Aesthetic nurse practitioner Sharon Ashley debates whether aspiration remains a valuable safety measure or an unreliable reassurance
Medical aesthetic practitioners have been taught to aspirate as a routine safety measure intended to identify whether a needle may be positioned within a blood vessel before filler is injected.¹ The principle involves applying negative pressure to the syringe and observing whether blood enters the hub. If blood is present, the injector may be within a vessel and can reposition before treatment proceeds.
However, advances in anatomical understanding, injection techniques and complication management have led many practitioners to question its reliability. Whilst some practitioners continue to regard aspiration as an important part of their safety protocols, others argue that its limitations may create a false sense of security. My position is that, while aspiration should not be relied upon as a definitive indictor of whether a needle is intravascular, it can be considered an additional…
