Dr. Alexandra Schmidt, a board-certified plastic surgeon
at Blue Water Plastic Surgery and Blue Water Spa addresses the news
surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine and facial fillers.
The COVID
vaccine may cause facial swelling in people with a recent history of
dermal fillers. This complication appears to be rare, localized, and
temporary without any long-term consequences. Out of 74,000 people
treated in the Pfizer and Moderna clinical trials, 3 individuals
reported swelling associated with facial filler that was performed
within the last 6 months.
At Blue Water Spa, we treat a large
number of medical providers including MDs and RNs, many of whom have
been vaccinated for COVID. Thus far, none of our patients has reported
any facial swelling after vaccination.
Should you get the COVID vaccine if you recently had a dermal filler treatment?
The
answer is absolutely, YES, you should. If you have an opportunity to
receive the COVID vaccine, the potential benefits significantly outweigh
the risk of facial swelling.
How long after receiving the COVID vaccine do you need to wait for a filler treatment?
At
Blue Water Spa, we recommend waiting at least 1 week after the second
dose of the vaccine to receive your filler treatment. While we don’t yet
know the ideal timeframe for delaying filler treatment after the
vaccine, it is probably best to wait until after the immune response has
subsided to consider filler.
We urge any patient with symptoms
to return immediately to the medical practice where the filler was
placed to be evaluated and treated. Your physician, Nurse Practitioner
or PA will mostly likely start antihistamine and/or steroid treatment.
With proper treatment, the swelling is expected to resolve quickly.
Lastly,
Dr. Schmidt offers some alternatives to facial fillers such as PRF
treatments if patients are looking for an alternative to fillers.
Our
primary goal is our patients safety. We will continue providing updates
as we learn more. Please don’t hesitate to text us at 919-739-3910 with
questions regarding your appointment, treatments, scheduling a
consultation, and more.
