Hyaluronic Acid Fillers: Evaluating The Use Of Adjunct Lidocaine

Kimberly P. Cockerham, MD, FACS Lynnelle K. Smith, MD

1 Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, United States of America. 2 Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, United States of America

Purpose: Hyaluronic acid (HA) dermal fillers are the most widely used agents to non-surgically correct soft tissue defects within the face. The persistent popularity of these treatments is enabled by their ease of administration, effectiveness, low side-effect profile and quick patient recovery. The chief side-effect of treatment is pain during administration and recovery. This paper will review current available data on treatment with hyaluronic acid fillers with adjunct lidocaine.

Methods: Retrospective review of published literature comparing hyaluronic acid dermal fillers with and without lidocaine.

Results: For the majority of patients, combined treatments are documented to increase patient satisfaction with treatment without appearing to change the efficacy or side-effect profile of HA fillers. One possible additional side-effect to consider is the formation of sterile abscesses, described in one case series with adjunct filler use.

Conclusions: The corrective effects of HA fillers are impermanent and repeat treatments are required to maintain results. This emphasizes the importance of minimizing their side-effect profile. Decreasing pain and minimizing aesthetic compromise during and after treatment could maximize patient and physician satisfaction. This could also enable HA fillers to maintain a viable presence within future markets once upcoming treatments with longer-term effects become available.