Voluma Facial Filler - Skin Care Treatments

Photographed by Amelia Alpaugh.

You know when a product causes a dermatologist to get excited, it's got to be good. At the annual meeting of the American Society of Dermatological Surgery, two brand new innovations in the injectables market had more than a few cosmetic dermatologists buzzing.

Juvéderm Voluma
This new injectable is a hyaluronic-acid filler approved specifically by the FDA for mid-face volume loss. Translation: When we get older, we start to lose elasticity and fullness in our faces, which leads to cheek "hollowing" and loss of youthful plumpness. Voluma, says Dr. Derek Jones (one of the researchers on the just-released clinical study and a consultant for Allergan, the makers of Voluma), is specifically designed to lift and contour the mid-face from age-related volume loss.

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"This is a paradigm shift in the way we think about rejuvenating the face," he explains. "We've been chasing lines or treating nasolabial folds, instead of being able to work on global volumizing. Now, we don't need to chase as many lines and wrinkles — just one procedure to fix volume loss."

Voluma has been approved for a duration of up to two years, although Dr. Jones notes that a large portion of the patients from the study continued to see results after the two-year period. So, what's the downside? Your bank balance will suffer — Voluma is set to be priced at a premium, so you can expect to pay a pretty penny for its long-lasting, skin-lifting results.

ATX-101
For those women who are endlessly frustrated by the small pockets of fat underneath their chin, good news might be on the way. At the ASDS meeting, it was announced that a new injectable named ATX-101 is in late stages of clinical trials and seeking FDA approval.

The injectable is being touted as a solution for the reduction of submental fat, commonly called a double-chin. It uses a purified, synthetic version of deoxyholic acid, a "naturally occurring molecule in the body that aids in the breakdown of dietary fat," says Kythera, the makers of ATX-101.

Why is this exciting? As Dr. Jones explains, it "dissolves" fat, which otherwise would have been removed via a small surgical procedure like liposuction. While there are some fat melting lasers currently on the market, those are not approved for use on the face — only certain areas of the body. For women who have been fruitlessly trying to find a way to diminish double chins, this could be the answer they've been searching for. Only time — and FDA approval — will tell.

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