Brand names: CosmoDerm I, CosmoDerm II, CosmoPlast
Major risks: Minimal to no risk of allergic reaction, but the area injected can have a hard feel under skin and may look lumpy or uneven.
Stability: Benefits can last three to nine months and possibly longer, though there is no research establishing exact length of time.
Because of the risk of allergy with bovine-derived collagen fillers, several companies were motivated to develop human-derived collagen dermal fillers. Since these agents do not contain any bovine collagen, no allergy testing is required prior to treatment and treatment can begin immediately. Furthermore, no cross-reactions have been documented in patients with a history of allergy to the bovine collagen fillers, so any patient with a documented allergy to bovine collagen may be treated with bioengineered human collagen.
Dermal fibroblasts are harvested from bioengineered human skin and placed into a three-dimensional mesh. These fibroblasts synthesize collagen and extracellular matrix proteins, which are then used as a dermal filling agent. In March 2003, the FDA approved three bioengineered human collagen dermal fillers, CosmoDerm I, CosmoDerm II, and CosmoPlast. These human-based dermal fillers probably have the least patient downtime of any dermal filler available (Source: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, November 2007, pages 17S-26S).