DERMAL FILLERS: ARTECOLL
Artecoll® Dermal Filler
Artecoll has been used to treat over 200,000 patients since 1994. Artecoll is made up of 80% bovine collagen and 20% polymethyl and methacrylate beads (PMMA). Unlike most other dermal fillers, which are completely absorbed into the body after about a year, the presence of PMMA balls (30 – 40 microns) in Artecoll gives it a very long-lasting, if not permanent, effect.
Artecoll is used to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and folds on your face, especially the nasolabial folds running from the corner of the nose to your mouth.
How Does Artecoll Work?
Artecoll is injected into the lower dermis with the collagen contained in Artecoll acting as a vehicle for the PMMA microspheres. The body will biodegrade the collagen within one to three months. All the PMMA microspheres are then totally encapsulated by a fine fibrous capsule with little or no inflammatory reaction.This connective tissue holds the PMMA microspheres in place, with the whole process being complete within two to four months after initial treatment. The tiny PMMA balls are non-biodegradable and too large to migrate. This produces tissue augmentation results that are very long lasting or even permanent.
Artecoll is currently little used in the UK, and approximate costs are between £200 and £700 per 5cc.
Safety of Artecoll
Artecoll is a bovine collagen-based filler and as such requires a collagen test implant in the forearm, four weeks prior to treatment. Sensitivity to collagen is common in less than 3% of cases.Artecoll should not be administered to:
- Patients who have reacted to the test implant
- Pregnant or breastfeeding women
- Individuals with known sensibility to lignocaine
- Any patient planning to have meat desensitisation injections
Commonly experienced side effects include swelling, pain and redness of the treatment area. A small number of patients, around one to two per cent, may experience an allergic reaction after treatment, which can cause prolonged redness and swelling at one or all of the treatment sites. Serious side effects of Artecoll have been extremely rare, with only 0.01% reported.