Recent News  ARTEFILL® UPDATE![[new]](/images/new.gif) I am pleased to announce that I have been chosen as the first plastic surgeon in Houston to be offering Artefill.The product is indicated for the correction of facial wrinkles known as nasolabial folds, or smile lines. Unlike existing dermal fillers that are completely metabolized by the body, ArteFill represents the first product in a new category of non-resorbable dermal fillers providing a permanent support structure for enduring wrinkle correction ArteFill contains a proprietary combination of ArteFill Precision-Filtered Microspheres™ suspended in a carrier gel containing purified bovine collagen. Artes Medical produces the microspheres from one of the most commonly used synthetic implant materials in medicine, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) For the first time, U.S. consumers have an FDA-approved, non-resorbable aesthetic injectable product available that is designed to provide correction for smile lines, the primary external sign of facial aging," said Stefan M. Lemperle, MD, a founder of Artes Medical. ArteFill is indicated for the correction of facial wrinkles known as nasolabial folds or smile lines. An ArteFill Skin Test is required before initial treatment. The most common adverse events associated with ArteFill injections, similar to those observed with other dermal fillers, are lumpiness, persistent swelling or redness and increased sensitivity at the injection site. Our practice is one of three in the Houston area to start clinical testing of patients in the next few weeks. Patients will need to take a skin test which requires injecting a small amount of artefill beneath the skin of the arm. Because this is a bovine (beef) collagen-based suspension, the skin test needs to be administered 28 days prior to using it. ArteFill costs $1500 for the 1st syringe of 0.8cc and $1300 for subsequent syringes. Considering that Restylane and Juvederm last about 10-12 months at the most, the breakeven point is at about 3 years, after which, Artefill ends up saving patients thousands of dollars. |