Nonsurgical rhinoplasty using the hyaluronic acid filler VYC-25L: Safety and patient satisfaction in a retrospective analysis of 492 patients

Abstract

Background: Aesthetic treatment of the nose with hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers is increasingly popular but carries a small risk of major complications. Large patient cohorts are required to better understand this risk. Aims: To evaluate safety and patient satisfaction in a large series of nonsurgical rhinoplasty treatments with the HA filler, VYC-25L, in “real world” clinical practice. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of consecutive adult patients undergoing nonsurgical rhinoplasty with VYC-25L by a single injector between January 2020 and July 2022. All patients received initial treatment (typically ~0.3–0.5 mL of filler) and touch-up at 4–6 weeks (~0.1–0.3 mL). Safety data were collected throughout a mean follow-up of 11.1 months. Patient satisfaction was assessed using the FACE-Q Satisfaction with Nose and Satisfaction with Outcome questionnaires. Results: A total of 492 patients were included (984 treatment sessions including touch-ups). Of these, 467 (94.9%) were female and the mean age was 30.0 years. All treatments were associated with early transient edema; other adverse events included bruising (n = 123; 25%), residual asymmetry (n = 18; 3.7%), and suspected localized vascular occlusion (n = 3; 0.6%). The latter cases were easily resolved with hyaluronidase injection plus oral steroid and aspirin. No patients experienced infection, necrosis, blindness, lumps, granuloma, or delayed-onset nodules. Mean Rasch-transformed FACE-Q scores were 90.2% for Satisfaction with Nose and 99.2% for Satisfaction with Outcome. Conclusions: In a large cohort of patients treated in routine practice based on a systematic approach, nonsurgical rhinoplasty with VYC-25L was safe and effective.