Yet another cosmetic company bites the dust. Artes Medical, makers of the permanent filler Artefill, has filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and may be forced to liquidate its assets. The websites for both Artes and Artefill are already shut down. This announcement follows the recent bankruptcy by Rhytec, Inc., makers of Portrait. Should the economy continue in recession, I foresee more companies in the plastic surgery market going belly-up in the future. I would expect that many of the laser manufacturers (there are dozens of them) are having trouble with the recent credit crunch combined with the high cost of these machines (often in the 6 digits). These may be the next companies to make news due to economic woes.
I've never used Artefill, since I am very wary of permanent fillers. Liquid silicone has been the most used permanent filler and has produced some disastrous results. In addition, the face changes as it ages. Who's to say that a filler injected at the age of 40 will still look good at the age of 50? Plus, if the patient doesn't like how it looks, the only remedy for the permanent filler is to cut it out. That's no fun.
Maybe they should change the slogan of Artefill to "the First to Not Last!"
To read more about Artes Medical and bankruptcy, click here.
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
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