Dr. Shervin NaderiFacial Plastic Surgeon specializing in Rhinoplasty & Anti-aging as well as Facial Balancing Botox & Filler Injections

Blunt Cannula vs Needle Filler Injection

2 May 2017 · 2 min

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1:59

Dr. Shervin Naderi explains differences between blunt cannula and sharp (needle) dermal filler injections. He highlights that sharp needles allow precise, vertical, multi-layer droplet placement (superficial to periosteal), while blunt cannulae produce more diffuse, horizontal placement and less bruising. Both have trade-offs; optimal choice depends on facial location and individual patient factors, so surgeon and patient should decide together rather than assuming cannula is always better.

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Hi, folks. I want to discuss the issue of blunt cannula versus sharp cannula injection for facial injections of dermal fillers. I have videos of both. I've got plenty of videos of sharp injections with the traditional needles as well as blunt cannula injections. Now, the blunt cannula has become a really popular topic online, and people assume that if they're going to come in to see me or my partner, that we're going to use the blunt cannula. And the fact is, blunt cannula has severe limitations in multiple aspects. One thing is, with a sharp cannula, with a sharp needle, actually, the injection can be precise into the exact location. You can do it in multiple layers. You can go right underneath the skin, very superficially, or you can go right deep down on top of the bone. And it's a very precise type of injection. It's more of a vertical injection. With the blunt cannula, it's not a vertical injection. It's more of a horizontal injection. You don't know exactly, precisely where the tip of the cannula is. And it's more of a diffuse spraying, if you will, of the filler versus a precise droplet placement. So there is risks and benefits to both. The risks of bruising are minimized with blunt cannula, but sometimes for the best results, you do accept a little bit of bruising for the better results with a sharp injections. But in some patients, the sharp injection actually is not a good idea and blunt cannula works better. So. And it also depends on the location of the face. So I want you to know that just because you come in to see your plastic surgeon, it doesn't mean they're going to use a blunt cannula or that the blunt cannula will be better. You have to let your surgeon decide for you and decide with you, and you can come up with a decision together about bruising versus results versus other risks. So don't buy all the hype, don't buy the marketing. Blunt cannula is not the answer for everything, but it does have its time and place. Thank you.