[History and use of fillers for treating wrinkles]

The development of injectable fillers for filling in depressions or wrinkles in the face is reviewed. After the hesitant interest on fillers to correct scars and depressions which started at the end of the 19th century, the development of new substances continued at a dizzying pace when public demand to treat the signs of aging increased dramatically starting in the mid 1980s. This led to a countless number of different substances. To obtain an optimal result in treating facial wrinkles or depressions the appropriate filler must be injected with a technique that suits best the individual indication. Fillers are classified in resorbable and non-resorbable permanent fillers. With resorbable fillers only a temporary result can be obtained, which means that the patient has to undergo repetitive treatments. With permanent, non-resorbable fillers long lasting results can be obtained that may last for years and even decades. All fillers may have side effects like swelling, erythema, nodules right after treatment and in very rare cases years after the injection foreign body granulomas may develop that may be resistant to treatment.