Artesense - Dermal Fillers

This kind of dermal filler is manufactured by Artes Medical in San Diego. It was initially marketed in Europe under the trade name Artecoll®, which then changed to Artesense™ to reflect the many changes and evolution of the product. It is dermal filler thought to be a better alternative to surgery and collagen fillers. It has a long, reputable safety record spanning over a decade with very high customer satisfaction, having been approved by the FDA since 2007. ArteSense is administered to the skin by specified injections through the use of a tunneling technique. It improves the appearance of skin in addition to clearing wrinkles and fine lines. It consists of natural collagen and coated polymethylmetacrylate (PMMA) microbeads. It is best suited for puppet lines around the nose, drooping corners of the mouth, horizontal chin folds, chin imperfections, wrinkles in the thicker skin, lip augmentation and scars.

The injection is administered underneath the skin using a very thin needle, which is moved gently back and forth. This encompasses the ‘tunneling’ technique which also creates tiny ducts. These ducts are then filled with Artesense. Once the injected collagen is absorbed, it will eventually stimulate the production of more collagen. An extremely thin layer of connective tissue is formed around the PMMA beads in the collagen, but not absorbed by the body (encapsulation), causing skin augmentation which takes approximately two months. The wrinkle will be visible for a few weeks after the injection before permanently disappearing within two to three months.

Artesense treatment takes fifteen to thirty minutes on average, depending on the number of areas to be treated. The process of treatment seldom hurts, depending again on the area of treatment. To minimize any painful effects, you can use additional anaesthetics besides those included with Artesense. Expected side effects include redness and swelling, which can last for two to three days. It is advisable to move the face muscles as little as possible for at least three days after the treatment. This is because strong facial expressions can interfere with the encapsulation of injected PMMA beads.

With over a decade of usage and more than 250,000 patients treated, the product has proven safe and reliable. ArteSense is long lasting, with effects remaining for a number of years, not months as is normally the case with most dermal fillers. It is worth noting that with Artesense, the PMMA beads are encapsulated for permanent results.

It is important to note that Artesense is mainly used in Canada, where it is popularly marketed as the next generation Artecoll. The product is very suitable for fine lines and wrinkles, but not for heavy volume injections.