An injectable composition having dermal filling and tissue expanding activity comprises (1) a quantity of elastin sufficient to bring about dermal filling and tissue expansion when injected into a subject in need of dermal filling and tissue expansion, and (2) a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The composition can further comprise collagen, in other alternatives, the composition can further comprise hyaluronic acid, and one or more of the elastin, the collagen, and the hyaluronic acid, if present can be cross-linked, either intramolecularly or intermolecularly. The elastin, however, is the primary filler, even if collagen or hyaluronic acid are included in the composition.