Delayed infectious reactions of dermal filler injections in the face: Causes and management

Objective: Nowadays, dermal filler injections in the face, are widespread. However, late complications are rarely reported and misunderstood. Moreover, they could be potentially severe, particularly cellulitis which is life-threatening. Reactivation of the biofilm and the hypersensitivity reaction are the main etiopathogenic factors of such unpredictable infections and granuloma reactions. Through four cases of foreign-body cellulitis, this article aims to explain the causality of filler material, and trigger conditions while emphasizes the prompt and adequate solution.

Material and methods: This work is a retrospective study and chart review which was granted an exemption by the author's institutional review board (IRB). Four women ranging from 27 to 55 years old, presented with onset symptoms of cellulitis of the face and inflammatory swelling of the lip. The hyaluronic acid filler was injected a long date prior. Trigger conditions caused the hatching of such complications which were solved with medical treatment without any filler dissolution or removal.

Results: Improvement of the symptoms was remarkable within the three and fifth days of antibiotic therapy. There was no abscess formation or, recurrence for more than one-year follow-up.

Conclusion: The screening for dermal filler deposits must be considered for any inflammatory reaction of the face. Their causality should be discussed as well as the infectious and/or immunologic etiology, ensuring prompt and adequate medical treatment. Thus abscess formation could then not happen, and the resolution of the inflammatory reaction will be obtained. The extraction of filler material or the use of hyaluronidase should not be mandatory and will be done on a case-by-case basis.