Elevess: Competition for Restylane and Juvederm

The dermal fillers market just got more crowded:  Elevess has arrived!

Like Restylane and Juvederm, Elevess is a hyaluronic acid-based injectable product which can be used to fill facial wrinkles and folds....

• Nasolabial Folds - "Parentheses lines" that separate the cheeks from the nose and upper lip.
• Lips and Smoker's Lines - Fine lines around the lips. Fillers can also accentuate the "pouts" and "pillows" of the lips.
• Corners of the Mouth / Marionette Lines - Grooves from the corners of the mouth down towards the jaw line, similar to the mouth joints of wooden puppets.
• Chin - Creases around the chin that develop with age, especially between the chin and lower lip.
• Other Areas:
  • Deep wrinkles that are not eradicated by surgery or Botox
  • Cheeks hollowed by age, malnutrition, disease, or chemotherapy
  • "Tear troughs" separating the lower eyelids from the cheeks

Although Elevess was approved in July 2007 by the Food and Drug Administration for sale in the United States, it has since remained relatively unknown compared to popular competing hyaluronic acid filler brands such as Restylane and Juvederm.

But now, Elevess is poised to gain more popularity with the help of Artes Medical, which has just announced a deal with the makers of Elevess (Anika Therapeutics) to mass market the filler to American plastic surgery consumers.

(By the way, Artes Medical is the maker of Artefill, a permanent wrinkle/fold filler.)