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Research in British Columbia,
Canada, indicates that liquid injectable silicone administered properly has
potential as a safe, effective, natural feeling treatment for patients with
HIV-associated facial lipoatrophy (FLA). The researchers tested liquid injectable
silicone because temporary filler treatments were not permanent and could
result in high costs.
Alastair Carruthers, FRCPC, clinical
professor of the department of dermatology and skin science at the University
of British Columbia, Vancouver, and colleagues studied 20 Caucasian patients
(18 men) ages 34–58 with HIV-associated FLA. The patients received a maximum of
2 milliliters (mL) of 1,000-cSt highly purified medical-grade liquid injectable
silicone at each session, with a maximum of six sessions. The researchers
evaluated safety, efficacy, injection volumes, and patient satisfaction at 9,
12, and 18 months post-treatment. Eighteen patients received six sessions, one
had five, and one had four sessions. After the fifth session, 15 patients had
complete correction, 17 had complete correction after 9 months, and most
patients maintained correction at 18-month follow-up. No patients reported
persistent adverse events.
The researchers concluded that that
highly purified 1,000-cSt liquid injectable silicone, when administered by
microdroplet technique of no more than 2mL per visit appeared to be promising
and safe for treating HIV-associated FLA. They acknowledged that the study was
limited by its small population size and was noncomparative and nonmasked.
Carruthers stated that the small study justified a longer, larger study.
The full report, “HIV-Associated
Facial Lipoatrophy Treated with Injectable Silicone Oil: A Pilot Study,” was
published online in the Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology (2013;
doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2013.03.025).
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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