Doctors warn against dangerous at-home lip filler trend
Medical procedures should never be performed at home, period. Not even if you found a lip injection kit on the internet.
Especially in that instance, actually. Some people are attempting it anyway, though.
Videos of YouTube and TikTok users experimenting with hyaluron pens or hyaluronic pens have become increasingly popular.
The self-injecting pens force filler into the skin using pressurized air without using a needle, but they’re still dangerous.
Dr. David Shafer, a plastic surgeon who specializes in all aspects of aesthetic & cosmetic surgery at Shafer Clinic Fifth Avenue in New York City, told In The Know that “everything could and does go wrong when patients try to treat themselves with medical procedures.”
“From the most basic complications of injection and swelling to the more serious such as disfigurement, people should not attempt these treatments at home,” he said.
Not only are at-home injectors not receiving a proper standard of care from a medical professional, but they’re also using a device that is not FDA approved.
Though the hyaluronic pens are enticing because they don’t use needles, that doesn’t mean they aren’t invasive. They still break the skin’s barrier using a “shotgun effect.”
There’s also no way of knowing what’s really inside them.
“When products are ordered online from sketchy sources, there is no way of knowing what is actually in the product,” Dr. Shafer said. “Is it really hyaluronic acid or is it silicone or some other substance? Is it sterile or is it contaminated with bacteria?”
He and several other doctors warned against the trend.
Though at-home alternatives may work in other areas of your life, stick to a professional for any cosmetic procedures.