Artefill in San Francisco Bay Area, Oakland, and Walnut Creek California

Artefill is the first and only FDA-approved injectable wrinkle filler designed for the correction of smile lines that doesn’t get absorbed into the body. Unfortunately, in late 2008 the company, Artes Medical, which represents the product, has declared bankruptcy. Artefill is made of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) microspheres (miniature beads) that are suspended in bovine collagen. The synthetic PMMA microspheres in Artefill are not absorbed into the body or metabolized, allowing Artefill to last significantly longer than other injectable fillers. As the injected bovine collagen is slowly absorbed during a few weeks, the microspheres stimulate the body to generate its own natural collagen to replace it, resulting in 80% of the patient’s collagen and 20% microspheres (by volume) to permanently fill in the wrinkle. This slow breakdown and natural replenishment process provides Artefill with its unique and almost permanent results.

Artefill Wrinkle Reduction Procedure

Thirty days before treatment, your will be given a simple allergy skin test for sensitivity to bovine collagen. If the test is negative, Artefill will be injected directly beneath the wrinkle to add permanent support to smoothen the area. Because the injection contains lidocaine, a local anesthetic, little discomfort is felt during injection. The anti-aging treatment usually requires only 15-20 minutes, but two treatment sessions may be necessary to achieve full wrinkle correction.  The treatments are typically performed three to six weeks apart.