
Healthy skin is pink, but if there is an occlusion, the area may become painful and have a white or greyish tinge. If you press the area it should go white and then return to pink, but if this doesn’t occur, then you may have an occlusion. If this happens in a clinic the experienced injector will usually identify it and treat it immediately. If it happens later you must contact your treatment provider to ensure you get the correct assistance. Doctors and nurses not specialised in dermal filler treatments may not know how to treat an occlusion.
The biggest fear is Vascular Occlusion causing blindness
This is very rare but always a risk with any dermal filler injections. The incidence is 1 in 100,000 (0.01%). The vascular network is like a complex highway of blood vessels criss-crossing all over each other. Any filler that travels up a blood vessel and into the area at the back of the eye can lead to blindness. Blindness is likely to be immediate and permanent. You have 90 minutes to attempt to save your sight. There are certain areas considered ‘high risk’ for blindness which should only be injected by a very experienced injector. These are: nose, frown area, forehead, temples, tear troughs, and nasolabial lines (nose to mouth lines).