LC-OCT as a tool to visualize in vivo location of dermal fillers

Dermal fillers have emerged as a popular non-surgical solution for facial rejuvenation and enhancement. Apart from botulinum toxin injections, they are the most common non-surgical procedure performed in the US. Line-field optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT; deepLive system Damae Medical, France) represents one of the most recent developments in non-invasive skin imaging technologies.

We performed LC-OCT image acquisition on six patients that were treated with hyaluronic acid (HA) dermal fillers in various locations on the face. The images were acquired before the application of the fillers (T0), immediately after (T1), and at a 6- to 8-week (T2) follow-up visit.

At T0, we were able to appreciate a normal-appearing epidermis, dermoepithelial junction, and dermis. At T1, the intradermal filler deposits appeared as homogeneously hyporeflective areas, clearly discernible from surrounding vessels and other structures. At T2, the deposits were distinguishable as hyporeflective areas, although they were diminished in size compared to T1. On enface view, collagen fibers had increased thickness and were more homogeneously organized and hyperreflective.

We established the usefulness of LC-OCT in the non-invasive evaluation of dermal HA fillers to visualize both short-term and medium-term effects. LC-OCT may be a valuable tool in evaluating the precise location of filler placement and follow-up of resulting in vivo changes.