Artefill Surgery
Orlando and Winter Park, Florida
ArteFill is a unique new product FDA approved for use in the United States in late 2006. It is the first and so far the only permanent soft tissue filler available. ArteFill is an advanced composite material, composed of 80 % bovine collagen (with a small amount of lidocaine) and 20 % polymethylmethacrylate microspheres (PMMAM). When injected, it initially acts just like any other filler, but while the body absorbs the collagen, it cannot absorb the PMMAM, so they remain as a matrix around which your body's own tissue fills in to create permanent wrinkle correction.
Permanent?
The technology only began development in 2004, and it has only been approved for use in the United States for a short time, so it is impossible to know exactly how permanent the results will be. However, all indications seem to be that the results are highly persistent. In one study, the results did not diminish at all over the first six months following treatment, the effective lifetime of short-term treatments like Restylane or Juvéderm. Of course, our bodies will continue to age, and suffer the same conditions that caused the initial wrinkle formation.
Procedure
Since ArteFill has the potential to be a permanent change, it is recommended that you first gauge the results you wish to achieve with short-term fillers or longer-term ones, such as Radiesse or Sculptra before getting treatment with ArteFill. Because it contains bovine collagen, the FDA also requires that you have an ArteFill allergy test 28 days before receiving treatment. Since the bovine collagen is highly purified and from a closed-herd stock of domestic cattle, none of the participants of the initial clinical trials had an allergic reaction to the treatment.
The actual treatment, however, is similar to other injectable fillers:
- Numbing cream is spread on the area to be treated
- ArteFill is injected deep into the skin
- Dr. Greenberg may gently massage the treated area to avoid lumpiness at the injection site
- You may require two or three treatments to achieve full results
After the injections, it is normal to see swelling and redness for as long as week. In clinical studies, the only observed side effects of ArteFill were:
- Lumpiness at the injection site
- Persistent swelling or redness
- Hypersensitivity in treated areas
- Rash or itching for more than 48 hours after injection
If you would like to learn more about the possibility of permanent wrinkle correction in Orlando and Winter Park, Florida, without invasive procedures like a facelift or brow lift, contact Dr. Greenberg to set up your initial consultation today.
