Dermatologists are also experimenting with long-term lip and line fillers. One injection, a synthetic form of calcium hydroxapatite marketed under the brand Radiance is generating buzz for its endurance and low incidence of allergic reactions. "I use it on the nasal labial fold, the marionette lines from the corner of the mouth to the chin, and on the little vertical lines above the lip," says Thomas Romo , director of facial plastic surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. What he doesn't do, however, is use it to fill the lips. "A temporary filler is best for that area," Romo says. "If you use too much or get clumping in the lips, it's very hard to fix."
Artecoll, plastic beads immersed in bovine collagen, coaxes the body to form new tissue around the beads as the collagen dissolves. The permanent injectable is expected to get FDA approval in July, under the brand name Artefill, but most doctors are proceeding with caution. Claudio De Lorenzi, former president of the Canadian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, estimates that 50 percent of patients injected in the lips with Artecoll experience "bumps that can be felt with the fingers or sensed with the tongue." And although human error is a factor, De Lorenzi has seen nodules in patients injected by very reputable doctors. "I almost never use the product anymore on any part of the face where movement is an issue," he adds. "I still use it, however, in acne scarring, where it has good results with minimal problems."
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