Injectable hyaluronic acid for the correction of HIV-associated facial lipoatrophy

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of Perlane, an injectable form of hyaluronic acid, for the correction of HIV-associated facial lipoatrophy. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A prospective, observational study in a consecutive series of 18 HIV-positive males with facial lipoatrophy injected with Perlane. Fourteen patients were available for final analysis. RESULTS: Mean follow-up time was 12 months. Based on photographic analysis, there was a significant early improvement (P = 0.0035). This difference remained significant after 12 months (P = 0.04666); no significant difference in grade was shown between I and 12 months (P = 0.3693). Office assessments of improvement showed an early marked improvement in 85.8% of patients, and 78.6% of subjects demonstrated at least moderate improvement at 12 months. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Patient satisfaction was high, with only minor side effects and no late complications. Our findings support Perlane to be a feasible option for the provisional correction of mild to moderate facial lipoatrophy. (C) 2007 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. All rights reserved.