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Beyond Botox:
A Shot At Beauty Heaven.
Restylane® next big thing in cosmetic surgery.
Source: Time
Date: 5/20/2002
Author: Krupp, Charla
Now that Botox® has been approved by the
Food and Drug Administration, fans of cosmetic quick fixes are
buzzing about the next miracle injectable. It's Restylane, a synthetic
hyaluronic acid that, like collagen, can fill in facial lines
and plump up lips. It's already a hit in Europe and Canada, though
its maker has yet to seek approval in the U.S. But last week it
completed its U.S. clinical study, and the results were impressive.
Restylane® outperformed a collagen-based substance by a 6-to-1
ratio. Unlike collagen, which lasts only about three months for
some patients, Restylane® can last six months or longer, doctors
say. And because it's a non-animal-based gel created in the lab
(bovine collagen is made from cow tissue), it doesn't cause allergic
reactions, as collagen does in a few patients. That means no waiting
six weeks for allergy-test results before you can try it. "It
will be a boon for the patient who says, 'I have a wedding in
two weeks,'" says Dr. Rhoda S. Narins, a New York dermatologic
surgeon who conducted some of the tests of Restylane®. Beauty
enthusiasts are downright giddy. "I've yet to hear anyone
say anything negative about it," says Wendy Lewis, a cosmetic-surgery
consultant in New York City who has used Restylane® herself.
The Swedish manufacturer of Restylane, Q-Med, plans to seek FDA
approval next month and is hoping for a U.S. launch next spring.
But true beauty junkies won't be waiting that long. Some U.S.
doctors are bringing back bootleg Restylane--or having patients
do it--and charging up to $1,000 a shot.
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