With over 13 years of specialised expertise in aesthetic medicine, Dr. Tetiana Dohadailo answers four of the questions she hears most often about Ellansé, a collagen biostimulator designed to restore facial support while stimulating the skin’s own collagen production over time.

Q1. What is Ellansé, and how does it actually work?

Ellansé is a collagen biostimulator made from polycaprolactone, or PCL, microspheres suspended in a carboxymethylcellulose gel. What makes it interesting is that it works in two stages.

The gel gives an initial volumising effect after treatment, so there is some visible correction straight away. The PCL microspheres then stimulate the body to produce new collagen around them, which gradually becomes part of the longer-term result.

This collagen response has been demonstrated in human tissue. Biopsy studies have shown new collagen forming around the PCL particles, together with an increase in dermal thickness following treatment.

So I don’t think of Ellansé as simply adding volume. I am using it to restore support in the face while encouraging the tissue to gradually produce more of its own collagen.

Q2. How is Ellansé different from a traditional hyaluronic acid filler?

Both can be used to restore volume and improve facial contours, but they work differently. A hyaluronic acid filler gives its result mainly through the gel that is injected. With Ellansé, there is an initial volumising effect from the carrier gel, followed by continued collagen stimulation from the PCL microspheres.

That makes Ellansé particularly useful when I want to improve facial support gradually rather than simply fill one line or add volume to one feature. I often think about the face more structurally, looking at areas such as the temples, cheeks, mid-face or lower face and asking where support has been lost with ageing.

Another important difference is reversibility. Hyaluronic acid fillers can usually be dissolved with hyaluronidase if necessary. Ellansé is not a hyaluronic acid product, so it cannot be treated in the same way. This makes patient selection, anatomy and injection technique especially important.

For me, the question is not which filler is better. It is which material gives me the right type of support for that particular face.

Q3. When do you see the results, and how long can Ellansé last?

There is an immediate effect because of the gel carrier, but the treatment continues to develop as collagen production increases over the following months.

Clinical studies have shown that PCL-based fillers can maintain meaningful correction well beyond the initial treatment period. Ellansé has clinical data supporting results for up to two years depending on the product variant, and long-term imaging studies have also demonstrated sustained mid-face volume after treatment.

I always explain that the result changes in character over time. What you see immediately after treatment is not exactly what you will see several months later, because the initial carrier gel gradually disappears while the collagen response develops.

The number of sessions depends on the degree of volume loss, the areas being treated and what we want to achieve. In many patients, I prefer to treat conservatively and reassess rather than trying to create the entire correction in one appointment.

Q4. Who is a good candidate for Ellansé, and where does it work best?

Ellansé can be a good option for patients who are beginning to notice loss of facial volume, reduced structural support or deeper age-related changes and want a gradual, natural-looking result. I may consider it for areas such as the temples, cheeks, mid-face, chin or jawline, depending on the patient’s anatomy and treatment goals.

It is not a product I would use everywhere. Published expert recommendations specifically advise against using Ellansé in areas such as the lips, glabella and eyelids, where the anatomy and tissue characteristics make other treatments more appropriate.

As with any injectable treatment, temporary swelling, tenderness or bruising can occur. Larger safety studies of PCL fillers have reported a low overall rate of complications, but careful product placement and technique remain essential.

That is why the consultation matters. I assess facial structure, skin and tissue quality, previous treatments and medical history before deciding whether Ellansé is appropriate. With a collagen biostimulator, I am planning not only for how the face looks immediately after treatment, but also for how the tissue will respond over the months that follow.