What Are Artefill Injection Risks?

I have been injecting Artefill® for many years now in practically every part of the face and body, including the hands, lower eyelids, acne scars, nose, vermillion border. I have only seen two small granulomas in well over 800 patients which were easily and rapidly treated.

As with all permanent fillers, only small amounts should be injected at a time and in multiple planes. An expert injector of any filler (whether it be temporary such as hyaluronic acid [Restylane®, Juvederm®, Belotero®], Radiesse™ or permanent such as Artefill®, Aquamid™ or fat) should have a light touch and avoid injecting "lakes" of filler which are far more problematic. Since the center of these "lakes" have no blood supply to receive antibiotics or the body's own antibodies, they can become more easily infected. The same holds true with any permanent filler, whether it be Aquamid® or natural fat transfer for that matter.

My patients and I have been extremely satisfied with Artefill®, and have seen less untoward effects than with many of the hyaluronic acid fillers (which produce a swollen, bluish tinge around the eyes on a number of occasions).

I have been using artefill or artecoll its previous product name for over a decade in Canada.  Its biggest risk is palpable lumps.  These are generally small and often palpable but not visible.  True granulomas are rare and I have never seen one  in the hundreds of cases ive done.  Artefill is most useful for correctiing pitted acne scars where small quantities are injected.  Its other use is in correcting subtle nasal bone asymmetry after rhinoplasty. In my opinion it should not be used in large quantities. It should be injected in sub dermal or deep dermal plain. When used for lip augmentation patients should be advised that they will likely  have palpable textural changes and possible lumps in their lips.

 Artefill is different from temporary injectable wrinkle fillers. The unique microspheres in Artefill are not absorbed by the body and provide the support your skin needs for natural, long lasting results.

You must be skin tested prior to treatment with Artefill. The carrier of the unique microspheres in Artefill is collagen. If no reaction to the skin test after four weeks, you may be treated with Artefill that day. Most people require more than one treatment to reach the level of correction that they want.

Artefill is technique sensitive as it must be injected mid to deep dermis. You will want to choose a Doctor who has experience injecting Artefill due to the importance of placement of the filler. 

I would advise against silicone injections as silicone tends to migrate and I have treated patients 10-15 years post silicone injections of face and other areas who present with delayed hypersensitivity reactions, granulomas and persistent edema.