Video Using Tomato to Show How Dermal Fillers Work Goes Viral

Getting dermal fillers is a very common practice among youngsters who are looking for a temporary fix to an aesthetic concern. It's so popular that the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported that in 2020 about 3.4 million Americans received soft tissue filler injections.

An aesthetics doctor recently went viral on social media after sharing a clip that explains how a filler works. Instead of a patient, he used a cherry tomato, which, according to some viewers, "instantly looked three days younger."

The post was shared on TikTok in May by Doctor Andre under the username @extensaclinic and has received 9 million views. In the clip, the doctor can be seen injecting dermal filler into the wrinkly tomato, which instantly inflates, looking as good as a fresh one. The caption reads: "So [satisfying]."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) describes dermal fillers as "gel-like substances injected under the skin, meant to create a smoother or fuller appearance, or both."

The agency explains that the effects of most FDA-approved dermal fillers are only temporary because they are made from materials that the body eventually breaks down and absorbs. This means that, at some point, the injection procedure may have to be repeated to maintain the effects.

There are different types of dermal fillers, including hyaluronic acid, which is a sugar that is naturally found in the body; calcium hydroxyapatite, a mineral and a major component of bone; and Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), a biocompatible, biodegradable, synthetic material.

"There's only one FDA-approved dermal filler that is not absorbed by the body. It is made with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) beads suspended in a solution that contains bovine (cow) collagen. PMMA beads are tiny, round, smooth, plastic beads," the FDA website states.

One user, Mona, commented on the TikTok video: "They did surgery on a grape tomato." And Bunny posted: "They put in tomato for free but charge me 600." Jen added: "I feel like water would do the same thing." Leahpalooza wrote: "it's funny no one is mentioning that dermal filler's hyaluronic acid, of which the molecules draw in water, plumping the area. so it is water kind of."

Lindsay posted: "That's wild, it instantly looked 3 days younger!" Hotbootycake added: "The cherry tomato is still dying inside and needs therapy."

Another user, JennerReallySpeaking, commented: "Cherry tomato is glowing up post-divorce y'all." And brosi__ wrote: "Except with lips you're left with lumps and bumps. Or a shelf-top lip." Ameryst Svetlana added: "Unattainable tomato beauty standards."

Newsweek reached out to @extensaclinic for comment via email. We could not verify the details of the case.

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