- People are injecting themselves with DIY filler pens and posting the videos on YouTube and TikTok.
- Experts say this can lead to swelling, lumps, and blindness.
- If you want to use facial fillers, go to a medical professional for the procedure.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
For years, people have been finding ways to plump up their lips without doctor supervision. Cue the pandemic, which has forced us to spend hours looking at our own faces during video meetings, prompting anxiety and “Zoom dysmorphia.”
That, and social media, are what experts believe is driving an alarming trend of people using DIY filler pens. Videos on YouTube and TikTok feature women injecting their lips or face with a Hyaluron pen – a device that uses air pressure to insert fillers into your skin.
The trend has gotten so popular, there are tutorials on how to use the pen, and videos laying out the best filler options.
In the video above, YouTuber Baby Em demonstrates how she uses the filler pen. “I’m taking my thumb, and putting it under my lip,” she said in the video.
But dermatologists say this trend is concerning.
"This is really one of the worst things I've seen," Dr. Debra Jaliman, a dermatologist and author of Skin Rules, told Insider.
Hyaluronic acid, a type of dermal filler, can cause swelling, lumps, or blindness, according to Jaliman.
Even Jaliman, an expert who takes yearly classes to brush up on anatomy, said she would not inject herself with facial fillers.
Other experts say those using at-home injection fillers may not think about the potential harms.
"If you're doing it at home, you may not realize the potential implications or side effects," Dr. Marisa Garshick, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City, said.
At-home injection pens are sold on Amazon
These injection pens were originally designed for painless insulin delivery, according to Garshick. But now, you can buy the Hyaluron pen, and fillers, on Amazon.
Jaliman said buying these products online is dicey ("they may not even be real fillers") and is a very different proposition to buying, say, a dress online. In the worst case scenario, you can return the dress, but "how are you going to buy a new face?"
Jaliman said that people in the videos weren't using proper sterilizing techniques, either, which can lead to a severe infection.
The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery has also reached out directly to the US Food and Drug Administration to "keep medical devices in the hands of trained and educated medical professionals," according to their website. They will also alert state medical and aesthetician boards about their concerns.
What a real facial filler procedure looks like
Getting facial fillers involves many steps.
First, there's a consultation with a medical professional where they assess your face and decide where to place the filler. They then choose what type of filler and technique they'll use for the procedure. During injection, they avoid "danger zones" such as blood vessels.
After the injection, medical professionals will advise a patient what to look out for, such as bruising or swelling, and some may follow up two weeks later.
Clearly, this is safer than using a DIY filler pen at home, according to both experts.