Wrinkle fillers such as Restylane and Juvaderm have been used for years, generally through needle injections. They provide a minimally invasive alternative to harsher procedures such as a surgical facelift. They can be used to correct lines, furrows, folds, some scars, and skin depressions. Unlike botox, they do not freeze the muscles, but rather fill holes and voids to smooth the skin’s surface.
There is no standard wrinkle filler currently on the market. Each has its own formula, durability, side effects, costs, and risks. The most popular main ingredients are collagen, hyaluronic acid, calcium hydroxylapatite, and PLLA. They generally work to replace or stimulate the growth of collagen, hyaluronic acid, and elastin. As scientists explain, those are the three skin components that tend to break down as we age. However, most of them, like botox, are only temporary.
However, dating back to 2003, the FDA has received multiple complaints of side effects including: infection, bruising, redness, swelling, pain, tenderness, rashes, skin death, blurred vision, filler breaking through the skin, filler moving, and allergic reactions. A recent FDA report listed 930 different cases.
Though the FDA report does not specify which products were associated with said side effects, many makers of wrinkle fillers have suffered financially, whether through sales or stocks. Companies such as Allergan have attempted to assure customers that their products boast a “very low adverse event reporting rate.” However, consumers seem unsure, and will likely remain so until the official result of proceedings is released.