I don’t know, call me crazy, but whenever I see the word “permanent” associated with any type of plastic surgery self improvement, I am filled with a sense of trepidation. When I think of permanent, I think “not easily reversed” or “possibly disastrous”. I can’t help it, I’ve seen too many of those bad face lifts, nose jobs, lip plumping injections with permanent fillers, cheek implants, and tummy tucks (ala Tara Reid’s botched belly job), that end up looking ten times worst than the person pre-surgery that I treat anything that is permanent with severe caution and would research it thoroughly if I were to even ever think about it.
Hence my skepticism on permanent injectable wrinkle fillers, like the newer Artefill wrinkle filler that’s been approved by the FDA. Even many plastic surgeons and dermatologists won’t use permanent fillers because of their higher likelihood of being botched, migrating to other areas and creating a deformed look that requires surgeries to fix them and also serious pshychological issues in those that a botched job afflicts. You may have seen some bad jobs on celebrities, whose lips suddenly look inflated and uneven, or maybe they have facial features that don’t look quite symmetrical, perhaps because of a migration of the inejctable filler, a lot of these may be due to permanent fillers since they are more difficult to reverse.
Artefill is one that is injected into wrinkles and other areas like the lips that fills them out and rounds out wrinkles. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of temporary fillers like Juvederm and Restylane, but it’s because those are harmlessly absorbed into the skin, and they are actual collagen derivatives, so they actually may also improve skin over time. Fillers that are permanent are made to stick around for good, which means higher risk for them moving around to where they are not supposed to be. Read our Revitol reviews for more information on an excellent at home wrinkle treatment regimen that works wonders.
However, Artefill, which was recently approved in 2007 (yes, that’s not that long ago in my book), uses an interesting technology whereby particles of a certain filler chemical are suspended in bovine (cow derived) collagen and then injected into the body, but not enough to actually intantly fill out the area. Instead, what happens is that gradually over time, new collagen is produced by your body, encapsulating what is leftover of the formula, so you are essentially filling in the rest of the wrinkle with your own collagen.
Very cool! However, I couldn’t find much about the safety and the effectiveness of this product, so I would do some prudent research of your own on this aspect – try RealSelf.com for personal sories and experiences with this filler, it does sound like it may have a risk of migration that causes problems. I have to say, it is a very novel concept though, and if it could be perfected, it could be the beginning of a new wave in permanent fillers, but I’d wait for a better alternative to come along, which there inevitably will be.
