Hypersensitivity reaction to nonanimal stabilized hyaluronic acid

Soft tissue augmentation has become a cornerstone of facial rejuvenation. The bovine collagens were historically considered the “gold standard” as they had an extensive safety history and were effective. However, because of their brief duration and the approximate 1.0% to 3.0% incidence of hypersensitivity, alternatives were sought. A new class of agents, the hyaluronans, was recently granted approval by the Food and Drug Administration. The hyaluronans are indicated for injection into the mid to deep dermis for correction of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds (eg, the nasolabial folds). The hyaluronans have two derivations: nonanimal stabilized hyaluronic acid (NASHA) and an additional formulation of avian origin. Both are considered major advancements as they are not species specific and therefore theoretically do not elicit humoral or cell-mediated immune reactions. To date there have been a few reports of allergic reactions to the NASHA hyaluronans, primarily to Restylane. We report what to our knowledge is the first hypersensitivity reaction to the second brand of NASHA, Captique.