Restylane® A Favorite Among Fillers

Restylane® is known as "The World's Number One Dermal Filler" and it has been a top-seller since dermal fillers became FDA approved.

Since Restylane® was approved by the FDA in 2003, its popularity has grown. Now more patients and doctors are using Restylane® and other top-selling fillers to give patients a lift, and smooth out wrinkles and facial lines.

Restylane® products are safe and effective and used to re-engineer tissue and add volume to areas that naturally lose shape with age, and due to the loss of collagen production and elasticity. The main, active ingredient in Resylane® is Hyaluronic acid, the most common collagen-based glycosaminoglycan in skin's natural matrix. Dermal fillers, like Restylane® products are composed of hyaluronic acid, which adheres to water and produces plump, hydrated tissue. Fillers play a role in replicating collagen while hydrating the skin and adding volume to treated areas. Dermal fillers and the active ingredient, hyaluronic acid helps cell growth and restores tissue function.

Women and men alike enjoy the benefits of injectable fillers and younger, smoother looking features. Restylane® products, can be used with all skin types, and like most fillers, the results lasts from six to nine months. Filler results may vary per patient, depending on age and elasticity.

Restylane® products include: Restylane, Restylane-L, Perlane, and Perlane-L, all of which are part of the Restylane® family aesthetic product-line are produced and distributed by Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation, a United States based pharmaceutical company focused on dermatological and cosmetic treatments. Restylane®, like other filler products are only available to licensed professionals.

Restylane® is used for the following cosmetic enhancements:

• Dermal filler treatment to add volume and fullness to skin and to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, creases, and folds and to smooth out the skin's surface
• Corrective aesthetics and anti-aging treatments
• Liquid Facelift: to replace lost elasticity in cheeks, smile lines, under eyes and nasolabial folds and to plump aged skin
• Tissue engineering to add symmetry to uneven and disproportionate areas
• Lip augmentation: to add shape and volume to thin lips
• Under eyes: to fill in pockets and sunken cavities under eyes
• Cheeks: to plump and fill cheeks that lose their shape and sag with age and gravity
• Nasolabial folds: to fill in deep lines and add fullness to face

Why Restylane®?

The Restylane® name is known in the cosmetic industry as a leading dermal filler product and it has been used for multiple purposes to modify and correct severe facial lines, wrinkles, creases and areas that lose volume and shape with time and age. As collagen production decreases, and gravity pulls the facial features down, Restylane® can be added to fill, lift and act as tissue to support the areas where it is injected.

Ask your healthcare professional, clinician or cosmetic surgeon which dermal filler product is right for you.

Before Restylane®

After you have decided Restylane® is right for you, here are the next steps:

1. Locate a trained physician or clinician who is a licensed professional.
2. Make an appointment and discuss your treatment areas and goals.
3. Inquire about costs per syringe and how many would be necessary to treat your case.
4. Learn about the side effects and ask questions about the treatment.
5. Review before and after pictures of other patients with Restylane.
6. Figure out how many Restylane treatments you may need within a year estimate annual investment.
7. Ask what you may expect after treatment.
8. You must be 18 years or older to have dermal injections without parental consent.
9. If you are pregnant, you should avoid using dermal fillers.
10. Restylane® can last between six to nine months. Patients will see the results immediately, and should wait at least 90 days between treatments.

After Restylane®

After researching Restylane® make an appointment for your fillers injected. Your appointment will take 30 - 60 minutes for your dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon will evaluate your case and to administer the filler injections in the specific, designated areas requested. Treatment side effects are minimal and there is no downtime, afterward. Patients experience mild pain, only to the injection site, which only lasts a few minutes. Other side effects include: temporary pain, bruising, swelling, redness, and firmness, which may last up to two - seven days.

In rare cases red bumps may appear or a blood vessel may be disrupted by the needle, if swelling, bruising or irritation occurs for more than seven days, contact your doctor. Retylane ® products should not be used by patients with severe allergies. Patients with allergies to lidocaine should also avoid dermal fillers.

In addition patients with skin conditions, rashes hives, cysts or infection should wait until after healing to have dermal injections.

After your injections, your doctor will provide you with a list of instructions and side effects. It is important to follow the instructions to avoid any complications.

Comparisons Between Dermal Fillers

Most surgeons, doctors and clinicians carry a variety of dermal fillers to satisfy patient requests, but they do develop their own preference based upon patient results. To learn more about the pros and cons, and similarities and differences between filler products, look for forums and sites that discuss the comparisons online. Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm Ultra, and Juvederm Ultra Plus are all FDA approved hyaluronic acid fillers, and they are all safe and effective.

However, there are similarities and differences that you may want to consider. It is in your own best interest to discuss and compare products with your selected aesthetic surgeon.

Common Dermal Filler Similarities:

• Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm Ultra, and Juvederm Ultra Plus are all safe to use and tolerated by every skin type.
• Allergic reactions to the actual dermal fillers are rare, however, now most dermal fillers come packaged with lidocaine (to numb the area), so reaction to the numbing agent is possible.
• Dermal filler costs are comparable, and in most cases the same.
• All dermal fillers are collagen based agents, and the main, active ingredient is hyaluronic acid. This component is already a natural part of your skin's matrix, so fillers are rarely rejected by the body.
• Allergy testing is not required before filler products, but in rare cases, reactions can occur.
• All filler products are designed to smooth lines and creases, results are immediate and noticeable, directly after dermal filler injections.

Notable Side Effect and Differences :

• The most compared products are Restylane and Perlane, which are produced by Medicis, while Juvederm Ultra and Ultra Plus are manufactured by Allergan. Both manufacturers are well-known for their cosmetic product lines and the products are comparable.
• Juvederm Ultra can be compared to Restylane, while Juvederm Ultra Plus is molecularly more similar to Perlane. There is a difference in molecular composition and granularity between products, which are best known to be used for different regions of the face.
• The difference in composition allows surgeons to use particular filler products for specific areas. Their preference will vary based on product and patient results.
• Most filler labels and manufacturers proclaim they last between 6-9 months. Results can vary with any filler product, and this timeline may actually last from 3-12 months, depending on the patient.
• Microscopically, these products vary. The composition and hyaluronic acid (active ingredient) concentration levels may vary from product to product in addition to volume, packaging and design.
• These filler products behave the same across patient skin-types when injected, however the "behavior" of the product may vary per injection site, for example, under eyes, in cheeks, lips, around borders and in deep lines versus small wrinkles. Ask your surgeon which filler is best for the areas you want treated.
• All filler products come pre-packaged in pre-measured in volumes. Ask your surgeon if you can get more than one use out of your filler, and if you can use the remainder over multiple visits.

Side Effects

• Restylane is safe and tested, FDA approved dermal filler product, which is considered non-allergenic and effective.
• Restylane is fast and results are noticeable immediately and they last 6-9 months.
• Restylane can produce some post-treatment side effects, which are very mild, such as: swelling, redness, and possible bruising. These symptoms may last a few hours or a few days. 

If you are ready to look for a surgeon in your area, click on the "surgeon locator" and find a specialist in your area. Schedule a consultation, and you are one step closer to a more youthful looking you.