Silicone injection
| Health risk | High |
|---|---|
| Legal risk | High |
Silicone injection is the injection of silicone oil into the body. In a kink context, this is usually into the genitalia. The practice of injecting silicone as a dermal filler started in the 1960s, and has since been banned by the FDA due to numerous reports of dangerous and life threatening complications.[1] Silicone injections can lead to long-term pain, infections, permanent disfigurement, embolism, stroke, and death.[2] Unlike with saline injection, silicone injections are permanent.
When silicone is injected into areas with many blood vessels, such as the testicles or buttocks, silicone can migrate through these vessels and form a blockage, known as an embolism. This can cause an embolic stroke if it blocks blood flow to the brain, or a pulmonary embolism if it blocks blood flow in the lungs. Both conditions are life threatening.[3]