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Dr. Cory Torgerson’s Safety Guidelines For Injectable Fillers

    Don’t play with your face. After you have attended a Botox Toronto party, you may have seen, or read about patients with black (necrosed) nose, lips, or forehead. The story typically includes a basement or a condo on a weekend where the people are teased for the ‘botox party’ and they are given drinks, food, or a ‘discount.’ Generally, the story contains ‘grey’ credentials for the injector. It’s also a story about the pressure of peers to do something. Note, the host would possibly be cut off. Educated medical permission is seldom obtained before treatment on certain individuals, and techniques of antiseptic (antibacterial) are rare. In the event of an emergency, there is sometimes no antidote on-site. Lastly, there are not too many on-site doctors.  Although some doctors have to sign prescribe injectables. Mostly, the doctor is inaccessible in the event of an emergency. 

     

    How much BOTOX safe in the clinic?

    On the other side, BOTOX injections typically give much better outcomes if performed in a Facial Cosmetic Surgeon Toronto clinic. Complications happen, but they are minimal when properly injected. Some possible complications include inflammation and inadvertent blood vessel injection and a secondary blockage of this blood vessel by secondary tissue loss (nose, lips, eye, forehead, etc.). Bruising and time “off” work are also factors for the recovery and proper healing.

    A Few Guidelines While Performing Injectables

    1. It is essential to wear sterile gloves while injecting Dysport®, BOTOX, and dermal fillers.
    2. Whenever feasible, we use cannula techniques.
    3. Proper cleaning and makeup removal are necessary before the injection. People should come without make-up as a long list of bacteria comes with make-up.
    4. An antiseptic agent is used to properly detoxify the skin at all contact points with the injector. 1% chlorhexidine is a good alternative; the same solution can be used for facial lifting, rhinoplasty, eyelid lift, and so on.
    5. Antiseptic cleansing is needed after removing a topical anesthetic cream.
    6. We all “dab” bleeding points… so we use sterile gauzes at VISAGE, and I use them for my own use and dip them into chlorhexidine while performing the injection.
    7. We always trust on the perforating needles and cannula in chlorhexidine antiseptic solution
    8. As for all forms of the procedure (“draping”), we use perforated sterile drapes reveal to the face only, preventing contact with the hair that cannot be asepticated; these drapes are specially designed for VISAGE.
    9. Removal of the cap may dull the needles so keep the bottle open as short as feasible. Moreover, in this way you can avoid contaminating the lid itself. 
    10. Strictly avoid creams and post-operative make-up – we usually prescribe to our patients that re-enacting the make-up at least 1 hour before the Botox Toronto procedure. It will save them from some infections. 
    11. We make sure the needle tip doesn’t contact a non-sterile surface, and it would not expose to external elements for more than a few minutes while multiple needles are prepared at once (eg.  for glabella, mentalis, forehead, platysma, etc.) I know many physicians who store many needles in the fridge for a long day, sometimes uncapped. It should be avoided.