Poly-L-lactic acid as a facial filler.

Poly-L-lactic acid is a filler recently approved by the US FDA for the correction of facial lipoatrophy in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Currently, poly-L-lactic acid, sold under the brand name Sculptratrade mark (Dermik), is the only product approved by the FDA specifically for this indication. The market for poly-L-lactic acid will likely be larger than the HIV-infected population, as physicians use poly-L-lactic acid off-label to correct lipoatrophy associated with the normal aging process in non-HIV-infected patients. The benefits of poly-L-lactic acid are limited by the fact that multiple treatments are necessary to achieve the desired correction; its results are temporary and its cost is high.