May 23, 2007 9:37 pm US/Mountain
New Wrinkle Reducer Lasts Longer
Prepared for cbs4denver.com by Matthew J. Buettner, Web Producer.
HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. (CBS4) ―
A new wrinkle reducer that hit the market in February is touted as lasting longer than previous methods. Artefill is said to last, at a minimum, of five years and CBS4 found a woman from Highlands Ranch who was anxious to give it a try.
Theresa Hastings, who takes great pride in her appearance, will be 52 in a few months and she's determined not to let herself go.
"If it takes a little nip and tuck, I think there's nothing wrong with that," Hastings said.
She has had cosmetic surgery on her nose, a procedure on her eyes, and injections to temporarily erase some wrinkles which she said she was ready to deal with permanently.
Oculoplastic surgeon, Dr. Jack Zamora, said he's excited about Artefill which has tiny synthetic beads suspended in collagen extracted from cow hides.
"It's a synthetic material that has been used inside of the eye for many years and is now available for facial injection," Zamora said.
It's billed as the first Food and Drug Administration approved filler that corrects smile lines, the creases from the nose to the mouth, without wearing off.
"It's just is not going to be absorbed by the body," Zamora said.
After he numbed Hastings' face, Zamora injected the Artefill under a wrinkle just above the fat layer, putting the microscopic beads in the fold.
"They act as scaffolding for collagen to deposit around it," Zamora said.
The entire procedure took about 15 minutes.
"Well it's the chipmunk look at the moment, but once the swelling goes down it will be really nice," Hastings said.
Artefill is sold by the vial for $1,200.
There are some risks with Artefill including redness, swelling and lumps under the skin.
Zamora said he tests the product on a person a month before he uses it on his or her face and he also only recommends it for people who've already had success with temporary dermal fillers like Restylane and Juvederm.
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