Get rid of wrinkles without surgery

If you're thinking about getting a facelift, but aren't quite ready for the full surgery, there are alternatives.

The latest and greatest product is called Artefill, which is a combination of cow collagen and tiny plastic microspheres.

About a year ago, Dr. Mark Hamilton of Hamilton Facial Plastic Surgery spoke with 24-Hour News 8 about the product.

"I really insist that they do the temporary filler first," said Dr. Hamilton.

Along with Dr. Hamilton, News 8 also checked with another plastic surgeon on Artefill. He was skeptical and wouldn't recommend it.  

But now one year later Dr. Hamilton is pointing to the latest five year study on the wrinkle filler and he said the news is even better. The microspheres, used to puff up the wrinkles are smoother, more regular. And less prone to cause a reaction.

"This is the version used in the U.S. And you can see they are much more uniform in shape and a lack of particles," said Dr. Hamilton.

These little spheres are injected under the skin. Older versions of Artefill were more irregular and you could find tiny particles in it. There was more of a chance of a reaction.

But Dr. Hamilton said his patients haven't had any problems and have been happy with their results.

But there's always the more radical technique, a face and neck lift.

Unlike a face lift, Artefill is done in a matter of minutes and is much less invasive. And Dr. Hamilton believes it's safe.

"It's really showing a great track record, still a good safety profile, when you compare it to the temporary fillers. I think it holds up very well. And the product is still there five years later, which confirms what we expected that it's a long term if not permanent change," said Dr. Hamilton.

Artefill has been used around the world for the past 20 years. But the product is made by different companies. Dr. Hamilton said the American product is the best.