An Update on the Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Collagen Injectables for Aesthetic and Regenerative Medicine Applications

Abstract

Soft tissues diseases significantly affect patients quality of life and usually require targeted, costly and sometimes constant interventions. With the average lifetime increase, a proportional increase of age-related soft tissues diseases has been witnessed. Due to this, the last two decades have seen a tremendous demand for minimally invasive one-step resolutive procedures. Intensive scientific and industrial research has led to the recognition of injectable formulations as a new advantageous approach in the management of complex diseases that are challenging to treat with conventional strategies. Among them, collagen-based products are revealed to be one of the most promising among bioactive biomaterials-based formulations. Collagen is the most abundant structural protein of vertebrate connective tissues and, because of its structural and non-structural role, is one of the most widely used multifunctional biomaterials in the health-related sectors, including medical care and cosmetics. Indeed, collagen-based formulations are historically considered as the “gold standard” and from 1981 have been paving the way for the development of a new generation of fillers. A huge number of collagen-based injectable products have been approved worldwide for clinical use and have routinely been introduced in many clinical settings for both aesthetic and regenerative surgery. In this context, this review article aims to be an update on the clinical outcomes of approved collagen-based injectables for both aesthetic and regenerative medicine of the last 20 years with an in-depth focus on their safety and effectiveness for the treatment of diseases of the integumental, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, and urogenital apparatus.

New Regenerative and Anti-Aging Medicine Approach Based on Single-Stranded Alpha-1 Collagen for Neo-Collagenesis Induction: Clinical and Instrumental Experience of a New Injective Polycomponent Formulation for Dermal Regeneration

“…The product was the first filler based on hyaluronic acid stabilized by crosslinking. From that moment on, although collagen was also studied in the following years [41][42][43], hyaluronic acid began its unstoppable rise [44][45][46].…”

An evaluation of the effectiveness of ‘ULTRACOL 200′ in enhancing nasolabial fold wrinkles through cutaneous repair

“…[9][10][11] Among those, the dermal filler has now received significant attention in retrieving, rejuvenating, and enhancing skin smoothness and texture through its versatile applicability that can be performed in different areas such as eyes, lips, forehead, cheek, and neck. [12][13][14] Additionally, dermal filler can be applied to substitute the defection of soft tissue volume due to skin aging. 15 Polydioxanone (PDO) is a biodegradable polymer with polar ester linkage that exhibit a reactive nature in a chemical reaction, which undergoes gradual hydrolysis for 4 to 6 months and slowly gets absorbed by the body.…”

“…There has been a broad application of non‐invasive surgery that can be utilized to reconstruct and improve visual facial characteristics in aging, such as laser therapy, thread‐lifting, chemical peeling, micro‐needling, botox injecting, and filler 9–11 . Among those, the dermal filler has now received significant attention in retrieving, rejuvenating, and enhancing skin smoothness and texture through its versatile applicability that can be performed in different areas such as eyes, lips, forehead, cheek, and neck 12–14 . Additionally, dermal filler can be applied to substitute the defection of soft tissue volume due to skin aging 15 …”

“… 9 , 10 , 11 Among those, the dermal filler has now received significant attention in retrieving, rejuvenating, and enhancing skin smoothness and texture through its versatile applicability that can be performed in different areas such as eyes, lips, forehead, cheek, and neck. 12 , 13 , 14 Additionally, dermal filler can be applied to substitute the defection of soft tissue volume due to skin aging. 15 …”

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of an Innovative Polycomponent Formulation on Adult and Aged Human Dermal Fibroblasts

“…It is important to highlight that the collagen for injectable formulations is generally extracted from different animal sources [ 12 , 13 ], and that the human collagen formulations are also available as a valid alternative. However, some pitfalls can be found, such as long preparation times, high costs for the procedure, and highly skilled teams, so an exciting alternative is represented by recombinant collagens [ 14 ]. Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) is an FDA approved water-soluble polysaccharide, derived from cellulose [ 15 ].…”