Silicone injections are permanent, and they can lead to serious side effects, Dr. Matarasso says. Short-term complications can include infections, bleeding, problems healing, and embolisms, in which the silicone travels, he says. Once injected, silicone can cause the surrounding tissues to harden and lead to chronic pain and tenderness , according to the ASPS. "Just a litany of things can occur," he says. Not to mention, silicone injections can be dramatically disfiguring, and may require surgery to be removed from the body, he says. "From beginning to end [pumping is] dangerous: who does it, where it's done, and the products used," he says. "And even if you think it's okay the day you do it, there are long-term complications."