Clinical Manifestations and Prognosis of Embolism Caused by Filler Injection in Different Facial Regions

BACKGROUND: Embolism is a serious complication after facial filling, with a usually poor prognosis of the symptoms after embolism. The authors systematically reviewed reported cases of facial vascular embolism, explored the relationship between the location and material used for facial filling and occurrence of vascular embolism, and assessed the prognosis of complications after vascular embolism. METHODS: This study provides a systematic review of published cases of vascular embolism after facial filling. A summary of the filling materials and filling sites for each case, the adverse reactions and embolized blood vessels, a recording of the time when each patient experienced adverse reactions and started treatment, and a presentation of their prognosis are provided. RESULTS: The frontal, eyebrow, and nose are common filling sites causing facial embolism. The main clinical manifestations after embolism were visual impairment, skin necrosis, and ptosis. The prognosis of visual impairment after embolization was poor, whereas skin necrosis and ptosis generally improved after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This article aimed to review the clinical manifestations, therapies, and prognosis of embolism after facial filling. A better understanding of these complications can help clinicians to detect the occurrence of complications as early as possible and give patients timely treatment.