The availability of a safe, permanent, FDA-approved filler, namely Artefill, should be exciting to any patient who has been pleased with their results from temporary injectables. Although FDA-approved specifically for cosmetic correction of the nasolabial folds, I have also had excellent results using it off-label for treatment of the marionette lines (which extend downwards from the corners of the mouth).
Because it is permanent, most physicians remain cautious as far as injecting this product off-label in such areas as the tear trough hollows below the eyes or in the lips.
Artefill is a great injectable - safe, soft, smooth, and permanent. It does seem expensive when compared on a per syringe basis with temporary injectables like Restylane. As a long term investment, however, it is makes sense to pay less upfront for a permanent result than one would pay over time for multiple injection sessions resulting only in temporary results. Not to mention that fewer injection sessions also means less pain, bruising, swelling, and downtime.
I have found that although patients want long-term results, as in a year or two, they also fear the idea of permanence. Truthfully, they should be wary. Unsupervised nurse injectors and non-physician owned and managed 'medical spas' are common in Los Angeles. When considering treatment with a permanent injectable, patients would be wise to choose an experienced, board certified physician injector, preferably someone who they have come to know and trust from having undergone temporary injection treatments.
