Over the last several years, a number of new soft-tissue fillers including Restylane, Perlane and Juvederm have been introduced to the U.S. For physicians, deciding what to inject is an extremely important decision, as some fillers are safe for essentially all patients, while others can have troubling and even disfiguring side effects. The first filler that gained widespread acceptance is bovine collagen. However, that product tended not to last very long and also required a skin test prior to treatment. Human-sourced collagen products were then developed, but they had the stigma of being derived from the tissue of human cadavers. Also, the results did not last much longer than those from bovine collagen.
Injectable hyaluronic acid (Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm) is produced in culture instead of being taken from an animal or human source, which eliminates many of the concerns associated with injectable collagen products. Hyaluronic acid has many of the qualities of the ideal filler: it is safe and affordable, it produces natural-looking results, and it is extremely effective for most patients. In our plastic surgery practice and medical spa, we have seen a much higher rate of patient satisfaction when using hyaluronic acid products than with collagen products.
