Using filler injections to treat the areola nipple complex (NAC) after surgery.

Most hyaluronic acid filler studies focused on dermal fillers are about injection techniques and areas of injection in the face, and sometimes the hands, but hyaluronic acid fillers’ other function can also be used in reconstruction. There are only a few cases in using dermal fillers to correct or reconstruct any physical surgical complications.

One case of using dermal fillers was to reconstruct the nipple areola complex, which for some patients, they lose the Nipple Areola Complex (NAC) projection after surgery (Belman et al., 2017).  The article’s case focused on a 49-year-old woman who has undergone a mastectomy, and the researchers observe that sometimes after surgery the NAC suffers from atrophy. As such, the physicians of the study sought to correct the surgery using dermal fillers. A bilateral injection was made on each nipple, and the procedure was a success adding projection after injection.

Key Findings:

• Increase of 1.5-1.6mm on both breasts
• Nipple projection for both breasts are 3.3mm after injection

A similar study was conducted back in 2010 where the researchers used Artecoll to augment the nipple (McCarthy, 2010). It also focused on creating better nipple projection. Twenty-three patients underwent the procedure in the study, and with the use of Artecoll, the mean post-injection was higher than pre-injection.

There was a case wherein a patient had multiple cleft lip and palate surgeries (Stolic et al., 2015). The injection was carried out after biphasic therapy. The researchers mentioned the importance of injection technique when correcting the surgical complications.

Another case involved injectables to reconstruct soft tissue on the ear. In that case, the study’s investigators used Macrolane. The study’s investigators conducted multiple injection sessions to expand the ear needing reconstruction and expansion. There were no reported complications after the treatment sessions.

Despite the studies’ outcomes, adverse effects may arise with the patient, and it could be necessary to follow-up with the patient after a few weeks or months. Bottomline is, dermal fillers help patients give a natural look, if the physician knows what they’re doing. It is important to know injection techniques as well to avoid any complications.