Overview of injectable fillers

Abstract

In contrast to the United States, in most countries in Europe and South America a great variety of injectable fillers are available. Therefore, for novices it can sometimes be quite difficult to decide which filler to use for which indications. This chapter will give a brief overview on someof the most commonly used injectable fillers. The selection of products reflects the interest of the authors and might appear quite arbitrary to someone familiar with other fillers. Injectable fillers may be grouped according to the degree of degradability. In general, fillers can be grouped as biodegradable and nonbiodegradable (permanent) products. Furthermore, combinationproducts exist that include biodegradable as well as nonbiodegradable materials. The advantages and disadvantages of each group will be discussed separately. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006.