SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Artes Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq:ARTE), maker of the long-lasting dermal filler ArteFill?, is celebrating women's changing lives with the ArteFill Face Forward Makeover Contest. Women age 35 and over are invited to submit personal stories about a current or upcoming time of personal change. Four winners, selected by a panel of judges, will be honored with makeovers worth approximately $10,000. All entries must be submitted online at www.myFillosophy.com by July 31, 2008.

"Looking your best builds confidence and self-esteem," said contest judge Eva Ritvo, M.D., psychiatrist and author of the upcoming book, The Beauty Prescription. "Whether women are embarking on a new career, beginning a new relationship, or entering ? gracefully ? a new life stage as a grandparent or retiree, I see how their appearance and their attitude are interconnected. In fact, a positive attitude combined with an enhanced appearance brings women all kinds of rewards from their environment."

Women are encouraged to submit their stories about an upcoming or current time of personal change or accomplishment. Four grand prize winning entries will be selected and those women will receive a makeover valued at $10,000, which includes an ArteFill treatment and other non-surgical procedures from a leading physician, subject to the physician's determination of the suitability of the candidate for ArteFill treatment; a professional photo shoot with hair, makeup and wardrobe styling; and a feature on the ArteFill web site. In addition, up to ten first-prize winners will win an ArteFill treatment, subject to their suitability for treatment.

"This makeover contest provides Artes Medical with an opportunity to recognize women as they reach important life milestones and empower them to enter this next phase of their lives with a confident outlook," said Christopher J. Reinhard, Executive Chairman, Artes Medical.

ArteFill is the first and only FDA-approved non-resorbable dermal filler for the correction of smile line wrinkles. While temporary dermal fillers are absorbed by the body, requiring frequent repeat injections, ArteFill's patented formula provides the support skin needs for enduring wrinkle correction in just one or two treatments.

To submit a story, please go to www.myFillosophy.com. Contestants must be women age 35 years or over and legal residents of the U.S. to apply. Complete campaign rules and regulations are available at www.myFillosophy.com.

About ArteFill

ArteFill is the first and only FDA-approved non-resorbable injectable dermal filler for the correction of wrinkles known as smile lines or nasolabial folds. The unique PMMA microspheres in ArteFill are not absorbed by the body and therefore provide the first-of-its-kind support for long-lasting wrinkle correction.

An ArteFill Skin Test is required before initial treatment. The most common adverse events associated with ArteFill treatment, similar to those observed with other dermal fillers, are lumpiness, persistent swelling or redness and increased sensitivity at the injection site.

ArteFill is a proprietary formulation comprised of polymethylmethacrylate, or PMMA, microspheres and bovine collagen, and is the only PMMA-based injectable product that has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of facial wrinkles. Artes Medical is the sole manufacturer of ArteFill, which is only available in the United States through Artes Medical, and Artes Medical has not entered into distribution or licensing arrangements with any third party for the distribution or sale of ArteFill, or any other PMMA-based dermal filler, outside the United States.

About Artes Medical, Inc.

Artes Medical is a medical aesthetics company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing a new category of aesthetic injectable products for the dermatology and plastic surgery markets. The Company's initial product, ArteFill, is being marketed to men and women as a treatment option for the correction of nasolabial folds. Additional information about Artes Medical and ArteFill is available at www.artesmedical.com and www.artefill.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on the Company's current beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to its management. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. As a result of these risks, uncertainties and other factors, which include the Company's history of net losses, its ability to timely raise additional funds to support its operations, its ability to manage its operating expenses, its reliance on its sole FDA-approved product, ArteFill, its limited experience in commercializing ArteFill, its future receipt of FDA approval to extend the efficacy period of ArteFill beyond six months and eliminate the skin test requirement, and the risk that the Company's revenue projections may prove incorrect because of unexpected difficulty in generating sales and market acceptance of ArteFill, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements included in this press release. A more extensive set of risks and uncertainties is set forth in the Company's SEC filings available at www.sec.gov. These forward-looking statements represent beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, even if new information becomes available in the future.

Artes Medical? and ArteFill? are registered trademarks of Artes Medical, Inc.