Guide

Risks and Complications, Stated Plainly

These are medical procedures. Complications happen, and the site that says so is the one to trust.

Most people considering a cosmetic procedure have seen a great deal of imagery and very little about complications. Neither sensationalizing nor softening helps. What follows is the honest shape of it, and none of it is a substitute for the conversation you should have with a licensed medical provider.

What is expected and not a complication

Bruising, swelling, redness, tenderness and temporary firmness are common after injections. Redness, stinging and peeling follow a peel. Redness and sensitivity follow needling and many energy treatments. These are the procedure behaving normally, and a provider should tell you what to expect and for roughly how long.

Injectable complications

Asymmetry and unintended muscle weakness, including eyelid or brow droop, occur with neuromodulators, as do headaches and allergic reactions; effects at a distance from the injection site have been reported. With filler, lumps, nodules and infection are possible, and the serious one is vascular occlusion — material blocking or compressing an artery, which can cause tissue death and, rarely, vision loss. Severe or worsening pain, blanching or dusky skin, and any visual change need immediate attention.

Energy, peel and needling complications

Burns, blistering, crusting, infection and scarring are the recognized risks of energy devices, and pigment change in either direction can be prolonged or permanent, with higher risk in darker skin tones. Peels carry scarring, infection, cold sore reactivation and pigment change. Needling carries infection, scarring and pigment change. Sun exposure during healing makes pigment problems more likely across all of them.

What to have arranged in advance

Before any procedure, know the warning signs specific to it, know the number that reaches a clinician outside business hours, and know what the practice does rather than what it hopes. If a complication develops, contact the treating practice promptly, and go to an emergency department for anything involving vision, breathing, swallowing or rapidly worsening pain.

Request a Consultation

Start With the Consultation, Not the Procedure

Say which category you are considering. We will match you and tell you what the consultation should cover and what to ask before you consent.

Request a Consultation