Let’s get straight to the point. Can you get the Corona vaccine if you have fillers in your face? Yes. 👄

There is a very small chance of facial swelling reactions but it’s rare and treatable.

We asked Dr. Costi to clear up this matter for us💉

You might have heard rumors or maybe even reports of people developing a facial swelling reaction after getting the Covid-19 vaccine. It has been said that people with facial fillers saw their face swelling in the place where they had filler injections, and there is an explanation to it.

“Other vaccines might also cause face swelling, not just the Covid vaccine” says Dr. Costi.  “It’s a normal reaction of your immune system”.

The Covid vaccine is a reactogenic- meaning that as it begins to work in your body it causes reactions. Basically, the vaccine increases your immune system’s response and gets it working overtime to protect you against the virus. Now what happens is that this immune response gets your body alerted against any foreign substance, which means it will react against the material of the cosmetic filler in your face (because it’s not native to your body) resulting in soft tissue swelling. It can also result in fever and muscle aches 😷

But the swelling is very rare for both hyaluronic acid and non-hyaluronic acid fillers, and the symptoms are very treatable with antihistamine and oral steroids like any other skin reaction. In case the swelling doesn’t go down on its own, the filler can be melted from the face with an injection of hyaluronidase.

Anyway to be on the safe side, if you know that you’re getting the vaccine it’s better to delay any cosmetic procedure until a few weeks after. This is also a safe practice in case you’re getting just a flu shot.

In general for fillers, it’s better to get injected by an expert who will know how to handle complications. And if you already have fillers, just inform the practitioner who is administering the vaccine, so that they can monitor you for any immediate reaction. It’s also not very known if getting the first and the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine could cause different reactions. As more is discovered, the research will be clearer on this subject.

What about Botox? Neuromodulators like Botox are not even an issue. They are not implicated in any swelling from the vaccine.

Meanwhile, what you can do is stay informed, ask your doctor, and base your decisions only on scientific knowledge!

It’s very important to get the Covid vaccine! Don’t listen to rumors and don’t be scared: trust in your doctor’s advice.