Blanching
The transient whitening of skin at or around an injection site caused by interruption of blood supply, serving as a critical early warning sign of vascular compromise in aesthetic procedures.
Full Definition
Blanching describes the whitening or loss of colour in the skin that occurs when blood is displaced from superficial vessels, either by direct pressure or by the inadvertent intravascular injection or external compression of a blood vessel by an injectate. In aesthetic medicine, immediate blanching at or distal to an injection site is one of the earliest and most important clinical signs of vascular occlusion, warranting immediate cessation of treatment and emergency management. It is documented in adverse event reports, clinical guidelines, and emergency protocols. Editors must be careful to distinguish blanching as a warning sign from intentional blanching caused by a correctly placed vasoconstrictor (e.g., lidocaine with adrenaline) in dental or local anaesthetic contexts.
Usage
Usage note: In adverse event reporting, specify whether blanching was immediate (during injection) or delayed, as this distinction affects clinical interpretation and documentation accuracy.
In Context
- "Immediate blanching distal to the nasal tip injection prompted the clinician to halt treatment and administer hyaluronidase." — Adverse event report
- "The emergency protocol states that blanching is an absolute indicator to stop injecting and begin occlusion management." — Clinic emergency protocol document