Guidance for Dermal Fillers and the COVID-19 Vaccine
The past year has put everyone under some type of stress. The Covid-19 crisis has not been easy to deal with, but there is finally a silver lining to the dark clouds. Safe and proven vaccines are finally here. The two major mRNA vaccines already in mass production and distribution are from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.
People who have received dermal filler treatments may have heard that Moderna vaccine is causing slight facial swelling in a significantly small number of people with facial filler gel. This may naturally concern you if you have had a soft tissue filler injection treatment in the recent past. This guide is intended to explain why Moderna vaccine is causing facial swelling in people with facial fillers and whether you should get the vaccine or not.
Reasons Covid-19 Vaccine May Cause Facial Swelling
To begin with, you should understand the way vaccines work if you want to know why coronavirus vaccine is causing swelling in some people. Most vaccines administer a tiny dose of the live virus, such as yellow fever, measles, or chickenpox. This is done to help you body fight against the virus. In the case of coronavirus vaccine, it administers a very tiny piece of the spike protein unique to the Covid-19 virus.
The scientific concept behind this is to stimulate your immune system into recognizing the coronavirus spike protein. This way when you are finally exposed to the virus (if ever) your body will know how to defeat the virus without you falling sick or getting seriously ill.
However, the vaccine is temporarily challenging your immune system. You may suffer from common side effects which means the vaccine is working as it should. Most people experience muscle soreness, fever, and fatigue. These are reassuring signs that the vaccine is working as it should in helping your immune system do what it is supposed to do.
In some cases, especially in people with facial fillers, their immune systems reacted differently. They suffered facial swelling in the areas where they received dermal fillers. The body is placed on high alert following a vaccination. In rare cases, the immune system can confuse your dermal fillers as a threat or a foreign body. This may result in temporary swelling in the area. This is only till the body realizes the dermal filler is not posing any threat to you.
You should note that the swelling was not anaphylactic swelling. That is an allergic reaction which causes facial swelling, airway swelling, and racing heart among many other symptoms. Anaphylactic shocks can require hospitalization as well. Dermal filler swelling were treatable without the need for concern or hospitalization.
Is Swelling Caused by Both Vaccines?
This particular issue was found to be caused only by Moderna vaccine. However, it is quite probably that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine may also produce similar type of issue in extremely rare cases since the makeup of both the vaccines is almost the same.
You should also know that there are several other vaccines, such as the influenza vaccine which can cause a similar issue. However, this is a rare side effect which can be easily treated by your cosmetic surgeon. It may be stressful to have your face swell, but it doesn’t cause any lasting damage.
Should You Get Fillers with Vaccination?
It is prudent to put off getting dermal fillers if you are considering getting the Covid-19 vaccine soon. You should wait till you have had your second dose to get the dermal filler. You can speak with your doctor about getting the dermal fillers after all your vaccine shots are completed. You can mitigate the risk of having your face swell up with this.
Covid-19 Vaccine for People with Dermal Fillers
You may wonder if you should avoid getting Covid-19 vaccine if you recently had dermal fillers. The answer to this is no. You should get the vaccination since Covid-19 or Wuhan virus is a far greater risk than having your face swell. Also, there is a very small chance that you will actually experience any swelling.
You should speak with your doctor if you recently had any dermal filler injectable and your turn for the vaccine has come up. Depending on your particular situation, the doctor may advise you to wait for at least two weeks before getting the vaccination. However, in most cases the doctor may recommend risking the swelling and getting the vaccine done.
You should let the vaccine administrator know that you have had facial fillers. You should also let them know of any known allergies and whether you carry an Epi-Pen with you. Make sure you carry your Epi-Pen to the vaccination appointment with you.
You should remember that everybody that gets the Covid-19 vaccine are placed under observation for 15 – 30 minutes. You should alert the care provider immediately if you start noticing any swelling. You should call the doctor if you notice swelling once you get home or after a few days following the shot.
Promptly go to the emergency room if you feel shortness of breath or experience severe swelling. You need to understand that this side effect has been seen in only a few people with millions not experiencing anything.
You may need to speak with your doctor if you had an untoward reaction following your first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. They will take a judgment whether or not to administer the second shot. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis at the time of writing this article. Your doctor will advise you the appropriate solutions if reactions become frequent.
However, at this time, the decision to take a second shot of Covid-19 vaccine after experiencing reaction the first time will need to be taken by you and your doctor. The decision should be based on a risk analysis of the Covid-19 shot and swelling.
Key Takeaway
You need to check with your primary care physician as with everything else pertaining to your health about any concerns or questions you may have. Make sure you get all your questions about the Covid-19 vaccine answered. You can also consult your dermatologist about facial fillers and whether you should get them before or after being inoculated.
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