People who are on highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART, keep their HIV count down, but it's not necessarily a lot of fun. Among the common complications of the drugs is facial wasting syndrome, in which the face loses fat and looks bony and emaciated. In the November/December 2004 issue of the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, researchers reported on using silicone implants to fill out those faces.

What the researchers did: The writers are describing the technique that one of them, a surgeon at UCLA, has used to give face implants to people on HAART. The implants are put in the cheeks, through the roof of the mouth. Of the 22 patients he has done this on, 14 received custom-made implants; the other 8 had less severe wasting and had standard implants inserted.

What they found: Two of the patients got infections and had to have their implants removed; one had the implant put back in, and the other decided to do without. There were no more serious complications. The custom implants can limit "extreme smiling," but none of the patients thought that was a problem. Except for the two with infections, all of the patients were happy with the way they looked.

What it means to you: People with HIV live much longer than they used to; this is one way to improve their quality of life. There are other methods for filling out the face, too, such as injecting the face with fat, collagen, or other fillers.

Caveats: Wound infections are a danger with any surgery.

Find out more: A brochure from the Department of Health and Human Services on HIV treatment

Read the article: Binder, W.J. and D.C. Bloom. "The Use of Custom-Designed Midfacial and Submalar Implants in the Treatment of Facial Wasting Syndrome." Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery. November/December 2004, Vol. 6, pp. 394-397.

Abstract online: http://archfaci.ama-assn.org