Soft tissue fillers in the treatment of HIV-associated facial lipoatrphy

HIV-associated facial lipoatrophy is a stigmatising side effect to the use of the thymidine analogue drugs and affects more than 50% of HIV infected individuals on HAART. At present the most successful treatment options consist of aesthetic procedures; either autologous fat transfer or injection of soft tissue gel fillers, which can be biodegradable or permanent. In this article we summarise the advantages and disadvantages of different treatment strategies with special focus on the soft tissue fillers. Several clinical studies ahve recently published in-depth data on the long-term safety and aesthetic durability of using the permanent gel filler Aquamid. They demonstratethat Aquamid is a safe, durable and fully biocompatible product with very high patient satisfaction, a convincing option in the treatment of HIV-associated lipoatrophy.