Know Cosmetic surgery

Hello – I'm Dr. David Rahimi. I understand that information is important to you and that you probably have a lot of questions right now. That's why I write this Blog. I want to help you make good, educated, choices. If you have questions, please let me know. Thank you!

Category : New Treatments

Saturday, April 14. 2007

A New Contraindiction for Artecol: A Permanent Filler with Permanent Problems

As many of you know from my other blogs, I am not a great fan of permanent injectable fillers. The body and face will change over time; whereas a permanent filler cannot. This important difference can lead to serous problems, and as such I tend to discourage the use of permanent injectible fillers whenever possible.

Artecol is a filler of this type, which consists of little solid microsheres (PMMA) suspended in a solution containing bovine collagen. It is widely used in Europe and will eventually become available in the United States. Given its popularity, one might assume Artecol poses less risk than other permanent fillers, however that is not the case. Recently, I came across an article in the Archives of Dermatology which exposes some long-term risks associated with Artecol and I'd like to share its substance with you.

In the article, the authors present the case of a 48 year old women who had received Artecol injections into her nasolabial folds and lips ten years prior. More recently she was undergoing Interferon treatment for Hepatitis when she developed a severe allergic and granulomatous reaction in the Artecol treated area. She needed several procedures to surgicaly excise the Artecol and resulting inflammation. These surgeries left her with permanent scarring. The authors further explain that this delayed reaction to Artecol, some 10 years later, was the result of "exacerbation of a pre-existing low grade chronic inflammation" brought on by the initerferon therapy.

We, as Cosmetic Surgeons and Dermatologist, are still learning about the potential long term risks of such permanet fillers as Artecol, but until more information can be gathered, I would strongly suggest avoiding them altogether. Anyone interested in following up on this issue can find the article I cited using the following information:

Cosetic Permanent Filler for Soft Tissue Augmentation.

ARCH DERMATOL/VOL 143, APRIL 2007 PAGE 507-510.

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