Dermal Fillers

Dermal fillers

Dermal fillers, also known as injectable implants, soft tissue fillers, or wrinkle fillers are medical device implants approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in helping to create a smoother and/or fuller appearance in the face, including nasolabial folds, cheeks and lips and for increasing the volume of the back of the hand.
Approved Uses
The FDA has approved dermal fillers made from absorbable or temporary material for the correction of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and skin folds, such as nasolabial folds, which are the wrinkles on the sides of your mouth that extend towards the nose often referred to as “smile lines” or “marionette lines.”
The FDA approved a dermal filler made from non-absorbable (permanent) material ONLY for the correction of nasolabial folds and cheek acne scars in patients over the age of 21 years.
The FDA has approved some dermal fillers for the restoration and/or correction of the signs of facial fat loss (lipoatrophy) in people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
The FDA has approved several absorbable dermal fillers for uses such as lip and cheek augmentation in patients over the age of 21, and the correction of contour deficiencies, such as wrinkles and acne scars.
The FDA has also approved one filler for hand augmentation, which increases the volume of the back of the hands.
Patients may need more than one injection to get the desirable smoothing/filling effect. Successful results will depend on the health of the skin, the skill of the doctor, and amount and type of filler used. The time that the effect lasts depends on the filler material used and the area where it is injected.
Unapproved Uses
The FDA has NOT approved dermal fillers to:
increase breast size (breast augmentation)
increase size of the buttocks
increase fullness of the feet
implant into bone, tendon, ligament, or muscle
The FDA has NOT approved liquid silicone or silicone gel for injection to fill wrinkles or augment tissues anywhere in the body.