January 16th
2009
3:45 PM
I had a kenalog injection to my right cheek to treat a cyst. It ended up dilating the blood vessels and it atrophied the fat cells under the skin's surface. Now I have a permanent indent in my cheek that looks terrible. There is no way to cover it up and people ask about it all the time. It is very upsetting and stressful. I went to a different dermatologist and was told the only thing to do is a filler injection that only lasts up to 6 months at a cost of $525
-- By cwthrash | Reply | (3) replies | Private Message me
October 2th
2007
11:22 AM
I have been taking Effexor for about a month and a half now and I love it. Things were so awful before I started it. My doctor explained all this to me before I started taking it and said it was a hard drug to tolerate for some but for most it is extremely helpful. There are side effects to ALL MEDICATIONS even tylenol people. So seriously consider what you are about to put into your body. I was never one to take medications before thought I could talk myself out of the depression anxiety attacks , there comes a point where you cant. Good luck you all of you .
-- By mama37304 | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me
March 16th
2009
7:31 PM
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,
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