AlloDerm began its use in plastic and reconstructive surgery in the 1990’s. Currently, more than 40,000 patients have received AlloDerm grafts. It is perfect for lip augmentation and gives lips a soft, natural look.

It is also used for filling nose to lip folds and creases. Surgery is done on an outpatient basis and most patients return to work in a week or less. Cymetra is the injectable form of the AlloDerm implant. Cymetra is used to fill out fine lines and wrinkles too small to be treated with Alloderm implants. AlloDerm is used under the surface of the skin to enhance soft tissue. When used as an implant to replace inadequate tissue, AlloDerm can be folded, rolled or stacked to provide the amount of tissue needed. Your doctor will determine the amount needed for your specific procedure. An allograft is any human tissue that is transplanted from one person to another. Allograft tissues have been used in millions of surgical procedures for many years. AlloDerm is a tissue graft processed from donated allograft skin. LifeCell Corporation removes cells from the donor skin leaving only the collagen scaffold of the dermis (the bottom layer of skin).

Tissue banks throughout the United States surgically remove skin from donors using sterile operating room techniques. AlloDerm is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as banked human tissue for transplantation to repair or replace soft tissue. Before LifeCell receives donated skin, the tissue donors undergo rigorous screening by the Tissue Bank. When transplanted to a patient, the AlloDerm graft gradually becomes a natural part of the patient’s own tissue and performs like normal, healthy tissue thereafter.

AlloDerm has many advantages that make it unique in comparison to other products. Since it is human tissue, AlloDerm does not cause an inflammatory response or allergic reaction, and the pretreatment skin testing required with animal collagen is not needed. Also, once the graft has healed, it does not have the feeling of hardness that is reported with many synthetic materials. When placed below the surface of the skin as an implant, some swelling should be expected and possibly mild bruising. Much of the swelling will be gone within a few days. After healing is completed, you will no longer feel the AlloDerm graft, but it will still be present. It simply will have become a normal part of your own tissue.