The side effects and risks of a Non-surgical Rhinoplasty

Non-surgical rhinoplasty is an aesthetic procedure where hyaluronic acid-based dermal fillers, are used to modify the shape and profile of a client’s nose without surgery. As with all aesthetic treatments, there are some associated risks. It is important to find a practitioner that is open and honest about these risks and allows you to make your own choice about treatments.

So what are the side effects and risks of a Non-surgical Rhinoplasty?

The type of filler and pain relief method used depends on the specific treatment area. Clients may find the rhinoplasty procedure uncomfortable, to mildly painful. Injections around the tip of the nose and the lip area are usually the most tender areas. Although, clients report that the treatments are bearable. If you are worried about pain before your treatment you should let your practitioner know. During the procedure, if you are too uncomfortable tell your practitioner as they will be able to increase the amount of anesthetic used.

The most common side effect of the treatment is slight bleeding, this is to be expected as the tip needle breaks the surface of the skin. Other common potential side effects of treatments include redness, swelling, tenderness, and bruising around the injection site. This can take 2-3 days to diminish completely.

A Haematoma from filler treatment is less common, but not unheard of. Hematoma is a fancy word for a bruise. There are thousands of veins, blood vessels, and capillaries in our faces alone, and most of them are not visible to your practitioner. A Haematoma occurs when the injector causes an injury to the wall of a blood vessel, blood can then flow to the surrounding tissues and a bruise appears. A Haematoma usually heals within 5 days; however, it could take around 2 weeks.

Occasionally allergic reactions to filler treatment can occur. These include hard bumps in the skin, an excess of swelling, itching, and prolonged redness. These signs can appear at all or some injection points. Sometimes they can last several months, or longer. Allergic reactions are extremely unusual, your practitioner may decide to dissolve the filler if they believe an allergy is a cause. If you have a known allergy to hyaluronic acid filler, any of the ingredients in the product, or an allergy to bee stings you must inform your practitioner. They may be able to offer you an alternative and more suitable treatment.

Occlusions occur exceptionally rarely. This is where the filler is unintentionally into a blood vessel, creating a blockage. This is noticeable as a whitening of the skin, known as blanching. If this is not detected the area may appear greyish purple. If untreated it can result in necrosis and tissue loss in the affected area. There have been reports of this being more common in lip and nose treatments due to the number of blood vessels in the area. To prevent this the injecting practitioner should aspirate the needle (meaning pullback), if the syringe is in a blood vessel blood will come up into the needle and the practitioner will know not to inject there. The injecting practitioner should also do a capillary refill test, this uses pressure to check the blood flow. If you suspect any symptoms of occlusion, you must seek your practitioner and/or attend A&E immediately. You may need to be prescribed emergency medication, which is why it is so important to have access to a medically trained professional.

Please note: As with any skin or aesthetics treatment, injections should be avoided where there is any irritation, infection, or swelling. This includes both acne and cold sores, as it could irritate the area further. If you have a history of blisters or cold sores in the treatment area, any trauma including injections could potentially cause a breakout. Your practitioner may advise that you take an ant-viral medication before the treatment to reduce the likelihood of this. You could also use cold sore cream for 3 days leading up to your aesthetics treatment.