A new hyaluronic acid filler is seeking FDA approval: Belotero.

After many years of use in Europe, Belotero would join Juvederm, Restylane and Perlane, as another great option for facial fillers for use in the U.S. if it gets approval.  I had an opportunity to be one of the first physicians in the United States to use the product when I flew to Grand Cayman Island last summer to do just that.

I remember thinking to myself on the plane, “why does the world need another filler, especially in this category? What could possibly be so different about this newcomer?” On that trip, I chatted directly with European physicians who had many years of experience with Belotero. Of the (amazingly!) 120+ options for fillers in Europe Belotero has become their #1 pick.

I’m happy to say that I loved the product and am very excited about it.  There are two amazing ways in which Belotero is different:

• it can be used very, very close to the surface of the skin and therefore we can now treat very fine lines of the face like never before.  For example, some patients have vertical wrinkles in the mid-cheek that are sometimes called ‘sleep lines’ which were almost impossible to treat before but now have a solution with Belotero.
• Of all the other fillers in this category run the risk of having a bluish color to them after injection (sometimes called the Tyndall effect).  The Tyndall effect has never been reported with Belotero, which opens up a whole new world for more aggressive treatment in thin areas of the face like the lower eyelids.

When will Belotero get FDA approval?  Hard to say, but I’m hoping it will be soon.  I’m proud to be one of the first physicians in the country with Belotero experience, and I’m thrilled to be bringing Belotero to my San Francisco Bay Area patients as soon as I can.