Beauty is only mucosa deep: a retrospective analysis of oral lumps and bumps caused by cosmetic fillers.

Introduction The injection of dermal fillers into orofacial tissues is becoming increasingly popular for cosmetic purposes, in particular for lip augmentation. Both natural and synthetic filler materials are available, producing a spectrum of clinical and histological appearances.Aims The aim of this study was to review the clinicopathological characteristics of dermal filler cases from 2006 to 2016, reported at a specialist oral pathology unit.Methods An archival search of the pathology database was performed to retrieve cases reported as being consistent with cosmetic fillers.Results Ten cases of orofacial cosmetic fillers were retrieved. Of these cases, 100% were from female patients and the mean age of presentation was 47.6 years (range 24-68 years). The lips were the most frequently involved site (80%, n = 8). The majority of provisional diagnoses were related to salivary gland disease, including neoplasms (30%, n = 3), cysts (20%, n = 2) or inflammatory disease (10%, n = 1). Only two cases (20%) were clinically thought to be related to previous cosmetic injections. A variety of filler materials were seen, including collagen, hydroxyapatite and silicone. However, hyaluronic acid-based materials were the most common (50%, n = 5).Conclusions Complications of cosmetic dermal fillers are becoming more common and should be considered within a differential diagnosis for unusual orofacial swellings.