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Clinical Experience with Polymethylmethacrylate Microsphere Filler Complications

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Abstract

Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) filler is widely used for the correction of wrinkles because of its relative long-lasting cosmetic improvements and the rarity of reported complications. However, early and delayed complications, ranging from minor to severe, can occur following PMMA filler injection. We evaluated and treated 13 cases of PMMA filler-related complications that were referred to our institution from July 2005 to June 2010. Of these patients, 92.3% were female and 7.7% were male. Complications were roughly classified as (1) nodular masses, (2) inflammation, (3) allergic reactions, and (4) discoloration. Affected locations were the lips, periocular wrinkles, nasolabial folds, forehead, marionette wrinkles, and cheeks. As there is no standard treatment modality for PMMA filler complications, patients were managed with various treatments aimed at minimizing morbidity. In the cases of lip granuloma, we recommended intralesional steroid injection first, followed by surgical excision, including lip mucosa and orbicularis oris muscle in intractable cases. Additional studies should be conducted to determine the safety of PMMA injection, reduce the occurrence of adverse reactions, and identify risk factors that are associated with higher complication rates.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Yun-Joo Park for helpful comments on the article and also thank Dr. Ji-Hae Park for editing the article.

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The authors report no conflicts of interest or financial ties to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 108 Pyung-Dong, Jongno-Gu, Seoul, 110-746, Korea

    Tae Hwan Park, Sang Won Seo, June-Kyu Kim & Choong Hyun Chang

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  1. Tae Hwan Park
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  2. Sang Won Seo
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  3. June-Kyu Kim
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  4. Choong Hyun Chang
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Correspondence to Choong Hyun Chang.

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Park, T.H., Seo, S.W., Kim, JK. et al. Clinical Experience with Polymethylmethacrylate Microsphere Filler Complications. Aesth Plast Surg 36, 421–426 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-011-9803-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-011-9803-z

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