A new dermal filler product made from silk fibroin lixivium has received CE approval ahead of its UK launch.
Hy-Silk, billed to be the first silk fibroin lixivium filler, is a hydrogel combined with hyaluronic acid inside a carrier of phosphate buffered saline.
Silk fibroin is widely used in tissue engineering and “has the fundamentals of being highly biocompatible and negligible immunogenicity”.
In the formula, the silk fibroin lixivium and hyaluronic acid cross-link naturally under ultrasonication, negating the use of BDDE.
The final Hy-Silk hydrogel is thixotropic, meaning that it reduces in viscosity when shear stress is applied to it, like when pushing through a needle or cannula, converting it to a liquid solution.
Practitioners can therefore use a very thin needle to maximise patient comfort and improve tissue placement precision. The product itself comes with 34G needles.
Hy-Silk is also self-healing and therefore reforms into its original state once placed inside the tissue when shear force has stopped being applied. It is available in Light, Deep and Ultra Deep.
The product lasts for between 12 and 18 months and is fully dissolvable in alkaline salt solution. Hy-Silk’s manufacturer says the rate at which and likelihood of a full vascular occlusion could occur is reduced using the product, when compared to a purely hyaluronic acid filler.
The company is currently seeking UK and European distribution partners. Interested parties should contact distribution@hy-silk.co.uk
