Artefill is not Bio-alcamid, so I'm not sure what the analogy is in my colleague's comments. Indeed, Artefill and any long-lasting or permanent filler can have problems. The most serious of these problems is that of granuloma formation which can occur in a delayed fashion even years later.
That risk, however, needs to be placed in context: it's about 1 in 800 patients. How many surgical patients experience complications that require additional cutting (i.e., surgery)? For almost every procedure, that number is higher than 1 in 800. For rhinoplasty, for example, adverse outcomes can occur years later and revision rhinoplasties are as common as 1 in 20 patients or higher. And yet, my colleagues and I still perform rhinoplasty.
Let me put it simply: my wife and my mother both have Artefill in their nasolabial folds. Both were injected by me and they are the two most important adult women in my life. They and I would not have selected it as a treatment for them if we didn't think that the risk:reward ratio was acceptable.
If a patient (or a doctor) is looking for perfectly safe, they shouldn't be in the realm of cosmetic surgery.
All the best,
--DCP
