Review of sterility of reused stored dermal filler.

[OBJECTIVE] This review is primarily focusing on the legitimate concern about bacterial contamination after reuse of stored filling syringes and its associated risk of infections.

[METHODS] A comprehensive literature review was done through searching the PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate without setting a time limit. The following search terms were used soft tissue filler, hyaluronic acid, or calcium hydroxylapatite AND sterility, safety, retouch, touch up, or reuse.

[RESULT] Immediate replacing needles used in injection with a sterile substitute before storage was associated with no growth in one study (Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, 11, 2009, 271) and growth in another study (Dermatologic Surgery, 2017, 43, 967). There was no reported infection in the only patient-based study that examined the adverse events among patients injected with stored hyaluronic acid filler syringes.

[CONCLUSION] All published research showed that stored fillers are safe and do not increase the risk of biofilm formation.