Uses

FDA has approved absorbable
injectable cosmetic wrinkle fillers for correcting soft tissue contour
defects, such as moderate and severe wrinkles and folds. Some
absorbable fillers are approved for restoring or correcting the signs
of facial fat loss in people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

The only non-absorbable FDA-approved injectable cosmetic wrinkle filler is for correcting facial tissue around the mouth.

FDA-approved cosmetic wrinkle fillers should not be used for

• plumping the lips (lip augmentation)
• increasing breast size (breast augmentation)
• implanting into bone, tendon, ligament, or muscle
• implanting into blood vessels

Filler Materials

Wrinkle
fillers are made of various types of materials, and some include a
combination of products. Some products also contain lidocaine, which
numbs the skin at the injection site.

The materials used in injectable cosmetic wrinkle fillers include

Temporary (absorbable) fillers

• Collagen injections
  are made of highly purified cow or human collagen. Collagen is a
  natural protein that is a major component of skin and other tissues in
  the body.
• Hyaluronic acid gel is a protective lubricating gel, produced naturally by the body, that binds with water to plump the skin.
• Calcium hydroxylapatite
  is a mineral that is a major component of bone. Calcium hydroxylapatite
  is a well-matched (biocompatible) material that dissolves in the body
  (biodegradable) and is implanted in the form of a gel.
• Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA)
  is a biodegradable, biocompatible, synthetic material from the
  alpha-hydroxy-acid family that has been widely used for many years in
  dissolvable stitches and bone screws.

Permanent (non-absorbable) filler

• Polymethylmethacrylate beads (PMMA microspheres) are tiny round, smooth plastic particles that have been tested to be biocompatible. They are not absorbed by the body.