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Use: For deep wrinkles, depressions under the eyes, lip enlargement, and depressed acne scars or chicken pox scars. Product Description: PMMA (Polymethylmethacrylate), lidocaine, and bovine collagen. How Is Artecoll Administered: The area to be treated is injected after application of a topical anesthetic. Unlike prior approaches, such as collagen injections, the area is not overcorrected (not raised up much above flat skin level). There is immediate improvement as the area treated is raised to about normal skin level. A tape is then applied and left in place for 48 hours to reduce facial movement in the area. This allows maximum benefit from the treatment. In some cases massage to the area may be suggested by the doctor for 2-3 days after the tape is removed. Is It Painful?: Generally, there is virtually no discomfort at all at the time of the treatment. Occasionally, there is some mild stinging for a day or two afterward. Are There Side Effects?: PMMA has been used in medicine and dentistry for over 30 years and has been left in the body in thousands of patients as bone cement and other forms for many years with no allergies or any harmful effects. The other two parts of the solution have been used for decades with no proof of any health risk. Is Allergy Testing Required?: Yes. You will be tested for allergy by a forearm injection and we will wait one month to confirm that you are not allergic to the treatment product. You will come to the office after 48-72 hours, and again one month after the test to "read it". On the one month visit you will be treated if your test is negative. How Many Times Must I Be Treated?: Experience out of the country shows that approximately 2/3 of patients needed only one treatment, 25% needed two, 10% needed three, and less than 1% needed four. What Is The Interval Between Treatments?: At least 2 months. How Does The Artecoll Procedure Work?: The area injected is raised by the bovine collagen which then disappears over 1-3 months. As this collagen (temporary) is disappearing, more or less simultaneously the patient’s (permanent) collagen is being produced to replace it. Studies have shown the amount of the patient’s collagen replaces most of the injected collagen so most of the initial resolution of the defect (wrinkle, etc.) is permanent. The patient’s collagen has been stimulated by PMMA. How Is This Procedure Different Than Collagen Injections or Fat Implants?: Experience since 1992 on over 160,000 patients outside the U.S. suggest that the effects of the Artecoll procedure are long-lasting and likely permanent – while collagen or fat injections usually last only a few months. What About Softform Implants?: These are previously available (since 1972) Gore-Tex fibers rolled up. Just as with Gore-Tex fibers there is a risk of shifting and extrusion in mobile areas (which includes most of the face). The Artecoll procedure is not a solid implant. It involves the injection of a solution. Can It Move?: No movement has been shown to occur. It would not be expected to occur since there really is not anything to shift: PMMA micro droplets (microspheres of 30-40 microns) are surrounded by the patient’s own collagen. How Long Has This Procedure Been Done?: Since 1992. In the U.S., Douglas Hamilton, MD performed the procedure on what is believed to be the first patient treated with Artecoll in the U.S. in early 1998. He was one of the ten investigators chosen around the U.S. (the only one in the Los Angeles area) to do studies for the manufacturer to apply for FDA approval. As of 5/1/02 Dr. Hamilton has performed more Artecoll treatments than any other American physician. He presented the 1st two major addresses at an American meeting of physicians when he was invited to speak at the annual convention of the American Academy of Dermatology in 1999 and in 2000. This AAD meeting is the largest annual meeting of dermatologists in the world. Artecoll Mode of Action: Following the injection of Artecoll the collagen vehicle will be degraded by the organism within 1-3 months. The microspheres of PMMA are permanently deposited in the tissue. The Artecoll microspheres are completely surrounded with collagen fibers by the organism within 1-3 months which guarantee a lasting tissue augmentation. Indications: Artecoll can be used in the treatment of deep frown, forehead creases, smile lines, and radial lip folds; in lip augmentation as well as in the treatment of small dermal, subdermal and osseous defects.
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