COVID Vaccine And Dermal Fillers

COVID Vaccine Side Effects

“When you have your COVID vaccine this triggers your immune response which will then be on high alert for any foreign bodies entering your system. As a result, when dermal filler is injected, the body recognises this as a foreign body and in some cases may cause swelling to the area.” – Nurse Sarah Gaughan at PHI Clinic (⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣Response has been edited for length and clarity).

Whilst cases of this happening are very rare, it is important to inform your patients that they will need to inform you as to when and if they are looking to book their COVID vaccine. At PHI Clinic, we advise our patients that they should not receive filler treatment within 2 weeks before their COVID vaccine or 3 weeks after having it.

What Does This Mean For My Practice?

For practitioners, it is important to receive information from patients as to when they have had or are looking to have their COVID vaccine. Patients already treated with dermal fillers should not be discouraged or precluded from receiving vaccines of any kind, nor should they be discouraged from seeking dermal filler treatment in the future.

To get this information across to your own patients, you can simply add relevant questions into your consent forms and appropriately question patients during a consultation as to when they will be receiving the vaccine. It is always important to take a detailed medical history when treating any patient, but even more so if you or your patients have concerns about COVID vaccine side effects.

What Should I Do If I’m Not Comfortable Treating?

Although cases of vaccines reacting with dermal filler are rare, you may not feel comfortable providing a patient with treatment in close proximity to their vaccine appointment. If so, you should explain this to your patient clearly and set out their next steps. If you are able to, you could refer them to an experienced colleague within your network. Otherwise, you can advise them to return to see you an appropriate amount of time post-vaccine.

Book Your Dermal Filler Training

To find out more about our dermal filler courses or mentoring days with Dr Tapan Patel, head to our injectable courses or mentoring day page. Book your place now to start earning PHI points which can be redeemed against valid future courses at PHI College.