Table of Contents
Don’t we all dread that acne scar we got in our teenage years? Or that fine line that we want to disappear? We often hope to have the glowing and flawless skin of the on-screen celebrities and wear layers of makeup to hide our skin imperfections. Well, ArteFill has now made it a lot easier to cover all those skin imperfections.
What is ArteFill?
ArteFill replenishes and restores the skin’s lost volume and gives a natural, rejuvenated, and fresh look. ArteFill was approved by FDA, and it is a wrinkle filler (injectable) for nasolabial folds (1). It gives long-lasting and possibly permanent results. It. It is also used to smooth out pitted scars in the skin.
How does it work?
ArteFill is a gel-based suspension of 3.5% collagen obtained from cows, 20% polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) 30-42-micron microspheres, and 0.3% lidocaine (2). The PMMA microspheres in ArteFill are not absorbed by the body and provide permanent support into which the person’s soft tissue can grow (3).
When an ArteFill injection is given, the mixture not only acts as a dermal filler, but its microspheres also trigger the body to produce its collagen. Over a period of time, injected collagen slowly reduces naturally and is replaced by newly produced collagen. ArteFill is considered a long-term and permanent solution for wrinkles.
Also Read – Rejuvenate Your Skin With Natural ALMI Procedure
How is it used?
Plastic surgeons or dermatologists administer ArteFill injections in the affected areas. It is different from other fillers as it does need to be over-injected to correct.
Ideal Candidates for treatment
Both women and men over 18 years with no hypersensitivity, allergy to lidocaine or bovine collagen or their products, crow’s feet, cancer, chronic skin infections, psoriasis, anaphylaxis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, keloid scars, sores, rashes, hypertrophic scars, hives, cysts, pregnancy, etc. should be considered as the ideal candidates for this procedure. She or he should also not be undergoing UV light therapy, immunosuppressive therapy, and other similar treatments.
If the patient has the following conditions, she/he can be the right fit for ArteFill treatment –
- Large pores
- Sebaceous skin
- Minimal deep folds
Patients with very thin and loose skin are not the ideal applicants for ArteFill.
Procedure
An experienced licensed physician performs ArteFill treatment. Your doctor needs to assess you two to three times to treat you with ArteFill:
1. For the first appointment, your doctor performs a skin test by injecting a small amount of ArteFill into your skin before performing the main injection. This test dose helps find if you are allergic to collagen or other components of ArteFill treatment.
2. Once the skin test is done and the result is negative, your doctor will see you for the second and key treatment session, usually about 4 weeks following the skin test appointment. The doctor will administer the full injection. Instant results are usually seen right after the injection is administered in the form of improved and smoothed-out lines, wrinkles, and folds in addition to restored volume.
3. After 4 to 6 weeks, a subsequent follow-up appointment might be needed to reassess the treatment. Your doctor will confirm whether extra sessions are required.
There are usually two sessions, each of 15-20 minutes long for the treatment. There must be a break of 3 to 6 weeks between two consecutive sessions.
Results
The outcomes of the treatment are visible immediately after the first session. Bruising or redness may occur after the treatment, which goes off entirely in a few days.
Also Read – Is Belotero The Right Choice To Banish Fine Lines And Wrinkles?
Cost
ArteFill injections usually cost between $300 to over $3,000. The considerable variation occurs because some patients need only a limited number, or even a single injection, to treat their facial skin issues. Other individuals must undertake multiple treatments before seeing the desired result, which raises the overall price of the complete procedure.
Advantages
The treatment removes all types of skin folds, acne scars, eye bags, etc. ArteFill is a non-invasive treatment that gives almost permanent results. The skin gets plump, youthful, and rejuvenated after the treatment.
Also Read –Are Dermal Fillers The Answer To Your Acne Scars?
Side Effects
Side effects may include lumpiness, rash or itching, persistent redness or swelling, and increased sensitivity (4). The unevenness can be problematic for doctors to treat.
ArteFill should not be administered if the patient has the following conditions –
- Allergies
- Allergic to lidocaine or bovine collagen
- The tendency to form hypertrophic/keloid scars
- Failed Patch test
The process ultimately works by making the tissue grow around the microsphere scaffold, although the risk of overgrowth exists if ArteFill is administered excessively (5).
Also Read – Aquamid: The Secret To A Rejuvenated And Well-Contoured Face
ArteFill Vs. Juvederm – Which is Better?
Juvederm is a dermal filler made from varying quantities of hyaluronic acid together with bonding agents. It also includes lidocaine, which helps anesthetize the skin and control pain. It also boosts collagen in the skin.
However, Juvederm does not necessitate an allergy test before treatment, unlike ArteFill. Both are non-invasive procedures. For Juvederm, one or two sessions of 10 minutes are required. The treatment can be repeated every 9-12 months. This means that Juvederm does not last as long as ArteFill. Moreover, ArteFill is approved to treat acne scars by FDA in 2015, while Juvederm is not approved for treating acne scars.
The exact cost of Juvederm may vary depending on the repetition of treatment and your provider. On average, one syringe of Juvederm costs $682. This is cheaper but not as long-lasting as ArteFill.
Juvederm is highly effective for treating deep wrinkles and creating volume in areas like lips where ArteFill is not authorized for use (6).
Also Read – 4 Age-Defying Treatments For A Youthful, Wrinkle Free Skin
Summary
ArteFill injection is a permanent injectable used to treat skin imperfections like wrinkles, acne scars, eye bags, etc. It gives long term and permanent results. The microspheres in Artifill injections stimulate the skin to produce its own collagen. As the injected collagen slowly diminishes naturally, the newly produced collagen substitutes it. Thus, the results are permanent. One may face specific side effects after the treatment. Side effects may include lumpiness, rash or itching, persistent redness or swelling and increased sensitivity. Plastic surgeons or dermatologists administer ArteFill injections in the desired treatment area. ArteFill injections usually cost between the prices of $300 to over $3,000, depending on the number of sessions. A skin test is done before treatment. Once the result is negative, then the treatment is done. There are usually two sessions, each of 15-20 minutes long. There must be a break of 3 to 6 weeks between two consecutive sessions. Instant results are usually seen right after the procedure in the form of improved and smoothed out lines, wrinkles and folds in addition to restored volume.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How long does ArteFill last?
ArteFill is a permanent dermal filler that encourages collagen production. While it is not permanent but ArteFill may last 5-7 years or maybe even longer.
Is there any other name for ArteFill?
ArteFill was previously introduced as Artecoll in Europe and Canada in the 1990s. In the US, ArteFill has been rebranded as BellaFill. The US FDA approves Bellafill for the correction of facial wrinkles known as nasolabial folds or smile lines.
Is ArteFill worth the money?
Like any other cosmetic treatment, ArteFill can be costly, but results are almost permanent and can last up to 5-7 years or even more.
Why is ArteFill preferable to other fillers?
The body absorbs other fillers like hyaluronic acid, collagen, and fat fillers. ArteFill is made of PMMA microspheres, which cannot be absorbed by the body, thus giving long-lasting results.
How to get rid of ArteFill?
It is challenging to remove ArteFill. Steroid injections are helpful as it helps dissolve the collagen.
Is Arte Fill effective for acne scars?
After several experiments, ArteFill was demonstrated to be both effective and safe therapy to treat atrophic acne scars.
References –
- ArteFill® Permanent Injectable for Soft Tissue Augmentation: II. Indications and Applications – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Artefill – wikipedia.org
- Breakthroughs in US dermal fillers for facial soft-tissue augmentation – tandfonline.com
- Premarket Approval (PMA) – accessdata.fda.gov
- Complications of Injectable Fillers, Part I – academic.oup.com
- Safety and Effectiveness of Juvéderm Ultra Plus Injectable Gel in Correcting Severe Nasolabial Folds in Chinese Subjects – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
