Are Bellafill results instant or do they take several months? Are they permanent or only several years?

Great question. Bellafill® is composed of 80% bovine collagen and 20% polymetylmethacrylate (PMMA) microspheres. Bellafill® is considered a semi-permanent filler and has 5-year post-FDA approval safety data published. However, you’ll need a skin test to be sure you're not allergic to the collagen component. 
As always, an in-person consultation with a board certified dermatologist with cosmetic training is the best way to assess your needs and provide medical advice. 

Hi and thank you for your questions and sorry to hear about the frustration. It is unfortunately true that with most treatments - cosmetic treatments included - individual results may vary and that could be a reason for the lack of consensus. This being said and as I provide various lasers and fillers in my clinic, I can tell you from experience that nothing beats the results of skillful injection of fillers at right location and for right patient. Of course it is impossible to say without seeing you and knowing more about the conditions and concerns you wanted to be addressed, but most patients see better results spending that much on fillers and Botox than lasers alone. Regarding the confusion on Bellafill longevity, the landmark study used to obtain the FDA approval had a 5-year follow up and hence the FDA-approved claim was based on results lasting for 5 years. As more and more doctors use Bellafill and can follow up their patients for longer time, we will most likely be able to have the reliable data to support the claim that the results might last much longer that 5 years. I hope it helps and good luck!

Thank you for your question. Bellafill is an FDA-approved treatment that is, in fact, known as the "Five-Year Filler" for achieving semi-permanent outcomes that rejuvenate the face with beautiful, natural-looking results. It is very important to avoid too-good-to-be-true offers so we suggest that patients always work with board certified facial plastic surgeons and their teams.Best wishes,

A while back my friends from Brooklyn taught me to believe none of what I hear and half of what I see.A practitioner promising a patient amazing results while owning hundreds of thousands worth of LASERs is not an exception.  Results vary and are not usually the ones shown to you on websites and picture books. Using the wrong procedure on the wrong patient at the wrong time will usually result in a dissatisfied patient. Without pictures it would not be forthright to advise what could work for you.Suneva the distributor of Bellafill shows results lasting up to five years.  PMMA microspheres compose twenty percent and collagen eighty percent of Bellafill.  The microshperes do not reabsorb or decompose; the amount of collagen produced surrounding the PMMA changes with time and age.
Results vary from patient to patient.  Several injections sessions are typically required to produce the desired end result. Bellafill is only FDA approved for injection in the naso-labial folds and acne. Other applications are considered off label use.
Most patients elect to have a less permanent filler injected for the first time to see what can be done. Afterwards they often choose Bellafill to give longer lasting results. 
Please consult in person with an experienced Board Certified Plastic Surgeon prior to making treatment decisions.

Bellafill was approved by the FDA last year for treatment of acne scarring. It typically is done in conjunction with subcision of the acne scars with either a needle or a cannula. My experience using Bellafill for acne scarring has been a positive one. It will not make acne scars go away completely, but definitely improves them. It typically is done as a series of treatments for best results. Bellafill is actually a hybrid filler - 80% bovine (cow) collagen and 20% PMMA. The PMMA component is permanent, but the company only has mention 5 year duration because that is how long they collected data for the FDA mandated long-term study.  I hope that this information helps and good luck!