Laviv lets patients use their own cells to make collagen for reducing wrinkles

The cells are injected over a series of three treatments about three to six weeks apart. It then takes several weeks for nature to take its course and fill in the sagging skin.

March 29, 2012|From KY3 News

You may have heard of Restylane and Juvederm. They’re popular fillers used to plump wrinkles and sagging skin. Now there's a new product that does the same thing, but it uses your own cells to erase those pesky smile lines.

Mary Ellen Ezarski is about to have her smile lines injected with collagen of her own making. "I wanna look good for my age, i'm not interested in turning the clock back to a place that's not natural," said Mary Ellen Ezarski.

And she thinks there's nothing more natural than Laviv, an F-D-A approved therapy that injects millions of the skin-plumping cells into fine lines and wrinkles, giving the skin a rejuvenated look.

According to Dr. Gilly Munavalli, "there's no reaction to what you're injecting because it's your own cells containing your own proteins and you're making your own collagen." Clinical trials show Laviv lasts at least as long as artificial fillers, about six months.

But doctors warn this is not a quick fix. It takes three months for lab technicians to make the patient's personalized collagen concoction. The cells are then injected over a series of three treatments about three to six weeks apart. It then takes several weeks for nature to take its course and fill in the sagging skin.

Pictures show the difference in Mary Ellen's smile lines three weeks after her second treatment. "So far I can really see a difference," said Mary Ellen. Experts say there are minor risks associated with the procedure. "You can develop some bruising, some swelling at the site of the injection, but that usually only lasts a few days," said Dr. Diane Berson, Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College.

It isn't cheap. The total cost can climb to 4500-dollars. But doctors say that could be cheaper than trying multiple fillers that don't give patients a tailored result.

Some experts say Laviv works well when used off-label to treat acne scars and fill in smokers lines around the mouth, but so far the product has not been approved for those uses.

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