Possible side effects to treatments

Potential side effects of anti-wrinkle/muscle relaxing treatments

Asymmetry is a potential issue with any anti-wrinkle or muscle relaxing treatment but is more common when performing injection to improve bunny noses, gummy smiles, and chin smoothing. It is also common in the eyebrows if the forehead is not treated equally. Everyone has different strength muscles with side-to-side differences, so it is not always possible to correct natural asymmetry. A review at 2 weeks can be done to see if one side needs more. The good news about asymmetry, is that it will wear off as the effect wears off in 3-4 months.

As with any needling procedure there is likely to be swelling, redness and sometimes bruising. With anti-wrinkle treatments often there is a small lump called a ‘bleb’ as the injection is done superficially. This goes down in a couple of hours normally. Bruising is more likely when it is hot weather, if you take anything that thins the blood such as anticoagulants, anti-inflammatories fish oil and other supplements. This will be discussed in your consultation and avoiding these is helpful where possible. For many people taking anti-coagulants, this is not possible so an increased risk of bruising needs to be accepted.

Some people can be unlucky and develop antibodies to the anti-wrinkle treatment, and therefore not respond to it like they used to. This can be because treatment has been ongoing for many years. For others, who have autoimmune medical conditions, this can happen sooner. It is often recommended to have a treatment holiday and then return to have more after 6-12 months. Sometimes changing the type of anti-wrinkle treatment can help too.

Potential side effects of Cold Plasma Treatment

It is rare to have many side effects from treatment. The most common issue is redness directly following treatment, but this tends to fade quickly – within hours in most cases but in some more sensitive skins within 1-2 days. There can be swelling, flushing, bruising, itching, tenderness and small red or purple spots (petechiae) after the procedure but this is rare. Generally, these are minimal, but depending on your diet, medical conditions and medications these effects can last anything from a few hours to 3-4 days. Bruising may stay longer if you are taking anticoagulant medications or dietary supplements. Due to the use on inflamed skin, there can be unknown side effects for you as an individual, but because the procedure is non-invasive (doesn’t use any needles for example), it would be rare. Cold Plasma requires a series of treatments before results are fully known.

It is possible that bacterial, viral or fungal infections can occur post procedure, especially if the skin is not kept clean. It is therefore important to follow post procedure instructions to prevent these. For those prone to cold sores (herpes simplex), it may be recommended to take anti-viral medication to prevent an outbreak or use topical preparations should the infection occur. This can be discussed in your consultation.

Potential side effects of filler treatments

As with any needling procedure there is likely to be swelling, redness and sometimes bruising. Bruising if more likely when it is hot weather, if you take anything that thins the blood such as anticoagulants, anti-inflammatories, fish oil and other supplements. This will be discussed in your consultation and avoiding these is helpful where possible. For many people taking anti-coagulants, this is not possible so an increased risk of bruising needs to be accepted.

One of the most important complications of filler treatment is vascular occlusion. This is where a small amount of the filler gel is inadvertently injected into a blood vessel. This results in the vessel becoming blocked or occluded. If this is not managed within a short time frame, then it will lead to necrosis (death) of the skin and subsequent scarring. Some places in the face have a higher risk than others. Lips for example are very vascular.

Pain is one of the first signs of a vascular occlusion. Not normal injection pain, but pain that is out of the ordinary for the injection. This is commonly followed by paleness of the area. We will teach you how to do a capillary refill test on your skin before you leave clinic. This is where you press firmly on the area for at least 10 seconds and release. The blood should rush back into the area within 2-3 seconds. If it doesn’t, then there is a possibility it could be an occlusion. Unfortunately, in some cases a bruise with swelling can be confused with an occlusion, and this is why the clinician will need to review you as soon as possible if you suspect that you have a slow capillary refill. Normally, before you leave the clinic, your clinician would have checked this anyway, but sometimes it is slow to materialize.

Infection is another complication of needling procedures. This is why we are very strict to say that you should not touch you face, clean it, or put any make up on for at least 12 hours. This minimizes the risk of infection. Should infection occur, it is important to contact your clinician immediately so that you can be assessed, and relevant treatment offered.

In some cases, your body can have an immune reaction to the filler resulting in a delayed infection/reaction called a biofilm. The only option if this happens is to dissolve the filler to stop the immune reaction to it. 

Lumps after filler treatment are very common. It can take 3-4 weeks for these lumps to gradually disappear. Hyaluronic acid in the filler is broken down and absorbed over this time. Please don’t fiddle with lumps before 2 weeks! After that, if there is still a lump there, then massaging a little at home is fine.

Potential side effects of filler dissolving

Apart from all the normal side effects with needling procedures (see potential side effects of filler treatment), the biggest issue with dissolving is pain. Numbing cream would be given, but unfortunately the solution still stings in most cases. The enzyme also dissolves your bodies natural hyaluronic acid and therefore the area dissolved often looks deflated and worse than it originally did. Over time your body’s own hyaluronic acid is laid down again and restores some of the deflated look. It is also the norm to refill the area, although if there is a history of reaction and developing biofilm, on a background of certain medical conditions, then this may not be possible.

Potential side effects of microneedling treatments

As with all needling procedures there is a risk of infection and therefore meticulous skin care is required following treatment. You should not touch your skin or apply makeup for 12 hours. This allows the tiny holes to heal. Redness, discomfort and bruising are possible depending on the depth of the needling, but generally settle within a few days. Some people are quick healers, and it settles within 24 hours. Sometimes the skin may peel or flake whilst it is healing. Scarring is an issue for those who have had keloid scaring – it could make this worse. You should avoid sunlight as the skin is more exposed and more likely to get sun damage after treatment. Hyperpigmentation could result if you don’t stay out of the sun and also increased redness. You should avoid swimming, saunas, steam rooms or any heat.

Potential side effects of skin boosting treatments

With any treatment there are always the potential for side effects. The most common are bruising, redness and swelling. There can be discomfort when the injections are being put in. Occasionally there can be headache or infection, numbness and fainting. There is a very small chance of causing a vascular occlusion- less than fillers, because it is being injected superficially only.

Overall, it is a safe treatment.
Sometimes the effect is not that obvious because someone’s skin is already looking good due to excellent skin care. For others it is because they don’t have the whole course of injections. Often changes are seen on the 2nd and 3rd treatments, so it is important to do the whole course for optimal results. It is important to remember that these boosters do not restore volume loss and therefore don’t alter the shape of the face, just the skin quality.

Potential side effects of chemical peels treatments.

The normal reaction to chemical peels is swelling, redness and scabbing. The length of time this lasts, depends on the depth of the peel. Redness for example, can stay for a few days. There can also be changes in skin colour, such as hyperpigmentation (dark spots) and also hypopigmentation (going lighter). Infections are possible, especially if you touch the skin or apply make-up too early. The skin is very sensitive afterwards due to removing the top layer of skin. It is crucial to wear SPF and stay out of the sun after treatment.

Potential side effects of light-emitting diodes (LED)

There are very few side effects with this treatment and overall has a great safety record. There may be a small degree of skin redness or rash which is normal after treatment. For very sensitive skins, sometimes this can be increased. Wearing eye protection is crucial. Recovery is usually quick and the only requirement is to stay out of sunlight for 2 days and to wear sunscreen (as always!).

It is important that if you are using certain medications such as isotretinoin and lithium that make you more sensitive to the sunlight, you do not have this treatment. Certain eye diseases are also contraindicated.

Potential side effects of Radiofrequency and Electroporation

Radiofrequency (RF) and electroporation is a very safe and effective treatment. It does not break the skin because it does not involve needles. Therefore, the normal side effects associated with needling, such as bruising, and redness usually occur in a mild form, if at all. The bruising can be in the form of red or purple spots called petechiae, which is most common around the eye area. If you are on blood thinning medication or supplements, this will increase your chances of bruising. The radiofrequency applies heat to the area, and therefore there can be some redness or swelling post treatment, but this is usually mild and requires minimal to no down time to recover from. Most patients just have a very good glow after treatment! Occasionally there is also tingling with RF.

Electroporation causes tingling sensation in everyone when applied, but for those with more sensitive skins, this may cause discomfort. The intensity of the tingling can be altered, so it is important to feedback to your clinician during treatment if you are experiencing this.

As there is no breaching of the skin, patients can apply make up as soon as the skin settles after treatment. It is important to avoid certain heat based and abrasive treatments before or after this treatment, for example no filler treatments should be applied within 2 weeks, and anti-wrinkle treatments should not be applied for 4 weeks before or after treatment. Please see consent and aftercare forms for further details.

It is possible that bacterial, viral or fungal infections can occur post procedure, especially if the skin is not kept clean. It is therefore important to follow post procedure instructions to prevent these. For those prone to cold sores (herpes simplex), it may be recommended to take anti-viral medication to prevent an outbreak or use topical preparations should the infection occur. This can be discussed in your consultation.

Potential side effects of fat dissolving treatment

As with any treatment there are always potential side effects. For fat dissolving this is often tenderness, bruising and swelling. This can be for 7-10 days after treatment. So, there will be down time for this treatment. Sometimes the skin is also discoloured. 

You will also need to massage the area at home for several days after your treatment.

Unfortunately, the skin around the superficial fat, may have lost its elasticity, so that when the fat is removed, it can result in sagging skin. There are other treatments that can help tighten the skin if this happens. During your consultation, your skin will be assessed to see how likely this is and put a plan in place.