Hydroxyapatite Granules for Facial Augmentation

Q: Dr. Eppley, I’m emailing you regarding coral hydroxyapatite/Interpore. 

It is a porous, non-degradable granular mixture of hydroxyapatite from coral in the sea. It is perfect for facial augmentation, I believe. 

Do you use this material or happen to have any of it on the shelf? I don’t like the idea of a traditional implant in my face so if you know anything or anyone who has this material it would be great if I were notified.

A: I am very familiar with hydroxyapatite (HA) granlules for facial augmentation and have used it many times in the past. While it still has a useful role in small areas of facial augmentation it has issues with contour irregularities since it is applied as a paste/gel and rarely heals in a smooth and linear fashion. Due to this contour unpredictability it is an inferior facial contouring material compared to the smooth and predictable contours of preformed facial implants.

Hydroxyapatite granules are becoming increasingly hard to find as the number of manufacturers has become limited.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana