LAM FACIAL PLASTICS

I had rhinoplasty over a year and a half ago. It was performed by someone I believe is highly qualified. I went to a follow-up appointment with him the other day. I guess it was scheduled now to be sure that no more swelling existed. When I went in there he said that I needed a bit of silicone in a few spots and that I would need to come every 2 months for maybe 3 different injections. He said that the injections were permanent and that I wouldn't have to do it for the rest of my life or anything. Well, I didn't know anything about it and he did not mention any risks so I said ok and he gave me an injection in my nose. No big deal I thought until I got home and started reading about all the dangers. NOW I AM FREAKING OUT. Among the frightening things I have read is that they have no clue about the immunology of these injections and they don't know the long term side effects. I read that the silicone CANNOT BE REMOVED EVER or only with significant scarring and loss of tissue. I learned that there are links to pneumonitis, migration of the silicone, granuloma, nodules, and even facial necrosis. I am really getting terrified and wish I hadn't allowed him to give me the injection. I would rather live with imperfections in my nose than be dead. But its too late now. I am petrified with questions like, "how do I know that 15 years from now I won't get necrosis or respiratory failure as a result of the injections?". I am really scared yet part of me says, " I have already got it in me so I might as well go back in the next few months to get the last couple of injections".

Could you please tell me if my concerns are warranted. Why has the FDA not approved this procedure and why didn't my doctor mention that there were significant risks. What is your opinion of these risks. I feel very confident that the doctor is probably performed the procedure correctly but still am so scared of what having this foreign material in me might do to me over the short and long term.

Also, the doctor did not mention any precautions. I wore my glasses over the injected area immediately after the procedure when I was driving home. I have continued to wear them and I am worried that may shift the silicone to an undesirable position by wearing the glasses so soon after the injection. Is it ok to wear my glasses right after the injection?

It would provide great comfort to me to get a response with some straight talk on what I am dealing with here. I really appreciate your time Dr. Lam.

i perform silicone all the time in the nose. i believe it is very safe. necrosis is reported like with any injectable product and can occur if injected into a blood vessel. that would have happened within 24 hours of injection. injecting very small amounts carefully should not create that problem. that is why a skilled injector is very important. the FDA question is that once the product is FDA approved for use in the body (which it is for retinal detachments in the eye), there is very little reason to get an FDA clearance when the company has no interest in marketing it for cosmetic purposes. just like rogaine is only FDA cleared for the back of the head but it is effective over the entire scalp. restylane is only FDA cleared for the nasolabial folds, but it is used everywhere on the face. botox is only FDA cleared for between the eyes but it is used everywhere. also huge metanalysis studies have shown that silicone does NOT cause immunologic issues. in fact, every needle and knife ever used to operate on your contains silicone. if you walk by a copier, it has silicone in the air. now, huge quantities of it can cause problems but we are not talking about that. to understand all of this more indepth, watch my 3 videos on silicone safety and usage:
http://www.lamfacialplastics.com/galler ... y+and+Use/

Dr. Lam, Thanks for the comprehensive and helpful response!

you are most welcome!