ALLURE
Wrinkle Implants
In the mid-1990s, ePTFE polymer implants—synthetic strands threaded under the skin—did not, as promised, permanently fill wrinkles: Many were removed due to complaints of hardening, shrinkage, migration, or extrusion. Now a softer, more porous polymer—in two newer FDA-cleared implants, UltraSoft and Advanta—is believed to be the solution. Advanta “feels as soft as a marshmallow,” says Thomas Romo, director of facial plastic surgery at New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital. An Advanta spokesman says that so far, since last December, the earlier problems haven't been reported. But it’s not yet known how soft such implant will remain over time. Implantation of any foreign material risks infection or rejection.