What is Artefill®?

Artefill® is a dermal filler used to reduce the appearance of facial wrinkles known as known as nasolabial folds. Nasolabial folds are the curved smile lines some people have underneath the nose that extend down to the mouth. The filler is injected under the skin and results are known to last for a full year or longer.

This wrinkle treatment contains collagen and microspheres. The collagen is eventually absorbed by the body. The microspheres can stay under the skin and correct wrinkles for more than 12 months. Indications are that results can last much longer, but the product is too new to provide positive proof of this claim as of February 2010.

Artefill® is only available with a prescription and must be administered by a doctor or other health care professional. A collagen allergy test is required prior to using this wrinkle treatment to ensure that severe allergic reactions do not occur. The test should be performed about four weeks before the wrinkle injection is scheduled. Anyone who has a reaction to the collagen allergy test should not use this dermal filler.

Other conditions, including allergies to lidocaine and bovine products, and being prone to scarring, may preclude patients from using Artefill®. Any skin rashes, infections, or acne outbreaks must be cleared up before this wrinkle filler can be injected into the skin. Prospective users can discuss with their doctors whether Artefill® is an appropriate wrinkle correction treatment for them.

Side affects include swelling and redness near the injection site. Patients that use aspirin or other anti-inflammatory medicines may also experience slight bleeding and bruising when using this wrinkle correction treatment. These side effects are usually temporary and often clear up within a few days after the injection is administered.

A more serious side effect reported by users after Artefill&reg injections were administered was lumps forming inside the mouth. Treatments for such lumps include cortisone injections and removal of the lumps. As of February 2010, a five-year study of 1,000 patients was in progress to determine the long-term safety of using this product.

Artefill® was created by Artes Medical and received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in the United States in 2006. Artes Medical declared bankruptcy in 2008, soon after the product was brought to market. Cowen Healthcare Royalty Partners purchased Artes’ assets in 2009 and renamed the company Suneva Medical, Inc. Over 20,000 patients have used Artefill® in the United States since 2007. It is not distributed in other countries.