Hyaluronic Acid Fillers, Needle Contamination by Fastidious Microorganisms, and Risk of Complications.

BACKGROUND: Complications are becoming ever more common with the increased use of hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers in aesthetic medicine. Complications due to needle contamination with fastidious microorganisms are no exception. OBJECTIVE: To perform, in a top Italian aesthetic medicine facility, what the authors think is the first monitoring program of microbial needle contamination of cross-linked HA gel fillers after the prefilled syringes with gel residues were stored for retouches after the first aesthetic procedure. METHODS: Needle contamination monitoring study, performed between January and November 2019, on 35 needles (caliber, 30 and 27 G) stored at 4°C in their resealed filler packages for possible retouch after a first aesthetic treatment involving the middle and lower facial thirds. Women's age: 35 to 70 years old. RESULTS: The search for contaminating agents of the 3 monitored bacterial contaminants (Staphylococcus aureus , Streptococcus pyogenes , and anaerobes) as well as yeasts and molds always tested negative. In the days and months after treatment, no patients in post-treatment controls showed evidence of infection in the treated areas. CONCLUSION: The observational retrospective study confirms that good storage conditions, including monitored refrigeration, avoid the risk of contamination of partially used HA gel fillers by fastidious microorganisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]