Atrophy symptoms and conditions

I seem to be the only person on earth who developed fat atrophy in my left eyelid, after receiving two shots of Kenalog for chalazions in said eyelid. I'm just heartbroken at the way I look now. The doctor told me there would be no side-effects except for a possible whitening of the skin, which I was not concerned about, since I am light-skinned. What happened instead is that my left eyelid is now asymmetrical to my right one and worse, it also has a droop. I have consulted an occuplastics surgeon who has just informed me that it's a permanent condition and the only way to fix it is reconstructive surgery, which will be difficult because of the size and delicacy of the location. In other words, it will never be the same as it once was. I really liked my eyes and if I had known that this was a possibility, I would have just left it all alone. It's disgusting that Kenalog is not used as a last measure. It's a very, very damaging drug that has serious side-effects. I have written the FDA.

It freaks me out to read all of your stories. I'm sorry for each one of you and are going through it as well with my angel. I can't find one that fits my little one. Believe it or not they gave my daughter a Kenalog injection when she had an allergic reaction, SHE WAS 8 MONTHS AT THE TIME. 3 months later an atrophy occurred. We have begun the lawsuit. PLEASE anybody give me info that could help us to make these doctors recognize their mistakes!!!

I am a 44-yr old woman. I went to my dermatologist for treatment of what I thought was an acne cyst on my chin. After 3 injections of Kenalog, and one month after the last one, I am left with atrophy; a severe 'dent' in my chin. I'm wondering if it will go away or if its permanent. I am going to seek legal advice!!!

I have been on Diovan for 2 and 1/2 years. I have noticed SO MANY of the symptoms that everyone is describing!! There is one that nobody has mentioned and that is vaginal pain. I have been to gynecologists, urologists, general practitioners and a heart specialist for all of the symptoms. Nobody has been able to figure out the vaginal pain. I am 56 years old and know that atrophy vaginitis may have something to do with it, but why is it that when I don't take my diovan, I don't have the pain down there as much. It is the worst of all the symptoms, so in time, we will see if the others subside. Like some of you, it seemed like one day I got up and felt like I was 80 instead of 56! Why don't the doctors take a very good look at your meds when you are having problems that they cannot figure out!? It does take my blood pressure down but I am going to start taking garlic and fish oil to see if they will help.

Im a 28 year old male and i had lipo done on my stomach about a year ago and i have a lot of scar tissue over my abdomen. So i got a kenalog shot(not too much) mixed with lidocaine injected at an angle(just under my skin) to eat away the scar tissue. i did it march 1 2009 and its now middle of April and i see no change in the shrinkage of scar tissue(which is pretty prevalant) however i don't want to do it again to early then have a dent in my stomach. does anyone know how long it may take to see the atrophy of scar tissue is it too soon? hope someone can help :) thanks!

Im a 28 year old male and i had lipo done on my stomach about a year ago and i have a lot of scar tissue over my abdomen. So i got a kenalog shot(not too much) mixed with lidocaine injected at an angle(just under my skin) to eat away i did it march 1 2009 and its now middle of April and i see no change in sixe of the scar tissue that is pretty prevalant however i don't want to do it again to early then have a dent. does anyone know how long it may take to see the atrophy of scar tissue is it too soon? hope someone can help :) thanks!

I am a physician. Kenalog is one of several injectable steroids that can cause subcutaneous atrophy or lipoatrophy as a side effect. For those who have this reaction, they will notice a dent or divot. This is not dangerous problem and most of the time the dent or divot will fill back in with time. How much time? The range is 3 to 24 months without treatment. However, for many patients this healing process can be speeded up with weekly saline injections that can be safely performed by almost any Doctor and need not be expensive.

The technique was well described in the Journal of Dermatological Surgery in 2006. If you do a google search for the name of the article as listed below you can find the Abstract and take a copy to your Doctor.

Best to all,

T.

Treatment of Local, Persistent Cutaneous Atrophy Following Corticosteroid Injection with Normal Saline Infiltration

Shumaker Peter R., MD*, Rao Jaggi, MD † , Goldman Mitchel P., MD †

Published in Dermatological Surgery, 21 Mar 2006

ABSTRACT
Background. Injections of corticosteroids are commonly used for a variety a dermatologic conditions but may cause local, persistent cutaneous atrophy, with few therapeutic options.

Objective. To determine the effectiveness of bacteriostatic normal saline infiltration on the improvement of corticosteroid-induced cutaneous atrophy.

Materials and Methods. Four patients with corticosteroid-induced atrophy of the skin, two caused by acneiform cysts and one from intramuscular steroid injection, were treated with weekly injections of normal saline directly into the atrophic site. The patients were seen on weekly follow-up visits, and improvement was documented.

Results. All four patients demonstrated complete resolution of skin atrophy and restoration of surface contour within 4 to 8 weeks of initial presentation. Injected volumes of normal saline ranged from 5 to 20 cm3 per treatment session and three to six weekly treatments. The patients were completely satisfied with these results.

Conclusion. Normal saline infiltration offers a safe, tolerable, relatively rapid, and effective treatment for local, persistent corticosteroid-induced atrophy.

Dermatologic Surgery, Volume 31 Issue 10, Pages 1340 - 1343,

I used to receive a Kenalog injection once a year to treat my skin. It worked great. Best drug, nothing compares to it. After a few years it worked so great that I didn't have to receive the shot anymore.

This drug is far too helpful in the medical field for it to be removed because of its side effects. Never had a problem with getting a hole "in my butt" either... Not that I let A LOT of people look at my butt anyway. There's a reason why you're told what the side effects could be, if you don't like them then tell the doctor you don't want to take the medicine.

If you're a model, then have it photoshopped out... We know now that's what they do anyway. You give young girls bad impressions thinking they have to be perfect, when you're not.

Wow…I was doing so much research today and was so excited to find this website and seeing all the responses from everyone below. My daughter had a really bad allergy attack last 6/2008 when there was a lot of smoke in the Sacramento, CA Valley from surrounding fires. The smoke was so bad for a couple of months. I took my daughter into an urgent care Med 7 of Folsom per the advise nurse line provided by my health insurance co. Nothing had changed in my daughters diet or environment for the hives to occur, other than the smoke that was really bad outside. So the doctor came in and looked at my daughter and then he said they would be administering a Kenalog shot and that would help the hives disappear for what ever reaction she was having. I was a bit concerned because my daughter was only being 2 years old and there is steroids in this medication. Normally when we have ever got any type of injection from a doctors office they have always given you a side effects form for you to review and a form for you to sign an authorization to CYA. Unfortunately, due to me being so concerned with my daughter I didn’t realize it until I had to take my daughter an hour later after we got home the hives did not disappear they got even worst, so we rushed her Mercy of Folsom, CA and I gave my daughter benadryl only to settle the hives because she was so uncomfortable and itchy. Finally after waiting for about 2 ½ -3 hours in the emergency room the hives settled down for a short period of time. Finally we got in to see the doctor I explained everything and realized that the paperwork I had for my daughter didn’t have the side effects paperwork from Med 7 or the amount of the kenalog shot they administered to my daughter. The only thing the doctor could recommend was Zyrtec and to follow up with my daughters primary physician. So, we went to the store and purchased this over the counter medication for her allergies and it worked great for her. About a month after the kenalog injection in her upper left thigh I noticed she had these small white/purplish color marks on her leg and then it turned into a dime size indentation. Over the last 7 months that indentation has grown into the size of a quarter, maybe a bit bigger than that. We didn’t think anything of it until recently we called the advise nurse and she said to make an appointment with our primary physician to have him look at it. When we came into our appointment I explained the long story to him about the shot she received and why she received it, so he referred me to a dermatologist who really couldn’t give me any advise other than it was a lipoatrophy? He said he couldn’t recommend anything other than to watch it over time and if it gets bigger to go back to her primary physician. He stated that she could probably get surgery to have the muscle in her leg pulled together or add filler injections. He said I can’t really suggest anything if it is not effecting her general health. From what I see when I touch this area of my daughter softly she doesn’t even want it to be touched as if it is very sensitive? This is truly unacceptable and I plan on coming after the Med 7 clinic for not providing me any side effects paperwork before administering the shot and they have a rate us 1 - 10 website. I rated them a couple of days later and from what I heard from their Folsom, CA office is that they have the board of directors for these clinics and managers review what is sent on this rating website and someone would follow up with the client. Unfortunately, that was not the case because nobody ever called me back or was concerned. I will never go into a med 7 clinic for assistance again and I will continue my mission to make sure my daughter and others are aware of what could happen to them as well.

PS. To the writer slmgator Thank you!!! I will report my message to the FDA as well….

I was 50 and the doctor prescribed lipitor 10mg since my cholesterol had doubled in the past twelve months to 300. I took it for four months and began to have pain in one leg just below the knee. I had talked to a woman about 65 years old once who was walking on the sides of her feet and I had asked her what medical problem she had. She explained that her Lipitor had caused this terrible pain. You would think that I would have refused to take this drug. You see the doctor had already prescribed a very large dose of fish oil per day and the cholesterol had not fallen. However, I began taking it. About two weeks before my enzyme checkup I began to notice the pain in the leg just below my knee and I stopped taking the Lipitor. I expected the pain to subside, but it did not. My cholesterol level had risen and my doctor asked me if I was still taking the Lipitor. I explained that I had been of it for about two weeks. The doctor insisted that the pain probably wasn't associated with the Lipitor. The reason being my enzyme level was within the range of acceptable. I began taking it again. The doctor wanted to have another test within four weeks to check enzyme levels again. This time the enzyme levels were borderline high. So the doc recommended stopping the Lipitor for a while and then another enzyme level check. You see, my body was telling me something. The only new factor in my medications other than blood pressure was the Lipitor. It has been about three weeks since I stopped the Lipitor, yet I am continuing with even more pain in tops of feet and above one knee a know seems to have appeared. It is sore and feels like it is bruised. I am not a doctor, but I had done some investigating Lipitor on the internet and read that in some patients the Lipitor actually causes small to large fissures in the arteries of the heart. Also, the muscles begin to attack themselves, thus the pain and atrophy. I am going to start taking flax oil. One cardiologist reported that he two cases a week of heart attacks due to Lipitor. He was enraged that Lipitor is still being prescribed and manufactured. I just hope it doesn't take years to regain my original self without pain. I am an active person who likes to work outside, garden, snow-ski, and anything else I want to do. I am trying to search for a detox program for Lipitor overdose, not that I have overdosed. According to my body's signals, I have overdosed on a toxic drug. I pray that returning to normal won't take as long as I have heard some people say it has taken them. Please try some other alternative to Lipitor and the other debilitating statin drugs. I will have to start an exercise program, even though I have put it off for years. I hope my laziness about my physical fitness hasn't crippled me for life. I am 20 lbs overweight and never took it seriously. I hope others will discontinue to take this life-threatening and debilitating drug!!!!!!!!!!1

I was diagnosed with ga in September. My dermatologist wanted to give me a shot of kenalog. They never mentioned any adverse side effects.Now, four months later, I have a large indention in my left buttock where the shot was given. I went back to the doctor to have them look at the area. They said that they must not have given the injection deep enough therefore causing the atrophy. The doctor told me it would fill back in but that it would take a while. I am scared!. I don't know if it will keep getting bigger. It has started to ache a little bit. I have a feeling the doctor is just telling me what I want to hear. The fact of the matter is they messed up the injection. Doctor's should not be injecting this drug without explaining the potential side effects. Beware!

Wow....sounds like Kenalog is not a drug to be administered without careful consideration of the pros out- weighing the cons. I had a Kenalog injection in my elbow at an urgent care center while on vacation about 8 mos ago (painful elbow was impacting vacation activities). It took my pain away 100%. Never gave it another thought even until just recently when it began hurting again. Did, however, notice the atrophy at injection site...and a grayish tone to skin. Indentation has not grown, but certainly has remained. My elbow is also super sensitive. Feels like the nerve is right there under a thin layer of skin.....so sensitive. I also have leg shakiness, hip weakness, anxiety, nausea, and increased heart rate....I assume these are related as I did not have these issues prior. These issues bother me way more that the indentation on my elbow. Dont like not feeling well. I guess the learning is that all medications are foreign to your body and thus have potential side effects. One needs to ask questions and or do own research on their own prior to consenting to take a mediation to be sure the benefits are worth it.

I posted my experience with Kenalog in my chin area and my bad atrophy results. Has anyone tried the saline infiltration treatment? If so, did they have good results?

I was injected with Kenalog in Mid July 2008 to reduce the swelling in my tonsils (I had a bad case of tonsillitis). I was asked if I have allergic reactions to steroid injections, and to my knowledge, I don't. So I was given a shot in my upper right buttock on Thursday (mid July). On the following Friday I was no better (still mid July). I was still not able to swallow my own spit, let alone eat or drink, so I went back Friday morning. I got another shot in the same location of Kelanog. I was not told of side effects; I was told the swelling would go down in my tonsils/throat. Again, no results.

That Friday afternoon I was admitted into the hospital for care. A weekend of fluids and other drugs got the infection out. I stayed infection free for two weeks. It hurt for a week afterwards on my right buttock, but no bruising. I healed up, had my tonsillectomy (sp), and healed fine after that.

I noticed nothing wrong with my upper right buttock until about two weeks ago. I am in the process of getting a large rib/hip tattoo piece finished, and about two weeks ago I noticed a spot that looked like a small bruise a few inches from my tattoo in the spot where I was administered the Kenalog shots. I didn't put it together then. Two weeks later (This past Thursday, September 25, 2008), my tattoo artist was about to work on me and said, "You have a dent in your butt, what happened?" I had no idea it was even a dent. The "bruise" like mark now looked like a burn scar, red, and smooth and deep--dented.

The red mark is still dented and the same color. It's about the size of an inch from one side to the other. However, each day since it has been dented, the dented area has expanded fairly rapidly. The dent is now not only in that red area (the injection site), but also along my hip/upper thigh. It's getting deeper and traveling outside the red area, and the red area is the same color. This discoloration just started. I heard this is called Tissue Atrophy due to a misadministered Kenalog injection.

Does this dent go away or stop "spreading" by itself? How will I know if it will stop spreading; is it different for everyone? How can it be properly diagnosed as well? Can a biopsy be done to prove that this it what it is? Does anyone have any insight?

Also, it's been 2 1/2 months before I saw any of these effects...why does it seem like my effects came later than others? Is that possible?

Thanks.

twitching cramping leg weakness - can still do everything but calf atrophy and calf is thinner than before. weakness everywhere. trembling. muscle twitching nonstop. lump in throat. tingling in tongue.

My daughter has Aloepecia Areata. Has anyone taken Kenalog to grow hair back. My doctors saying this may work and did mention about the dimpling effect. Not in the detail I read here, though. He made it sound like it would just be a dimple. I did not get the shot in his office, wanted to research some more. By the way, she is only a 11 yrs old. Not sure whether to try this stuff after reading all this.

Like so many of you, I Googled "tissue atrophy" and have had the very same experience that you have had with Kenalog. I received a shot in late February of 08, shortly after I noticed severe bruising, which eventually turned into the atrophy I now have. I have taken pictures of it for the past several months...and now, 6 months later it is much worse...deeper and darker in color. Is anyone else having discoloration? Mine is a dark purple-red.
I AM PURSUING a lawsuit against the nurse that injected me because I was absolutely not warned of the side-effects...and now have had to suffer with this hole in my side.

It bothers me...and no one would understand unless this had happened to them I suppose. In addition, I received a second opinion and was told the atrophy was permanent...can anyone else confirm this?

I've also noticed other severe menstrual and emotional side-effects...this stuff can stay in your system for a long time.

I just had a IM kenalog80 injection in my butt with no problems yet. but I thought some would find useful these very clear warnings on a Canadian site after much searching. Too bad US patients can't find the same info as easily.

******
"Unless a deep i.m. injection is given, local atrophy is likely to occur. (For recommendations on injection techniques, see Dosage.) Due to the significantly higher incidence of local atrophy when the material is injected into the deltoids area, this injection site should be avoided in favor of the gluteal area."

"injection should be made deeply into the gluteal muscle (see Warnings). For adults, a minimum needle length of 4 cm is recommended. In obese patients, a longer needle may be required. Use alternative sites for subsequent injections."

I've been trying to find out how long the shot will last. Some sites seem to say 30 to 40 days and others say longer but don't say how long. How long does it last?
- a new user

When I was visiting him for something unrelated, my doctor pointed out the bags under my eyes and said he could eliminate them with a Kenalog injection. He did not mention any possible side effects. Worst case, he said, would be that the injection would have no effect.

That's the last time I consent to a treatment on trust without first researching it thoroughly myself. The injection did nothing for the bags, but did cause atrophy of my right cheek at the injection site, resulting in a severe indentation in the middle of my cheek which continued to get worse as the weeks went by.

Attempts to fill out the sink-hole have resulted in a lopsided appearance to my face, which is quite demoralizing.

I also received a kenalog injection from a dermatologist for rashes that wouldn't go away. He told me ONLY that it would probably mess up my menstrual cycle. I thought "yeah sure that sounds great" I just wanted relief from all the itching. The rash did go away but i started to notice a dent where they gave me the injection. It has since gotten bigger and I am scared and wondering what is going on with me. My doctor never told me of atrophy or even that it was a possibility. I consulted with another doctor who told me he is not sure how this couldn't happened and that they probly injected in the wrong site. i now know after coming to this site that i am not alone and it is the kenalog that has caused me grief. Doctors need to be responsible in letting patients know every detail about the drug they are using on us. I was reassured by him that my only side affect would be irregular periods. Hopefully one day mine will go away but until the people need to be educated on certain steroids.

I do understand that this medication can be helpful for some people and for them, the benefits out-weigh the side effects. For this reason, I don't think that this med should be taken off the market, but I DO think that we, as patients, deserve to be explained these side effects before we are just injected with such a powerful drug!!
I went in to a walk-in clinic with allergy symptoms that were not relieved by OTC drugs. Nothing super- severe that I couldn't stand, but I was looking for something to make me feel better and the Dr. prescribed Kenalog. No side effects were mentioned/discussed. A nurse came in and gave me the shot. A few months later, I noticed the dent on my left buttocks area. I was very worried because it looked SO bad! The dent has increased in size and depth over the months. My PCP told me that it was most likely from the Kenalog injection but I have an ultrasound scheduled to find out how extensive the atrophy is! She says that it only destroys the tissue and fat but I know for a fact by feeling the area that the muscle underneath is completely gone!! How can this shot be given to patients without a verbal description of possible side effects and a written consent!!
I've read that some people have been lucky enough to have the "dent" go away! How long did that take?? I am only hoping that I am as lucky!!! It is such an UGLY site!! Luckily it is covered by a swimsuit and my fiance doesn't find it as ugly as I do!!

They can't get my Mirena out. I'm a 43 year old mother of two. I had a Mirena inserted in April 2003. I was a sleep-deprived new mum at the time so wasn't in the mood for sex anyway. Five years on and I was very happy with getting no periods, and reported to the GP to see about getting a new one inserted. She couldn't find it, and the examination was damn painful too. She said that I would probably need a general anesthetic to take it out. I started researching Mirena and suddenly made the connection - perhaps my lack of libido was due to this? I could hardly blame lack of sleep anymore and I hate having my breasts touched and never feel like having sex. I knew the Mirena was still there but she insisted I had to have an ultrasound scan t prove this. Sure enough, it's there, in the right place. I think the doctor who inserted it cut the threads too short. Anyway, I now want it out, and a tubal ligation to stop me getting pregnant again - still waiting to hear if they'll do both under the same anesthetic. My husband was prepared to have a vasectomy, but guess what, he had a botched hernia ten years ago which caused one of his testicles to atrophy so they aren't certain that a vasectomy will be successful - seems ridiculous for us both to be undergoing medical procedures so it's down to me again. Never got on with the pill - mood swings, weight gain, etc. I'm sure they never mentioned that it might need an operation to get the damn thing out when I had it inserted.

I received the Kenalog shot in January. I started feeling tired and muscle aches, which I thought was just a virus. Then a dent appeared on my arm 2 weeks ago, and my muscles surrounding the maroon color dent began to tighten. I now have tendinitis in my shoulder and arm and I have lost all strength. My doctor said it could be from the shot, but stopped seeing me. i am going for an MRI on Monday because of the damage and pain that is non stop, and they are trying to figure out what is wrong. I have had several blood test because they swore I must have Lupus, or Rheumatory arthritis which came back negative.
I am very frustrated. I am a server by trait, I am a mother of 5, and it seems like my life is changed. I can't work, no one can give me answers, and I would like to know if these symptoms will go away or if I am stuck with this arm atrophy forever.

Even more information regarding subcutaneous atrophy and the class of drugs which Kenalog fall in to:

"Subcutaneous atrophy developed in a 36-year-old woman at the site of a triamcinolone acetonide (Kenalog) injection for subdeltoid bursitis. Occurrence of local atrophy after corticosteroid injection is relatively frequent yet unappreciated. It is more common in young women and girls who are given preparations with a lesser degree of water solubility. Although the condition is often reversible, instances of long-term disfigurement are well documented. This complication of a useful treatment method can be avoided by following a set of precautions for local injection of corticosteroids."

The above excerpt from a 1986 article in the U.S National Library of Medicine. There is also an article as far back as 1967 in the British Medical Journal (10/14/1967) that puts forward the same theory (though it is argued about in the editorial of the Journal).

Anyone who has experienced this problem should print this out and show it to their doctors. Presumably and hopefully your doctor is aware of medical journals and respects the DATA!