Side Effects And Safety

These reactions are normal, temporary, and typically mild. Most settle within 24–72 hours.

You may experience:

• Light swelling in the injected area
• Mild tenderness when smiling or pressing the cheek
• Small bruises at entry points
• A sense of fullness or tightness
  
• Slight redness around injection sites
  
  

Why do these occur?

Because the cannula or needle has passed through the tissue, your immune system responds with mild inflammation. This is expected, not harmful, and usually very short-lived.

Why swelling tends to be minimal with Stimulate

Stimulate is enriched with Glycine and L-Proline, two amino acids that help regulate swelling and improve the gel’s stability after implantation.

Most patients are pleasantly surprised at how natural they look immediately.

These effects are still temporary and resolve without intervention:

• Slight asymmetry in the first few days (one side may swell more than the other - this is normal)
• Tenderness when sleeping on your side
  
• Small lumps from localised swelling, which soften as the filler integrates
• Temporary unevenness, especially if you have strong facial expressions

If they occur, they typically resolve within 7–14 days.

These are uncommon but important to understand for informed consent.

A. Infection

Rare but possible with any injection.

Prevented by strict hygiene, sterile technique, and proper aftercare.

B. Vascular occlusion (VO)

This is when filler accidentally blocks a small blood vessel.
It is considered a medical emergency, but:

• It is rare when injected by an experienced practitioner
• It is treatable
  
• Stimulate is hyaluronidase-sensitive, meaning if necessary, it can be dissolved quickly to restore blood flow

This is why choosing a medically qualified injector is vital.

C. Delayed nodules

These are uncommon inflammatory lumps that sometimes appear weeks or months later with some fillers.

Across clinical studies of Stimulate, no granulomas or chronic inflammatory nodules were reported, even with long-term follow-up.

The safety strengths of Stimulate come from its unique PEG crosslinking, combined with CaHA and high-purity HA.

Here’s what makes it stand out:

A. No pathological inflammatory reactions

Studies noted none detected so far when using PEG-HA formulations .

This makes it different from some BDDE-based fillers.

B. No cytotoxicity detected

Laboratory testing confirmed that PEG-crosslinked HA does not damage cells or tissues.

C. No residual crosslinker remains after degradation

Many fillers leave small amounts of BDDE in the tissue long-term.

Stimulate does not, because PEG crosslinking breaks down cleanly, leaving no residue behind.

D. Reversible with hyaluronidase

Stimulate can be dissolved if needed — an important safety feature of HA fillers.

E. Demonstrated safety in autoimmune patients

This is rare in filler research.

A study on Hashimoto’s thyroiditis patients showed:

• A decrease in inflammatory infiltration
• Reduced presence of T- and B-lymphocytes (CD4, CD8, CD20)
• No changes in thyroid antibody levels
• High biocompatibility and no adverse systemic reactions

This is a strong reassurance for people with mild autoimmune concerns.

F. Strong rheological stability

Stimulate has:

• High cohesivity
• Balanced viscoelasticity
• High resistance to heat
• Excellent thermodynamic stability

This means the gel behaves predictably and integrates well with natural tissues, thereby reducing the risk of complications.

It also performs well with heat-based devices such as IR, RF, and HIFU (BDDE fillers may soften or deform under heat).

Although Stimulate is gentle and well-tolerated, extra caution is needed if you:

• Are pregnant or breastfeeding
• Have active skin infections
• Have uncontrolled autoimmune disease
• Are allergic to any component
• Have had previous filler complications
• Have unrealistic expectations (this is a safety concern, too)

Your practitioner will perform a full medical assessment before any treatment.

Your injector will use multiple safety checks during treatment:

• Facial anatomy mapping
• Slow, controlled injection
• Aspiration or advanced safe-injection techniques
• Using a cannula in high-risk zones
• Keeping doses conservative and balanced
• Ensuring sterile technique
• Keeping emergency medication on-site

In skilled hands, mid-face filler is a very safe procedure.

Call your practitioner immediately if you notice:

• Severe or worsening pain
• Blanching (whitening) of the skin
• Changes in skin temperature
• Increasing redness or heat
• Irregular swelling after several days
• Symptoms that feel “not normal” for you

These may indicate rare complications, and early intervention leads to excellent outcomes.

Stimulate is considered one of the safest premium fillers available because it offers:

• Low pro-inflammatory response
• Minimal immunogenicity
• No cytotoxic effects
• No residual crosslinker
• Predictable integration
• Strong safety even in sensitive patient groups
• Reversibility
• Stability during combination therapies

When injected by a trained, medically qualified practitioner, the risk of serious side effects is extremely low.