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Cannula Vs Needle

cannula vs needle Over the last several years, there has been quite a bit of buzz around microcannulas from both doctors and patients. We decided to dive into cannulas and break down some of the pros and cons of using a cannula as opposed to the typical needle.

A cannula is basically a tube designed to inject or even remove a substance from the body. Microcannulas, which are very small cannulas, are typically used for injections of dermal fillers in the face, including Juvederm, Restylane, Radiesse, Sculptra, Belotero Balance, and Voluma.  They have a blunt tip, and therefore require an entry point made by a needle before insertion.

There are a number of pros and cons to using a microcannula over a needle and we have listed a few of the basics below:

Pros

  • When using a cannula, there is often less bruising associated with the procedure because the cannula essentially moves the vessels out of the way, decreasing your chance of piercing one and causing more bleeding and bruising.
  • There is less trauma to the tissue when using a cannula
  • Claim to be less painful than needles
  • Minimized downtime
  • Fewer entry points

Cons

  • It is hard to get down to the deeper levels of the skin and tissue with a cannula
  • Takes an extra step for injectors. Using a cannula means you have to create an entry hole for the cannula to go in to.
  • You must find the path of least resistance with a cannula because of it’s blunt tip, therefore it sometimes takes a heavy hand to get the cannula where it needs to be.
  • The risk of puncturing a vessel is not completely diminished and there are still potential risks associated with the procedure.

Ultimately, the debate of cannula vs needle is up to injector preference. Every injector is different and so is their personal preference. It also depends on the injector’s experience. If they are vastly experienced in the use of microcannulas, the results will most likely demonstrate that. Same goes for the use of needles. To a patient, it should not matter the device used, as long as the results and the process are desirable.