Blunt Tip Cannula use with Filler for Tear Troughs
Blunt Tip Cannula vs Needle in Filler Injection
Why should we use a Blunt tip cannula instead of the traditional needle when injection dermal fillers?
As we all know, all fillers come with needles for injection of the material. Needles correspond to the filler viscosity and the size differs depending on the material used. Currently no filler comes equipped with Blunt-tip micro-cannula.
Recently FDA has approved use of a blunt tip cannula in the midface for injection of Restylane and other Hyaluronic acid fillers. Some Experienced physician are currently using the Blunt-tip microcannula especially for in the danger zones of the face. The study performed by Galderma ( Restylane) revealed that use of cannula in the face seems to result in less bruising, less pain and improved outcome. Injection of the dermal fillers using a cannula has become even more popular in the recent years due to its safety profile. Cannula usage has decreased the risk of not only bruising, but decreased the risk of skin necrosis or blindness.
Despite the improved results from the Cannula usage during the face injection with Hyaluronic acid, the manufacturers still package the filler with needles instead of a cannula.
How is the risk of bruising, blindness and skin necrosis decreased with the use of Cannula?
In order to understand the difference, we have to explain the route and the method used to inject a dermal filler via the cannula vs. needle.
When using a needle, the sharp tip of the needle penetrates through the skin ( possibly through a capillary, vein or artery), it may easily pass into or through a vein, artery or nerve and down to the depth where the filler is injected. This method increases the risk of bruising, swelling and possible intra-vacular injection into the vein or artery. If intra-vascular injection of material is noted, immediately it should be attended to and dissolved. There are many methods to resolving this but it involves aggressive management. Injection of Hyaluronidase is used to dissolve the material and aggressive massaging is needed to allow normal blood flow to occur. If this is not resolved or attended to, skin necrosis or dying will occur due to poor blood flow supply to certain part of the injected areas.
In contrast to this, deposition of the dermal filler using a cannula with a blunt tip can not penetrate the skin. A corresponding needle (usually come with the cannula in a kit) is required to make an entry point for the cannula that just passes through the skin. The cannula is then used to pass through the entry point to the areas beneath the skin. The blunt tipped cannula can re-enter the same entry point again without having to hurt the patient with another needle puncture. The blunt or rounded tip (bullet tip) of the cannula is not sharp and usually can not penetrate through a vein, artery or a nerve; therefore decreasing the risk of bruising or injuring your facial vascular system or worst, injecting material into the vein or artery causing complications. The blunt tip pushes the important structures away and the filler is deposited from a side port into the dermal layer, making the cannula a safer tool to inject dermal fillers with.
To summarize, there are many advantages of using a blunt tipped cannula for the injection of dermal fillers instead of needles. It is a win-win situation for the patient and the practitioner.