Finally, Permanent Wrinkle Removal! 

Imagine looking in the mirror and realizing that those deep creases that had recently appeared on either side of your mouth had magically disappeared, leaving the fresh and more youthful looking face you remember.

Now imagine your delight in knowing that not only are those facial creases gone, but they’re gone permanently! 

This is no longer just a daydream for San Francisco cosmetic plastic surgery patients.  It’s a reality.  It began in California…as so many health and beauty innovations have…and is spreading quickly across the US.

ArteFill® is the name of this new, safe, and effective dermal filler for use in the treatment and correction of the facial wrinkles known as nasolabial folds, or smile lines.  It was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in October 2006. It is the first and only US FDA-approved non-resorbable wrinkle filler for the correction of smile lines. 

The most significant feature of this dermal filler is that it is not reabsorbed by the body so it retains its cosmetic smoothing effect permanently!

ArteFill® was developed and is being manufactured exclusively by Artes Medical, a California medical technology company that has focused on a new category of aesthetic injectable products for men and women.  

ArteFill®, which became available upon its FDA approval in October 2006, represents the first product in Artes Medical’s new category of non-resorbable dermal fillers providing a permanent support structure for enduring wrinkle correction.

Proven Results 

Artes Medical submitted the results and data from their five-year safety and efficacy study of ArteFill®  at the 65th annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in Washington, D.C. in February 2007. The clinical data represented the culmination of a significant follow-up study of patients treated with ArteFill® in the company’s US clinical trial.

The results presented showed that patients who received injections using ArteFill® still showed wrinkle correction after five years. The results also showed that patients continued to improve throughout the study and demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in wrinkle correction at the 5-year point compared to the 6-month point. 

The Next Time You’re in San Francisco…

In the San Francisco area, Dr. Scott W. Mosser, who is a leader in injection techniques using dermal fillers for facial regeneration, was among the first San Francisco Plastic Surgeons to participate in the ArteFill® Physicians Training Program certifying him to offer and administer the new dermal filler.

Dr. Mosser was also a pioneer in the use of Sculptra®, the first and only product approved by the US FDA for the restoration and/or correction of the signs of facial fat loss (lipoatrophy) in people with human immunodeficiency virus, and is a trainer of other physicians for the proper use of Sculptra®, a long-lasting dermal filler.  His special expertise and experience extends also to the less permanent fillers such as Restylane®, Radiesse® and Juvéderm®.

Dr. Mosser welcomed the FDA approval of ArteFill® and has added it to his modern arsenal of state-of-the-art esthetic facial rejuvenation treatments. 

See Dr. Mosser's site.

Better Than Botox® Cosmetic……or Just Different? 

Botox® Cosmetic, currently the most popular non-surgical esthetic procedure being carried out in the US, is sometimes confused with other facial rejuvenation procedures classified as dermal fillers.  Both Botox® Cosmetic and ArtFill® are administered by injection using fine surgical needles…but there the similarity ends. 

Botox® Cosmetic is a chemical formulation which when injected directly into the muscles that control a crease or wrinkle relaxes those muscles and thus creates a smoother surface appearance. 

ArtFill® is a dermal filler, meaning a filler formulation which is injected into place under a crease or wrinkle where it fills in and supports the layer of skin above the site, thus creating a smoother surface appearance.

What makes ArtFill® different from other dermal fillers on the market is that its formula contains microcrystals which are not absorbed by the body and so remain in place permanently supporting the crease or wrinkle. 

Botox® Cosmetic is US FDA approved specifically for treatment of glabellar lines,    or frown lines between the brows, and ArtFill® is US FDA approved specifically for nasolabial folds, or smile lines, on either side of the mouth.  When administered by a board-certified plastic surgeon or dermatologist under the rules for “off label” use, either product may be used in other facial areas, or even in other areas of the body.

ArteFill® takes its place among the latest dermal fillers for facial rejuvenation, and may soon rival Botox® and microdermabrasion in popularity of non-surgical treatments.