Brand names: Dermalogen, Autologen, Isolagen, AlloDerm, Micronized AlloDerm (trade name Cymetra)
Major risks: Minimal to no risk of allergic reaction, but the area injected can have a hard feel under skin and the skin may look lumpy or uneven.
Stability: Benefits can last three to nine months and possibly longer, though there is no research establishing the exact length of time. Requires several injections over a period of time to obtain results and significant initial overcorrection is required.
Dermalogen is derived from human cadaver collagen, Autologen is derived from your own skin’s collagen, and Isolagen is made of cells that are actually cloned from your own skin. The primary benefit of human-derived collagen injections is that there is almost no chance of having or developing an allergic reaction.
Autologen can be harvested during cosmetic surgery procedures such as tummy tucks, face-lifts, and breast augmentation or reduction. The skin removed from those procedures is sent to a laboratory where it is processed to become injectable collagen filler. Depending on the results you are trying to achieve you may receive a series of injections over a period of a year. Some doctors claim that Autologen achieves permanent results, but that has not been proven, and for many women is definitely not the case. Plus it can take several series of injections over a few weeks to see results.
Isolagen, as futuristic as it sounds, is made of cells cloned from your own skin. It’s done by simply removing a small piece of skin (about the size of a dime) from your neck or behind your ear. The skin is sent to a lab that, in about four to six weeks, can grow your own injectable collagen from it. Generally, three to four injections are delivered over a two-month period. Each subsequent injection produces increased improvement. After the last injection, continued improvement may still be seen because, unlike all other injectable procedures, Isolagen uses live cells and that stimulates further smoothing out of wrinkles for a period of time.
The process of creating Dermalogen is similar to that for creating both Isolagen and Autologen. Dermalogen, however, is derived from skin tissue removed at the time of death, much as other organs are removed from human donors. All three—Autologen, Isolagen, and Dermalogen—are thought to last longer than animal-derived collagen, but that is yet to be proven. A primary benefit of Dermalogen over Isolagen and Autologen is that it doesn’t require any skin removal (at least not from you); and there’s no waiting time for preparation.
AlloDerm, technically called acellular cadaveric dermis, refers to the use of donor tissue obtained from dead bodies. Much as donor organs are removed from cadavers at the time of death, skin tissue can also be surgically removed and then processed to be used as filler material for wrinkles or to improve facial contours. The donated human tissue undergoes a complex treatment process, and then is finally freeze-dried in a way that preserves the integrity of the dermal matrix. When it is ready to be used it is rehydrated and surgically inserted under the skin where recountouring is desired. Once implanted, AlloDerm merges with your own skin and stimulates your body to produce its own collagen until it essentially becomes a part of your skin. Although Alloderm is not widely used as a filler for wrinkles, it has been successfully used in thousands of skin-graft operations and is considered exceptionally safe, stable, and reliable for creating natural-looking results. There is little research showing its benefit for wrinkles. (Source: Archives of Facial and Plastic Surgery, October – December 2002, pages 252-257.)
Overall, these fillers have taken a back seat to many other options that are less expensive, last longer, and are far less complicated for the physician to prepare. (Sources: Facial and Plastic Surgery, February 2004, pages 21-29; and Journal of Burns and Wounds, March 2005, page 4.)