Hyaluronic acid dermal fillers: can adjunctive lidocaine improve patient satisfaction without decreasing efficacy or duration?

Lynnelle Smith1, Kimberly Cockerham21Ophthalmology Department, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA; 2Ophthalmology Department, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USAAbstract: Hyaluronic acid (HA) dermal fillers are the most widely used injectables to augment facial volume without surgery. HA dermal fillers are popular because of their ease of administration, predictable effectiveness, good safety profile, and quick patient recovery. The most common patient complaint is pain. Our goal is to review the current literature on HA fillers and compare outcomes with and without lidocaine. We found adjunctive lidocaine significantly decreases pain during injection and postinjection with corresponding increased patient satisfaction. The efficacy and safety profile appears unchanged. Rare complications with HA fillers and those associated with constituents of the product, contaminants, and lidocaine are reviewed. The corrective effects of HA fillers are temporary; repeat treatment is required to maintain results. Minimizing pain is crucial to optimize patient satisfaction.Keywords: hyaluronic acid, lidocaine, drug toxicity, hypersensitivity, collagen, herpes simplex