Treatment of the aged hand with injectable poly-l-lactic acid

Abstract

We report the use of injectable poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) for volume restoration in a 45-year-old white female who was concerned about the appearance of her hands. The patient expressed a desire for long-term restoration, and selected injectable PLLA because of its known 2-year duration of effect, although she was informed that injectable PLLA is not FDA-approved for use in the hands. After reconstitution with 8 ml of diluent plus lidocaine, 0.1–0.2-ml aliquots of injectable PLLA were injected into selected sites, up to 5 ml per hand. The patient underwent three identical treatments, followed by postinjection use of moisturizing cream and massage; improvement in appearance was noted by the patient between the second and third treatments. Correction was maintained for at least 18 months, with no adverse events. We have also briefly reviewed the literature on the use of injectable PLLA for volume restoration in the hand.

Key Words::

• Hand
• injectable poly-l-lactic acid
• volume restoration

Acknowledgement

Editorial support for this article was provided by the editorial staff at Embryon. This article was funded by Dermik Laboratories, a business of sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC. The authors gratefully acknowledge Lisa Bergstrom, PhD, who assisted in the preparation of this article based on author-provided comments. The authors were fully responsible for the content, editorial decisions and opinions expressed in the current article. The authors received no honoraria or other form of financial support related to the development of this manuscript.

Financial disclosure

Marta I. Rendon, MD, is a consultant and provides research for Dermik Laboratories, a business of sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC, is a consultant to BioForm Medical, Inc., and is a consultant and direct-to-consumer campaign ‘Respect the scalp’ to Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals. Lina M. Cardona, MD, and Mariana Pinzon-Plazas, MD, have indicated no significant interest with commercial supporters.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.