Artefill: Permanent Injectable for Soft Tissue Augmentation

Many have searched for a product to ease the process of aging skin. Some use topical cremes while others may resort to frequent injections of botulinum toxin(botox). In October 2006 Artefill became the first and only permanent injectable wrinkle filler to receive FDA approval.

Artefill is composed of polymethylmethacrylate microspheres and is suspended in a bovine collagen solution. Artefill can be injected in the affected area and within 3 months the collagen carrier is completely replaced by the patient's own connective tissue. Studies have proved that the injection of microspheres acts as a support structure and prevents further wrinkling. 

Why aren't more people taking advantage of this drug? I assume the product is not only expensive, but hard to reverse. Surgery would be required to remove the microspheres if the patient was unhappy with the results.

Fig 1. ArteFill consists of 20% PMMA microspheres, 30–50 lm in
diameter, that are suspended in 80% mostly denatured bovine
collagen 

Fig 2. At 4 weeks all bovine collagen has been replaced by
autologous connective tissue and blood vessels are infiltrating the
implant