Remember last week’s post about using lidocaine in dermal filler injections? The FDA just granted clearance to a new injectable called Juvederm Ultra XC – a filler prepared with 0.3 % lidocaine.
FDA approval was based on a clinical trial that demonstrated a significant improvement in comfort with the new filler. Apparently over 90 percent of 72 subjects in the trial said they experienced less pain with Juvederm XC.
That data is very important, because some people have questioned the value of lidocaine contained within a dermal filler: Is it just for the sake of marketing? When Prevelle Silk (another filler with lidocaine) came out in 2008, Dr. Joe Niamtu said this to Cosmetic Surgery Times:
“The issue with a hyaluronic acid filler with lidocaine is that it doesn’t work until you actually start injecting patients, and these injections are so quick, by the time the lidocaine takes effect, you’re almost finished”
Although I wouldn’t expect cosmetic surgeons to abandon existing methods of pain management, if the Juvederm XC formula does act quickly enough to provide a more comfortable treatment, that can’t be a bad thing. We’ll know more if/when the filler comes to Tucson.

salmon, blueberries, tomatoes, carrots, asparagus, broccoli and other
no discomfort, thanks to local anesthetics that work to numb one or more areas of the face beforehand. Lidocaine is the one most frequently used by plastic and cosmetic surgeons; there’s no doubt it makes a big difference in terms of patient comfort and ease. Several of the latest dermal fillers are actually prepared in advance with this anesthetic
donated a Fraxel re:store laser system to its Burn Center, offering immediate benefits to Burn Center patients. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Grossman Burn Center (GBC) is the largest plastic surgery-based burn practice in the western United States. The Fraxel system will be used to reduce the appearance of scarring caused by traumatic thermal damage.
looking skin. So how do you choose between the two?
procrastination and without excuses, let’s resolve to take the following steps:




