Let’s take a step back and understand what filler is and what it does. It’s hyaluronic acid (a substance that is naturally occurring in our bodies), in a laboratory, it has been heated, stabilised, and crossed-linked to last for months or even years in the tissue.
Each time you have a filler treatment, the product acts as a temporary implant, creating structure, volume, and shape.

When you come in for a filler treatment at The Cosmetic Clinic, no matter the brand, each prefilled syringe of hyaluronic acid (HA) filler is sterile. Once the seal has been broken, sterility is no longer assured due to airborne pathogens and bacteria from the surrounding environment.

When injecting the HA, we place a new needle on the end of that prefilled syringe. To only change the needle, use the same syringe and then inject a new patient poses a great safety risk of bodily fluid cross-contamination. Risking transmission of a blood disease such as HIV and Hep C. Some clinicians may split the volume by decanting (transferring product from the sterile syringe) into another syringe, increasing the risk of contamination.

We are aware that some other clinics may offer this ‘split syringe’ service, but this is heavily frowned upon within the industry and the companies of these fillers forbid it. To purchase half a ml or split syringes is not in line with practicing safety, leading to the question, are the clinics or clinicians who offer this service ethically compromised?

Imagine a clinic fridge, filled with half ml syringes that belong to an array of customers, you should be asking yourself these questions:
Have they been labelled correctly for each customer?
Are you getting your original syringe or a stranger’s half?
How long has this syringe been sitting in the fridge? 

Because hyaluronic acid is a sugar complex, it is the perfect breeding ground to feed rapidly growing bacteria. Mmmm, yummy.

Remember how HA fillers act as a temporary implant? If you were to get a tissue infection, it can be very tricky to manage, the HA becomes a reservoir for this infection. This could require months of medication to fix.

The Cosmetic Clinic is a best practice clinic, where customer safety is the priority. The increased risk of cross-contamination and infection like cellulitis or abscess is a risk not worth taking. Therefore, our protocols do not allow for shared syringes or small ‘top-ups’ at a later date.

If you see one of our trained injectors for a filler treatment, any unused filler is discarded at the end of that session. This is for the safety of everyone involved and to promote a safer industry.