Dermal Filler Advancements May Bring New Generation of Face Treatments

    SANTA ROSA, CA, August 04, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Patients may soon be able to choose from 2 new options for injectables with specific uses for the face. The plastic surgeons and cosmetic medical team at Allegro MedSpa (www.dayspa.com), who specialize in skin care for the Petaluma, CA area, say this may be a sign of the future of the injectables industry.

Dr. Heather Furnas, a board-certified plastic surgeon and co-director of Allegro MedSpa, is a provider of cosmetic skin care services for the Novato, CA area. She says, "We're likely to see a lot of advancements in new dermal fillers, but we may also see new uses for fillers that are already on the market."

As an example, Allergan , the manufacturer of BOTOX Cosmetic and JUVEDERM, currently has 2 new dermal fillers making their way through clinical trials and toward the U.S. market. The products are JUVEDERM VOLUMA XC for cheeks and JUVEDERM VOLBELLA with Lidocaine for lips.

A JUVEDERM VOLUMA product is already available in the U.K., and JUVEDERM VOLUMA XC is advancing through the FDA review process. News from Allergan says that the General and Plastic Surgery Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee "unanimously recommends JUVEDERM VOLUMA XC as a safe and effective treatment option," an important step forward in the FDA's approval process.

In London, Allergan announced that it had launched JUVEDERM VOLBELLA. If the company's VOLUMA product is any indication, VOLBELLA will likely make it to the U.S. in the near future, where it will have to pass a review by the FDA.

JUVEDERM VOLUMA is a hyaluronic acid dermal filler uniquely designed to augment the cheeks and add volume to the midface. If approved, it would be the only filler approved for this use in the U.S. JUVEDERM VOLBELLA with Lidocaine is designed for specifically treating the lips and their surrounding anatomy, including increasing volume, improving lip shape, correcting drooping lip corners, smoothing out fine lines around the mouth, and decreasing the appearance of marionette lines.

"Injectable makers are finding new ways all the time to tweak formulas we're already using so they can treat other, more specialized things," says Dr. Francisco Canales, a board-certified plastic surgeon and co-director of the Allegro MedSpa. Dr. Canales commonly sees patients from Santa Rosa to Napa to Marin for treatments such as BOTOX Cosmetic and JUVEDERM.

Many physicians use injectables that are approved by the FDA in areas of the face for which they aren't "indicated," or originally intended. This is legal and is the choice of the physician and patient. In the not-too-distant future, though, it seems there will be multiple FDA-approved options for each specific treatment area.

"That ultimately adds up to better results and a better experience for patients," Dr. Canales says.

Dr. Heather Furnas and Dr. Francisco Canales at Plastic Surgery Associates of Santa Rosa are board-certified plastic surgeons performing a variety of cosmetic surgery procedures. Dr. Heather Furnas graduated from the UCLA School of Medicine and completed a 6-year residency in plastic surgery from Stanford University. Dr. Canales received his Doctor of Medicine degree from Stanford University in 1982 and completed his plastic surgery residency at Stanford University Hospital. They are both certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery and have been performing cosmetic and reconstructive surgery procedures such as breast augmentation, body contouring, and facial rejuvenation for patients in the Santa Rosa and Napa areas since 1992.

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