The dermal fillers we commonly use are of two different types, the ones consisting of hyaluronic acid— Restylane, Restylane, Lift, Restylane Silk, Voluma, and the PMMA filler, the longer lasting Bellafill.

Hyaluronic acid is a normal constituent of our skin, subcutaneous tissue, and connective tissue. When natural hyaluronic acid is specially treated and injected under the skin, this modified hyaluronic acid attracts and holds water, adding volume to the area injected, lasting until the body degrades it, anywhere from six to eighteen months after injection. The increase in volume that results from implanting one of these fillers under the skin improves overlying facial creases and wrinkles, enlarges lips, making the face appear more youthful.

Bellafill is an injectable dermal filler composed of microspherules of polymethylmethacyrlate (PMMA), suspended in bovine (derived from cow) collagen with a small amount of lidocaine (local anesthetic) added.  Orthopedic surgeons have been using PMMA safely and effectively for decades in joint replacement surgery.  Unlike the other fillers, the PMMA is not readily absorbed by the body and forms a far more lasting scaffold for collagen production wherever it is injected.  That is, the benefits of Bellafill injections are extremely durable, lasting many years. Like many of the other non permanent dermal fillers, Bellafill is FDA approved for improving nasolabial folds (smile lines). This product has been used successfully for years in Europe and Canada.