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THURSDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- What if a single injection banished nearby wrinkles for life?
It sounds too good to be true, but some experts believe a new so-called "permanent filler," ArteFill, could do just that.
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Still, not everyone agrees that the compound -- currently awaiting U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval -- can live up to its promises.
"It's not good stuff," said Dr. Richard Ellenbogen, a Los Angeles cosmetic plastic surgeon who says he won't offer the new filler. "It's very tricky to use," he said. "It causes granulomas, those unsightly bumps, in the lips and nasolabial folds."
But other physicians look on ArteFill as one more valued tool to banish wrinkles. "If it is placed properly, there are no granulomas," said Dr. Marian Northington, an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She noted that other fillers entail risks for bumpy skin scars, too.
She and Ellenbogen offered up differing views on ArteFill after the injection became the hot topic at the recent annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, in San Diego.
Banishing wrinkles with so-called "soft tissue fillers" such as Restylane or collagen can be a high-maintenance, expensive proposition. Even the longest lasting fillers typically dissipate after six months to a year or so, warranting another trip to the cosmetic surgeon or dermatologist.
But proponents say ArteFill is different. The compound is made up of microspheres of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), the most commonly used artificial implant material used in the body, according to the manufacturer of the filler, Artes Medical of San Diego. PMMA is suspended in a gel containing bovine collagen along with 0.3 percent lidocaine, added to help with numbing during injection.
Artes is asking for FDA approval only for the correction of facial wrinkles called nasolabial folds, also known as "smile lines." The company claims that, unlike other products, PMMA is resistant to natural human enzymes that typically break down fillers. Macrophages, the body's natural "scavenger cells," also leave PMMA alone, the company said. All of this means the tiny microspheres are not absorbed or degraded by the body over time.
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