Approved Uses for Dermal Fillers

Before a clinician plans a first supervised treatment, the approved uses of dermal fillers should be settled. This guide checks them in order, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as the reference point.

What to have open before you start

Keep the FDA consumer update on dermal fillers open beside this page. Check each statement below against it as you go. A clinician in Summit, New Jersey who is choosing a course can run the same check on any course description that names approved uses.

The approved uses, as the FDA states them

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports the following: The FDA has approved dermal fillers for use in adults 22 years of age or older (over the age of 21) for specific uses: Absorbable (temporary) fillers are approved for moderate to severe facial wrinkles and skin folds, such as nasolabial folds (lines extending from the sides of the nose to the edges of the mouth) and perioral lines (small wrinkles in the skin around the mouth and lips). Augmentation (increased volume) of lips, cheeks, chin, and back of the hand. Non-absorbable (permanent) fillers are approved for only nasolabial folds and cheek acne scars.

Read that as three separate lists. The first covers absorbable fillers and ties them to wrinkles and folds. The second covers added volume in four named areas. The third covers non-absorbable fillers, which carry only two approved uses. The age line comes first in the passage, so record it before the lists.

The dermatologic surgeons' page on fillers

The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery keeps its own page on injectable fillers under its skin treatments listing. Read it after the FDA passage, not before, so the agency's wording stays your anchor. Note any difference in wording and bring it to the course provider.

Know where reports go

The FDA also runs MedWatch, its safety information and adverse event reporting program. Find it now, before the first supervised treatment, so you know where it sits if you ever need it.

Can you state the age line and each use?

This step is done when you can state, without notes, the age line and the approved uses for each filler type. Cleveland Clinic publishes an overview of dermal fillers that gives you one more document to read against your own list. If your list and the sources disagree, resolve it before you move to the next step.