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Facial Plast Surg 2022; 38(03): 250-259
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1736390
Original Research

Delayed Complications following Dermal Filler for Tear Trough Augmentation: A Systematic Review

Lily Nguyen Trinh 
1   School of Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana
2   Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Mass Eye and Ear, Boston, Massachusetts
,
Kelly C. McGuigan
3   School of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
,
Amar Gupta 
4   Department of Otolarynology, Private Practice—Head and Neck Surgery, Los Angeles, California
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Abstract

Tear trough deformity is a popular target for the treatment with filler injections. The side effects are generally mild and transient. However, delayed complications may occur. We aim to perform a thorough systematic review of the published literature related to delayed complications after tear trough filler injections. A search of published literature was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines in June 2021 and included PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Embase databases. The Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms used included the following terms: delayed complications, nodules, granulomas, swelling, discoloration, dermal filler, hyaluronic acid (HA), polyacrylamide, calcium hydroxyapatite (CaHA), poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), eyelid, periorbital, periocular, and tear trough. Twenty-eight articles consisting of 52 individual cases were included in the final analysis. 98% (51/52) of patients were female and had an average age of 48.3 years. HA was the most reported product (71.2%, 37/52), followed by PLLA (4/52, 7.7%), and CaHA (4/52, 7.7%). The most common delayed complication with any dermal filler was swelling (42.3%, 22/52) followed by lumps or nodules (25.0%, 13/52). Xanthelasma-like reaction (17.3%, 9/52), migration (7.7%, 4/52), discoloration (3%, 3/52) also occurred. The average time of onset of any complication was 16.8 months with xanthelasma-like reaction appearing soonest (mean: 10 months) and discoloration appearing latest (mean: 52 months). Most swelling cases were caused by HA. Semi-permanent fillers such as PMMA and synthetic fillers such as PLLA were more likely to be associated with lumps and nodules than other complications. It is important that clinicians who perform tear trough augmentation with dermal fillers have a thorough understanding of the risks of the procedure to diagnose and manage them promptly as well as provide patients with accurate information regarding the potential adverse effects.

Keywords

tear trough - dermal filler - trough augmentation - complications


Publication History

Article published online:
19 October 2021

© 2021. Thieme. All rights reserved.

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