Injectable Fillers - Medical Malpractice Lawyers

Our cosmetic surgery medical malpractice lawyers deal with claims for financial compensation arising out of negligent behaviour before during or after the use of injectable fillers. If you believe that your treatment, including disclosure of risk, surgical procedure or subsequent aftercare was less than adequate and amounted to negligent action on the part of a healthcare professional, please use the contact form or email our offices and a specialist medical malpractice lawyer will call you on the telephone, at your convenience, to discuss your potential damages claim for negligent use of injectable fillers. Our medical malpractice lawyers specialise in cases involving negligent cosmetic surgery and they offer a free consultation on injectable fillers negligence with no further obligation. You will receive detailed legal advice over the telephone and they will give their views on liability and the estimated value of your potential injectable fillers negligence claim there and then.

Injectable Fillers

Injectable fillers have become increasingly popular in plastic surgery/cosmetic surgery practices. Injectable fillers are important in filling up the lips, the cheeks and other areas on the face. In some cases, injectable fillers are used to raise indented scars.

Injectable fillers come in various consistencies. In some cases, a firm injectable filler is desired and in other cases, soft and pliable injectable fillers are necessary (particularly in the lip area). There are fillers made from natural substances and fillers made from synthetic substances. Let’s look at the various fillers used in cosmetic surgery.

Human Collagen

Human-based collagen fillers include multiple brand names including CosmoDerm and Cosmoplast, among others. They are used to build up the lip area and to fill in things like crow’s feet and the nasolabial fold. The good part about human based collagen fillers are that they are biocompatible and the risk of allergy is less than with other fillers that aren’t human based fillers. These fillers don’t last a long time. Most last only about four months before you need retreatment. This type of treatment needs a fair amount of over-filling in the beginning because about 40 percent of all that is injected goes away very quickly.

Bovine Collagen

Bovine-based collagen fillers include Zyplast and Zyderm. It is made from cow collagen and is used for the lips, the nasolabial folds, above the eye, below the eye and for crow’s feet. You need to have an allergy test before getting bovine based collagen fillers because of a possible allergy to the substance. Like human based filler, the product lasts around 4 months before it dissipates. If you have multiple injections over time, you can sustain a lasting result because some of the collagen will be permanent and will build up over many injections. Overfilling is necessary for the same reasons it is necessary in human based collagen fillers.

Fat Transfer

Fat transfer is not prone to allergies because fat is taken from your body at discrete locations, prepared and reinjected into the facial area. How the fat is prepared makes a difference in how long it lasts and your overall results. The fat is usually prepared by washing and removing all but pure fat cells without other cells interfering with the process. Fat transfer is somewhat of an unpredictable procedure but, if done well, can have long lasting results. Fat transfer, because it is all natural, does not require US FDA approval to perform.

Calcium Hydroxyapatite

A product known as Radiesse is made from calcium hydroxyapatite particles. They are suspended in water and injected into certain body areas. It is used around the nose and mouth and is used to fill indented scars. This is a filler that is completely biocompatible and non-toxic. There are no allergies with calcium hydroxyapatite so you can use it relatively safely. Radiesse is not recommended for the lips per se because the particle size is too large and the product is too coarse for use on tender lips.

Hyaluronic Acid

There are hyaluronic acid fillers under many names, including Restylane, Juvederm, Hylaform and Perlane. They differ in how coarse they are and in how long they last within the body. They can be used in the lips, around the mouth, in the nasolabial folds, frown lines, and crow’s feet. Almost all hyaluronic acid fillers last longer than other fillers, often as long as several years. The risk is that, if you don’t like the result, you are stuck with what you get.

Synthetic Poly-L-Lactic Acid

Synthetic poly-L-lactic acid is also known as Sculptra. It is a synthetic, biocompatible agent that treats unnatural skin folds, indented chins and hollowed eyes and cheeks. The results look good for at least two years.

Injectable Fillers - Medical Malpractice Lawyers

If you are unhappy with the outcome of any cosmetic surgery you should initially discuss your reservations with the surgeon who carried out the work to see if he has any proposals to rectify the problem. The surgeon may be willing to make a refund or may provide further corrective surgery. If you are unable to resolve the matter directly with the surgeon you should take advice from a medical malpractice lawyer with a view to claiming compensation. Our medical malpractice lawyers offer advice at no cost on liability and an estimate of the amount of compensation that you are likely to be awarded, with no charge and without obligation.

The author of the substantive medical writing on this website is Dr. Christine Traxler MD whose biography can be read here