Two new fillers being launched in Europe could be game changers for cosmetic surgeons and their patients in the U.S., according to Washington, DC-area dermatologist Hema Sundaram, M.D.

From her international research and educational work, Dr. Sundaram has a pulse on what cosmetic dermatologists and plastic surgeons are doing worldwide, and there’s lots of chatter, she says, around a new, chemical-free, thermally crosslinked hyaluronic acid (HA) technology for skin laxity. Earlier this year, she chaired a symposium at the International Master Course on Aging Science (IMCAS) in Paris on the new HA technology by Italian pharmaceutical company, IBSA Farmaceutici, called ProfHilo.

BDDE, or 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether, is commonly used as a cross-linking agent in HA fillers. BDDE and other cross-linking agents have to be in balance to maintain HA filler duration and biocompatibility, and these agents can affect filler performance, according to a 2008 paper published in Clinical Interventions in Aging.

The U.S. FDA has standards for the levels of residual BDDE in HA fillers, which can be lower than those required for approval in other countries, according to Dr. Sundaram. While trace amounts of BDDE in HA fillers are considered safe, consumers find the idea of fillers that are free of BDDE and other chemicals very attractive, she says.
Read more at Cosmetic Surgery Times.