Ellanse (Polycaprolactone / PCL) — Nodules, S/M/L Variants & Removal

A semi-permanent collagen stimulator sold in versions whose stated durations rise with the length of the PCL polymer chain (S 1 year, M 2 years, L 3 years, E 4 years). It pairs immediate volume from the carrier gel with long-term collagen stimulation from the microspheres. Worth knowing before those numbers are used to choose between versions: only S and M were actually trialled, and the 3- and 4-year figures are extrapolations that the source literature labels as such. Taiwan has approved two of them, S and M. The specification field of the licence (026659) enumerates only ELLANSE-S, and M sits inside the one specification-addition entry there whose contents are not itemised; the approved Chinese labelling stamped on 2023-06-13 carries a sealed ELLANSE-M (1ml) label and insert, and the national UDI database registers two device identifiers under this licence, one S and one M. L and E are absent from every official layer. The two approved sites are one place written two ways, the licence saying nasolabial folds for S and the M insert saying laugh lines. Both inserts warn against the eyelids, the under-eye area, the lateral canthal lines and the glabella, because of the risk of ocular ischaemia and vision loss. On long-term use the licence says safety and effectiveness beyond two years have not been demonstrated, and the M insert says long-term safety and effectiveness have not been demonstrated at all.