Over the past decade there have been many new injectable fillers that have become available for clinical use. And just about every year a new one is commercially released either by an existing or new manufacturer. As we end 2014, there is a new injectable filler that has become available…although it is new in name only.
Artefill (which originally was called Artecoll before becoming Artefill) has changed its name now to Bellafil in the U.S.. It appears the company (Suneva Medical) opted for the name change because it better describes the outcomes associated with the filler and provides the opportunity to rebrand the filler product.
Amongst the wide array of injectable fillers, Bellafil is unique in that it is a semi-permanent particulated type material. Bellafil is a combiantion of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) microscpheres and collagen. The ratio is 80% collagen and 20% microspheres. The collagen in Bellafill acts as a carrier for the microspheres and allows them to flow through a needle in a near laminar pattern. While the collagen does eventually resorb and go away, the PMMA microspheres are permanent and induce an ingrowth of collagen to create a permanent matrix for lasting volume improvement.
Since each injectable treatment results in only a 20% to 30% volume retention of the initial injection, repeated treatments are usually needed to build up ‘layers’ over time. This eventually results in a permanent volume result. This feature is what makes Bellafil distinctive from almost all other injectable fillers.
Bellafil was originally approved (as Artefill) in 2006 for the treatment of nasolabial folds or smile lines. Because of its bovine collagen carrier, patients should be skin tested before treatment to ensure they have no allergic reactions to it.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana