Hyalurostructure Treatment: Superior Clinical Outcome through a New Protocol—A 4-Year Comparative Study of Two Methods for Tear Trough Treatment

The Efficacy and Safety of Hyaluronic Acid Injection in Tear Trough Deformity: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Hyaluronic acid (HA) injection is an effective method to correct tear trough deformity. Nevertheless, the quantitative data of cosmetic results and complications of HA injection in tear troughs remained unemployed. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to synthesize the current quantitative data on the aesthetic outcomes and adverse effects of tear trough deformity correction with HA injection.

METHODS

This meta-analysis consulted PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus and Cochrane databases based on the search terms published before September 2022. Data extracted was analyzed to evaluate the satisfaction rates and complications of HA injection. Meta-analysis was performed using the random-effect model for overall and subgroup analysis.

RESULTS

This meta-analysis comprised 31 reports involving 2556 participants. The pooled overall satisfaction rate was 91.0% (95% CI 84.9-95.7%). The pooled rates of swelling/edema and bruising/ecchymosis were 19.2% (95% CI 10.4-29.9%) and 18.4% (95% CI 10.1-28.4%), respectively. The pooled rates of redness/erythema, contour irregularity/lump and blue discoloration/Tyndall effect were 7.1% (95% CI 1.5-15.6%), 5.3% (95% CI 1.8-10.2%) and 0.9% (95% CI 0.0-2.5%), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The present meta-analysis manifested a low risk of complication rate and a high satisfaction rate in tear trough rejuvenation with HA injection.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE I

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Novel Treatment Protocol for Combined Tear Trough Ligament Stretching and Injection

BACKGROUND

Complex anatomical changes have been the main challenges for optimal treatment results of tear trough deformities through hyaluronic acid (HA) injections. The authors present a novel technique consisting of a preinjection tear trough ligament stretching (TTLS-I) leading to its release, and compared its efficacy, safety, and patient satisfaction to tear trough deformity injection (TTDI).

METHODS

This was a 4-year, retrospective, single-center cohort study of 83 TTLS-I patients, with a follow-up period of 1 year. One hundred thirty-five TTDI patients served as a comparison group. Outcome analyses included the analysis of possible risk factors for adverse outcome and comparative statistics between the complication and satisfaction rates of the two groups.

RESULTS

TTLS-I patients received significantly less HA (0.3 cc; range, 0.2 to 0.3 cc) than TTDI patients did (0.6 cc; range, 0.6 to 0.8 cc; P < 0.001). The injected HA amount was a significant predictive factor for complications ( P < 0.05). Complication rates assessed during the follow-up visit for hematomas, edema, and the need for corrective hyaluronidase injection were low in both groups, with no significant differences between the groups. TTDI patients had significantly higher rates (5.1%) of lump surface irregularities during follow-up, compared with 0% in the TTLS-I group ( P < 0.05). After 1 year of follow-up, 98.8% of TTLS-I patients were satisfied, whereas 95.6% of TTDI patients were satisfied, with no significant difference between groups.

CONCLUSIONS

TTLS-I is a novel, safe, and effective treatment method, necessitating significantly less HA compared with TTDI. Moreover, it leads to very high satisfaction rates and very low complication rates.

CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic, III.

Tear Trough Filler Techniques Utilizing Hyaluronic Acid: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Hyaluronic acid soft-tissue augmentation fillers are commonly injected into multiple areas of the face, including the tear trough. Despite well-documented risks, there is no standardized, evidence-based approach to inject filler in this area, be it using a hypodermic needle or a microcannula. The authors, therefore, sought to establish a preference between the two methods to facilitate progression toward standardization and prevention of adverse events.

METHODS

This is a systematic review of articles discussing hyaluronic acid tear trough injection techniques performed in vivo and related outcomes. Searches were conducted across The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase to yield relevant articles published before February of 2020. All selected articles incorporated discrete patient cases and were analyzed by a variety of variables assessing evidence strength, outcomes, technique, and patient safety.

RESULTS

After appraisal, 42 articles met eligibility criteria: 20 using needles, 12 using cannulas, and 10 focusing on adverse events. Level III was the most commonly awarded evidence grade, corresponding to retrospective, nonexperimental descriptive studies. There were no statistically significant differences in reported aesthetic results, patient satisfaction, or incidence of adverse events across the needle-based and cannula-based articles. Some technique trends, such as targeted anatomical plane and needle position, emerged in subsequent articles.

CONCLUSION

Given that there were no statistically significant differences in patient safety or outcomes, an evidence-based preference for needle or cannula injection into the tear trough cannot be made at this time. Current inconsistencies make tear trough injection procedures difficult to replicate, making standardization based on avoidance of adverse events not feasible.

Nonsurgical Tear Trough Volumization: A Systematic Review of Patient Satisfaction

BACKGROUND

Nonsurgical rejuvenation of the tear trough area via the use of injectable filler material has become a popular procedure in facial rejuvenation. This procedure offers immediate, albeit temporary, results with minimal recovery time.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this systematic review was to report on patient satisfaction and complication rates to further guide practitioners.

METHODS

PubMed, Cochrane, and Scopus libraries were queried for articles containing relevant terms. Articles with more than 5 patients who reported on satisfaction and/or complications from the procedure were included for review. In addition to these variables, we noted other aspects of injection, including filler material, technique, and needle or cannula delivery. Studies that did not otherwise fulfill inclusion criteria for statistical analysis but reported on intravascular injection-related complications were cited.

RESULTS

Initial query resulted in 1655 studies which were assessed for duplicates and inclusion/exclusion criteria. After screening, 28 articles were included for analysis. In total, 1956 patients were captured who had been injected with 1 of 4 materials: hyaluronic acid (1535), calcium hydroxyapatite (376), autologous fibroblast/keratin gel (35), and collagen-based filler (10). Short- and long-term satisfaction rates were 84.4% and 76.7%, respectively. Minor complications were common (44%). Secondarily, we found the use of cannula for filler injection of this region to be associated with a lower rate of ecchymosis (7% vs 17%, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Filler injection volumization of tear trough deformity is an effective technique for facial rejuvenation associated with high patient satisfaction. Multiple filler materials offer acceptable satisfaction and complication profiles.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4

Dermal Fillers for Tear Trough Rejuvenation: A Systematic Review

There is significant variation in treatment parameters when treating the infraorbital region. Thorough knowledge of these pertinent factors, choice of the optimal filling material, and proper understanding of the anatomy of this unforgiving region will contribute to a safe, effective, and natural result. We aim to conduct a systematic review of published literature related to soft tissue fillers of the tear trough and infraorbital region. A search of published literature was conducted in accordance with PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines and included PubMed, Embase, and Science Direct databases. The Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms used were "tear trough" OR "infraorbital" AND "dermal filler" OR "hyaluronic acid" OR "poly-L-lactic acid" OR "calcium hydroxyapatite" OR "Restylane" OR "Radiesse" OR "Perlane" OR "Juvéderm" OR "Belotero." Different combinations of these key terms were used. The initial search identified 526 articles. Six additional articles were identified through references. Two-hundred twenty-five duplicates were removed. A total of 307 studies were screened by title and abstract and 258 studies were eliminated based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Forty-nine articles underwent full-text review. The final analysis included 23 articles. Patient satisfaction was high, and duration of effect ranged from 8 to 12 months. Restylane was most commonly used. Injection technique varied, but generally involved placing filler pre-periosteally, deep to orbicularis oculi muscle, anterior to the inferior orbital rim via serial puncture or retrograde linear threading with a 30-gauge needle. Topical anesthetic was most commonly used. Side effects were generally mild and included bruising, edema, blue-gray dyschromia, and contour irregularities. Nonsurgical correction of the tear trough deformity with soft tissue filler is a minimally invasive procedure with excellent patient satisfaction with long-lasting effects. It is essential to have a fundamental understanding of the relevant anatomy and ideal injection technique to provide excellent patient outcomes and prevent serious complications.

Tear trough deformity: different types of anatomy and treatment options

Aim

To explore the efficacy of tear trough deformity treatment with the use of hyaluronic acid gel or autologous fat for soft tissue augmentation and fat repositioning via arcus marginalis release.

Material and methods

Seventy-eight patients with the tear trough were divided into three groups. Class I has tear trough without bulging orbital fat or excess of the lower eyelid skin. Class II is associated with mild to moderate orbital fat bulging, without excess of the lower eyelid skin. Class III is associated with severe orbital fat bulging and excess of the lower eyelid skin. Class I or II was treated using hyaluronic acid gel or autologous fat injections. Class III was treated with fat repositioning via arcus marginalis release. The patients with a deep nasojugal groove of class III were treated with injecting autologous fat into the tear trough during fat repositioning lower blepharoplasty as a way of supplementing the volume added by the repositioned fat.

Results

Seventy-eight patients with tear trough deformity were confirmed from photographs taken before and after surgery. There were some complications, but all had complete resolution.

Conclusions

Patients with mild to moderate peri-orbital volume loss without severe orbital fat bulging may be good candidates for hyaluronic acid filler or fat grafting alone. However, patients with more pronounced deformities, severe orbital fat bulging and excess of the lower eyelid skin are often better served by fat repositioning via arcus marginalis release and fat grafting.

The Liquid Lift: Looking Natural Without Lumps

Context:

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is the most common filler used to rejuvenate. Today, a three-dimensional approach prevails over previous techniques in which this material was used in specific areas of the face such as the nasolabial fold, the marionette line, and the eye trough giving a strange appearance that does not look natural. Even with a volumizing purpose, the injection of HA can sometimes produce clinically detectable nodules or lumps where the filler is deposited.

Aims:

To develop a new technique of injecting HA that can provide more natural results and avoid the lumpiness and nodular appearance that sometimes occurs with the injection of HA. To detect whether mixing HA with diluted anesthetic agent modifies its behavior.

Settings and Design:

Prospective, case control, single-center study on a private clinic setting.

Materials and Methods:

Eighty six patients were enrolled in this study. All of them had a previous treatment with nondiluted HA using a needle at least a year before. Patients were injected with 8 mL of reticulated HA (RHA) mixed with 6 mL of saline and 2 mL of anesthetic agent. The mixture was administered through a cannula inserted in the face, one at mid-cheek and another at frontal-temporal point of entry. Owing to the lifting effect of this mixture we called this procedure liquid lift (LL). Patients were evaluated 1 month, 6 months, and a year later and asked to compare the LL with previous experiences in terms of natural look, pain, and appearance of nodules.

Statistical Analysis Used:

Student's t-test.

Results:

One month after the treatment, 83 out of 86 patients (96.5%) thought LL produced a more natural look than the previous treatment with the needle. Sixty two (72%) considered LL less painful than the previous treatment and only eight (9.3%) could detect lumps or nodules 1 month after LL was performed compared with 46 (53.5%) that described this problem with previous needle injections. The incidence of bruising was also clearly lower (7% with LL vs 17.4% with traditional needle).

Conclusions:

Injection of diluted HA with saline and anesthetic agents through a cannula all over the face or LL can provide more natural results and less lumps or nodules, and is less painful than traditional treatments involving needle injection of nondiluted HA.