Novel management of granuloma formation secondary to dermal filler: A multi-modality approach

Dermal fillers for soft tissue augmentation have become increasingly popular among patients of all ages and ethnicities. With more widespread use, there has been an increased incidence of adverse reactions, one of which is the granulomatous foreign body reaction (GFBR).

We present a three patient case series in which GFBR secondary to dermal filler was successfully treated with a multi-leveled approach. The first modality involves intralesional injection of a mixture containing 1 cc of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), 0.5 cc of dexamethasone sodium phosphate, and 0.1 cc of triamcinolone 10. The lesion is injected intradermally in small aliquots, similar to scar treatment. The patient then takes colchicine 1.2 mg loading dose on day 1, then 0.6 mg twice per day for 4 days concurrently with naproxen 500 mg orally once daily for 5-7 days. This process may be repeated in 6 weeks if the lesions have not resolved and PDL laser may be employed for residual post-inflammatory erythema.

All three patients presented in this case series had significant aesthetic improvement in their dermal filler-derived foreign body granulomatous reactions.

GFBR provides both a medical and aesthetic issue for these patients including mental distress, pain, and dysfunction, therefore having an effective treatment for GFBR will affect medical management of these patients, improving patient outcomes and satisfaction. Our proposed regimen for GFBR has been shown to be highly efficacious and safe for these patients, providing a significant improvement in both function and cosmesis of the area.