In most cases, Yes. A microcannula is the best option for dermal fillers. However, there’s a caveat! To be precise, two caveats.
One, a microcannula for fillers has its unique downsides. You must complete specialized training before using a microcannula for fillers, even if you have experience injecting fillers with a needle. Using a microcannula without proper training and expertise may lead to complications like a bacterial infection, bruising, and uneven cosmetic results.
Two, there are situations where a micro cannula is not the best option for fillers. In such situations, using a needle to deliver dermal filler into a specific part of the client's skin outshines a microcannula. So, which are these situations, and why is a micro cannula inferior in such moments? Stick around to the end to find out.
First, let's explore why you'd want to use a micro cannula for dermal fillers many times instead of a needle.
Why Is a Microcannlua the Best Option for Fillers?
1. Less Pain and Discomfort
Needles — the pain inflictors. With their delicate, sharp, and precise tips, needles tend to cause more pain and discomfort. Why? To distribute a select filler evenly, you must puncture the client's skin multiple times.
The cumulative effect of multiple injections may traumatize the client, leading to the development of a fear of needles. Some clients may even decline subsequent filler injection sessions.
In addition to discouraging clients from coming in for more filler injection sessions, using needles for fillers decreases the groups of clients you can target. There are people with trypanophobia (a fear of needles). Moreover, some people are more sensitive to pain, discouraging them from seeking your services.
That is just the tip of the iceberg of clients who are out of reach if you use a needle as the primary tool for injecting dermal fillers. So, how does a microcannula change the script?
How a microcannula stands out
A microcannula is flexible and blunt-tipped, and it comes in different lengths. This allows you to use a few entry points to distribute dermal filler over a large area.
First, fewer entry points mean reduced trauma to the skin's protective layer, significantly reducing the client's pain and discomfort.
Second, flexibility and a blunt tip reduce the likelihood of the microcannula hitting blood vessels during the procedure.
Rather than piecing through tissues and blood vessels, a microcannula for fillers gently pushes them aside as it deposits fillers in the target skin layer, enhancing your client’s experience.
2. Quick recovery and Minimal Downtime
Why do clients seek dermal filler injections? Some desire to get rid of wrinkles and lines. Some want to enhance features like under-eye areas, cheeks, nose bridges, and lips. And for others, it is all about minimizing aging spots and other textural issues associated with aging.
Essentially, these clients would love it if you got them their desired results quickly so they can immediately return to their daily activities. Remember, some clients would drop by for a filler injection right before a special event.
To grant your clients satisfactory outcomes with minimal downtime, a microcannula's design decreases the chances of bruising and inflammation.
How a microcannula stands out
Unlike a needle, which is more likely to puncture a blood vessel (leading to visible bruising), a microcannula for fillers tends to spread arteries and veins as it glides smoothly through the tissues.
Minimal disruption of blood vessels during the procedure sustains normal blood flow to the treated areas, delivering enough oxygen and nutrients to accelerate recovery.
Generally, the body does not spend much energy healing when minimal bruising and swelling occur. This is the same reason clients can see the results of their treatment almost immediately.
If there is one area you should minimize the use of a needle to near zero, it is the face. The needle is likely to puncture a blood vessel, draining blood to the surrounding tissues (what we call visible bruising). Such an incident would leave the client much more concerned about your expertise, probably losing confidence in the procedure.
No client wants to come in for a facial aesthetic treatment only to leave with a visibly discolored face — ranging from red to dark purple due to brutal bruising and swelling.
Even though the puncture wounds responsible for the bruising and swelling may take about a day or two to heal, it takes about 5 to 7 days for the bruising and swelling to heal.
As the healing process is underway, the discoloration on the face will turn yellow. Such discoloration can be disappointing or frustrating for your client, especially if they were expecting a "no-downtime" procedure.
On the other hand, even if you used a microcannula while working on the client's face only to bruise them accidentally, the damage would not be as disappointing. This is because a microcannula requires few entry points, plus its tip is blunt. So, the bruising and swelling is less severe and covers a smaller region—a region the client can conceal using makeup or concealers.
3. Lower Risk of Intravascular Injection
Back to the fact that needles have a sharp tip, increasing the chances of piercing blood vessels. Unfortunately, it is difficult to determine when you have unintentionally injected a blood vessel, raising the likelihood of you injecting dermal filler into the blood vessel.
Intravascular dermal injections have both mild and severe consequences. Some of them include:
- Skin blanching and pain: The first symptoms of intravascular injection are mostly pain and skin blanching. Your client begins experiencing mild to severe pain at the injection site or in the surrounding area. With time, the skin turns white or pale, indicating decreased blood supply to the treated site. Due to the low blood supply, the client may also itch around the injection site. If a client visits with these early symptoms, you should act immediately before the situation worsens.
- Slow capillary refill and red-blue dusky discoloration: The treated area may change color to red-blue due to poor blood circulation. For some patients, it may take longer than usual for the treated area to regain its original color whenever you press the skin's surface (also referred to as a slow capillary refill).
- Skin necrosis: If symptoms offiller intravascular injection go unnoticed for a long time, the cells within the injected site die (a condition known as skin necrosis) due to an inadequate supply of vital nutrients and oxygen.
- Ophthalmic complications: Injecting fillers around the eyes requires utmost precision. Suppose you mistakenly inject fillers into the blood vessels around the eye. In that case, the fillers may tamper with blood flow to various parts of the eye, leading to various ophthalmic complications or even irreversible blindness. Other eye-related complications that may occur include ptosis (drooping of the upper eyelid), ophthalmoplegia (paralysis of the eye muscles), and retinal artery occlusion.
- Blister formation followed by tissue sloughing: Some clients may notice blisters forming around the injection site. After a while, the blisters dry up, and the body naturally removes the dead cells and tissues. This tissue-sloughing process may leave open wounds, increasing the risk of scarring and infections.
So, how does a microcannula lower the risk of intravascular injection?
Flexibility coupled with a blunt tip reduces the chances of injecting dermal filler into blood vessels. Even when working around delicate parts with a greater concentration of blood vessels, like the eyes, a microcannula for fillers can navigate through tissues without causing damage.
Besides a decreased risk of intravascular injections, a microcannula for fillers reduces the risk of other complications like infections.
Remember, each puncture on the skin is a potential pathway for bacteria. So, requiring only a few entry points to deliver filler into the target site significantly reduces the chances of an infection.
Not only does minimized potential for an infection or intravascular injection boost your confidence in performing a dermal filler procedure, but it also gives your client peace of mind. Knowing that the procedure is less risky makes the client more willing to proceed with the filler treatment.
4. More Even Distribution of Dermal Fillers
Do you agree with this statement? Using only a needle to smoothly and uniformly apply dermal fillers over a large area requires more experience and consumes many hours. If you do, you'd also agree that the whole procedure is overly uncomfortable for most clients despite the numbing agents used.
Overall, despite how hyper-focused you may be, you are less likely to seamlessly blend the areas between filler injection sites using a needle.
A needle cannot accurately measure the amount of filler you deposit in each injection point. This means each point would receive slightly varied filler material, resulting in a less natural-looking outcome.
On the flip side, a microcannula’s form factor allows for the creation of smooth and natural-looking enhancements. Let’s explore how it does this:
How a microcannula stands out
Microcannulas are flexible and come in different lengths, making injecting fillers into regions of various sizes easy.
If you are injecting fillers into a larger target area, you can use a longer microcannula to distribute filler evenly within the region through a single entry point. Moreover, a microcannula releases a specific capacity of filler per injection, allowing you to control the desired consistency.
Here are some common microcannula for fillers and sizes and their applications:
- 25mm microcannula: This is ideal for precise and delicate areas like the lips, perioral area, and under-eye areas. Due to its smaller size, it allows for precise filler placement with minimal to no risk of swelling or bruising, especially around the eyes.
- 38mm microcannula:Suitable for moderate-depth injections and medium-sized areas like the cheeks. Other than using it to add volume and enhance cheek contours, you can use it to do away with marionette lines and nasolabial folds.
- 50mm microcannula:Due to its mid-range capacity, you can use it to address a variety of cosmetic concerns around the cheeks, temple, and jawline. This size is more suited for volumizing and contouring.
- 70mm microcannula:Do you need to cover an area like the neck extensively with dermal filler? This is the starting point of large-sized microcannulas. It is ideal for deeper injections and resolving cosmetic issues in larger areas.
- 100mm microcannula:Mostly used for deeper injections and injecting fillers into vast areas. It provides maximum flexibility and reach, making it possible to use it for off-label applications like injecting fillers into hands.
These are not the only available microcannulas and the right sizes. To select the appropriate size, consider factors such as the area of treatment, patient comfort, and desired outcome.
For instance, smaller areas with delicate structures require shorter, more precise microcannulas. When working on larger areas, opt for larger microcannula for fillers. Moreover, longer microcannulas reduce the need for more entry points, enhancing patient comfort due to minimized punctures.
It is up to you to determine the right microcannula for fillers and the right size to deliver satisfactory results characterized by smooth contours and natural-looking features. This increases patient satisfaction, strengthening their likelihood of returning for future treatments.
Now, even though a microcannula is the best filler option, you must still be able to determine when you cannot do without a needle.
In most cases, the needle is a complimentary filler injection tool, especially when making critical, precise adjustments. Let's quickly look into some situations where a needle assures the client another moment of looking stunning.
Situations in Which a Needle Outshines a Microcannula
- If the client has scar tissues: Since they have a blunt tip and are highly flexible, microcannulas struggle with the unpredictable nature of scar tissues. The fibrous tissues making up the scar tissues are, at times, uneven and dense, making it even more challenging to predict the path a microcannula should take. However, you can work around and beneath even the most dense scar tissues with a needle.
- Whenever greater precision is required: Advanced filler injection techniques exist beyond basic fine line and wrinkle adjustments. A good example is the "bolus" injection technique, which requires injecting fillers into a specific skin layer. Such a technique requires a greater degree of control and precision, one that a microcannula struggles with.
Conclusion
Microcannula vs. needle for fillers is a never-ending debate. But, with the help of this blog post, you can rest assured that you know what tool to use and why.
Before administering dermal fillers using either a microcannula or needle, acquire proper training to minimize the risks associated with the procedure. Moreover, ensure your clients are informed about the risks involved before proceeding with the procedure.
Enhance Your Clients’ Satisfaction Consistently
Clients trust you to expertly inject dermal filler into various areas of their skin to enhance their natural features, boosting their confidence and self-esteem. To ensure you deliver the desired results consistently, we invite you to partner with us.
With over 16 years of experience manufacturing CE2292 and ISO13485-approved medical aesthetics products, Diaminy Aesthetics ensures you have a steady supply of microcannulas and other aesthetic products. A 24/7 support team awaits your request for free samples to help you make an informed decision. Reach out today and let Diaminy be your partner to consistent wins.
