Covid-19 Vaccine: Everything You Need to Know If You Have Botox or Fillers

As I write this, my left arm is a bit sore as I just received my second dose of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine.  I am relieved to have been fully vaccinated.  The vaccine is becoming more and more available and as of this writing it is available to Healthcare and essential workers as well as those over the age of 65.  I will discuss the common side effects as well as side effects specific to patients who have had Botox and Filler treatments.  The two vaccines currently available under the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) are the Pfizer and Moderna Vaccines.  These vaccines are the light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully, will get our lives and economy back in gear.  Barring any significant contra-indication, I would urge you and your loved ones to get vaccinated when the vaccine is available to you.  Contrary to some conspiracy theories we are not being micro-chipped and Bill Gates and Dr. Fauci are not profiting from this.  This is strictly a matter of getting our lives back.

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Do the Vaccines have any side effects?  Like all vaccines and medications the Covid-19 vaccines do have associated side effects.  The common side effects include tenderness or soreness at the injection site, fatigue, headache, chills, fever and joint and muscle aches.  Fortunately, these side effects are temporary.  There are also rare reports of allergic reactions.

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What about reactions in patients who have received Botox and Fillers?  First the good news, there have been no reported reactions or side effects associated with Botox injections.  On the other hand, there have been rare reports of delayed swelling in patients who have had injectable fillers receiving the vaccine.  In the Moderna vaccine trials there were 15,000 people in the study, 3 developed delayed swelling in areas where they had injectable fillers.  All resolved and were temporary.  In the Pfizer vaccine trials there were 18,000 people in the study with no reports of delayed swelling with fillers.  We don’t know exactly which fillers reacted but the risk is low and the reactions resolved.  What does this mean for you if you have had or are planning to receive injectable fillers?  The most recent recommendations released by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) recommend that patients who have already received dermal fillers should not be discouraged or precluded from receiving vaccines of any kind.  Similarly, patients who have had vaccines should not be precluded from receiving dermal fillers in the future.  The ASDS recommends that dermal fillers should be administered by board-certified physicians who are experts in both the injection of fillers and management of complications arising from them.

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At PotozkinMD SkinCare & Laser Center we are keeping up to date with the latest recommendations and are here to serve you.  Hopefully, we will all be vaccinated sooner rather than later.