The more important question is, should you use off-label silicone oil as a facial filler? You can certainly find someone, somewhere, willing to inject you with any substance for pay, but there is only one U.S. FDA-approved use of silicone oil injected into the human body, and that is to repair complex retinal detachments. This is a medically necessary case that prevents the recipient from going blind.
Technically, since physicians may use FDA-approved products for non-approved uses, you can legally receive silicone oil treatments as a facial filler; but that doesn’t make it a good idea. According to the 1997 amendment to the Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act 6, “Nothing in (FD&C Act) shall be construed to limit or interfere with the authority of a health care practitioner to prescribe or administer any legally marketed device to a patient for any condition or disease within a legitimate health care practitioner-patient relationship.” In other words, since silicone oil is legally and rightly marketed to correct retinal detachments, a doctor can apply his or her best professional judgment to use silicone oil along with any other legally marketed product if he or she believes it can help you. This is called off-label use. This important amendment allows doctors the flexibility needed to provide the best care possible, and as such, ethical doctors are extremely careful and thoughtful when using a product for a non-approved purpose.
Injecting silicone oil into the face and other parts of the body like the buttocks is not a case of careful and thoughtful use. Unfortunately a few non-physicians and even physicians continue to use silicone oils this way, and the FDA has aggressively pursued them. There are lay injectors who travel to hair salons and other unsupervised settings to “treat” those who are ignorant of its proper application and associated complications.
But What If Silicone Oil Is the Only Filler I Can Afford?
First, it is a misnomer to call silicone oil a filler because this is not an approved use. It is instead a bogus treatment that gives good fillers an unjustified bad reputation. When it comes to financing cosmetic procedures, here is the bottom line: if you can’t afford safe, quality treatment from an actual physician (not an assistant, technician, traveling person with unspecified qualifications, the black market, or your own hand), then you are better off without any treatment. Silicone oil injections have too many associated complications, including migration and permanent disfigurement, and a number of people have died from these treatments including, recently, a woman in Florida who died from receiving silicone oil injections in her buttocks. Many black market procedures use industrial silicone oil, which is absolutely not intended for the human body in any circumstance. Black market providers are dishonest by definition, so it is foolish to trust them if they assure you their silicone oil is medical grade – of course they will lie to make a sale, especially if they are outside the walls of a licensed medical office.
Instead of automatically assuming you cannot afford legitimate, trustworthy, FDA-approved fillers, consult a bona fide, fellowship trained cosmetic surgeon to learn about the cost and payment options for a safe, dependable filler. Silicone oil injections are cheap for a reason. Anyone who tells you they are a good cosmetic option is misleading you and omitting the facts. Perhaps they actually believe it what they are doing—they are deluding themselves. If they insist that this is an approved treatment, they are again misleading you, as silicone oil injections are only approved for treatment of retinal detachments. The FDA explicitly discourages their use as a cosmetic filler.
If you are certain you cannot afford treatment, then how will you afford to correct complications, should they arise? The complications are very common. You may know someone who is happy with his or her silicone oil treatment, but this doesn’t mean it’s safe or that you will experience your friend’s luck.
Finding a Safe Alternative
The good news is that several other fillers on the market work better than silicone oil anyway, and a cosmetic surgeon in Los Angeles like Dr. Steinsapir who specializes in noninvasive filling techniques can help you find an appropriate solution. As a physician who cares, Dr. Steinsapir does not believe it is ethical to inject silicone oil as a cosmetic filler. Contact us today for a personal consultation during which Dr. Steinsapir can tell you which facial filler or other treatment is best for you. Dr. Steinsapir only uses the highest quality products with proven effectiveness and FDA sanctioning and never treats anyone with an unsafe product and instead uses reliable, safe fillers like Restylane, Perlane and others. The best filler for you depends on your individual concerns. Contact us now if you have additional questions about silicone injections and how to find a more suitable option for your unique needs.
