Restylane Family of Fillers

Restylane is hyaluronic acid (HA) filler that can be placed in multiple areas of the face to treat volume loss and rehydrate the skin. The Restylane filler family from Galderma offers one of the broadest portfolios of hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers on the market to tailor all the individual needs of patients.

We are proud to offer the entire Restylane family to make sure we can customize each treatment with the perfect filler needed in each area. That consists of Restylane Lyft, Restylane-L, Restylane Silk, Defyne, Refyne, Contour, and Kysse. Making sure your provider is educated on each and can explain why they are using which product is imperative. This is not a “one size fits all” procedure. What one person uses to get their lips done does not mean that you would use the same. If you have any questions, please speak with Dr. Michelle Cabret or Dr. Kimberly Prock prior to your procedure.

Each type of Restylane filler is made up of different size HA particles that change the elasticity, viscosity, lift capacity, and the amount of secondary swelling from the HA that can occur. Depending on the area being injected we choose different products. For the lips, we use soft products made of smaller particle size HA to look more natural, such as Restylane Silk and Restylane Refyne.

Both Restylane and Juvéderm are dermal fillers made of HA, but the technology used to create their different gel consistencies are different. Restylane uses “NASHA” and “Xpression” technology to create its portfolio of fillers while Juvéderm is based on “Hycross” and “Vycross” technology. Different cross-linking and particle sizes change the firmness, cohesivity, viscosity, and concentration of HA which dictates where and why we use them in different areas of the face. Fillers with higher cross-linking and larger particle sizes typically last longer but cannot always be used in the area needing to be corrected. Fillers with more longevity tend to cost more as well.

Restylane is a dermal filler by Galderma that is used to replace volume and provide support to different areas of the face as mentioned above. BOTOX is a neuromodulator by Allergan and is used to treat muscles of the face that create static lines (aka wrinkles) such as crow’s feet around the eyes, frown lines between the brows, and horizontal lines across the forehead. Galderma also produces its own neuromodulator called Dysport. BOTOX and Dysport tend to be needed every 3 to 4 months and are bought in units. Filler tends to last longer when at full correction, an average of 12-18 months depending on the areas treated and filler used and is bought in syringes.

Restylane can be combined with other treatments such as BOTOX and Dysport. It is not ideal to have laser procedures or other treatments that can distort the facial profile due to swelling the same day as filler. Typically, you want to wait at least two weeks before receiving your filler treatment so that there is no swelling that could lead to over or under-correction of the area being treated.

To ensure a safe procedure, make sure to tell your provider about your medical history to determine if you are an appropriate candidate for treatment. Possible side effects observed are swelling, redness, pain, bruising, headache, tenderness, lump formation, and itching at the injection site. These are typically mild in severity and resolve in less than 7 to 10 days. As with all skin injection procedures, there is a risk of infection. A rare but serious risk is unintentional injection into a blood vessel. The chances of this happening are slim, but if it does occur your provider should always have the reversal enzyme available and ready to dissolve the gel. If not treated appropriately complications can be serious leading to vision abnormalities, blindness, temporary scabs, or scarring of the skin.

It is okay to have multiple areas treated at once when receiving dermal fillers. Depending on the overall goal of the patient and the assessment done by the provider there are times when it is recommended to treat certain areas before treating others to provide the most natural result. Sometimes patients that have smile lines or nasolabial folds are missing mid-face volume leading to the creation of folds around the mouth. Therefore, we would want to first treat the mid-face before treating the smile lines. Further treatment may not be necessary after correcting the cause. Treating the origin of facial aging and not just the effect leads to more natural results.