Restylane® is a long-lasting gel for filling out moderate to severe facial folds and wrinkles. The hyaluronic acid (HA) in Restylane is identical to that naturally found in the body. The product is integrated into the tissue, allowing important nutritive agents to pass freely through the implant and cells to pass between fragments of the gel. Restylane contains hyaluronic acid in the form of a clear gel injected into the skin to lift the lip, wrinkle or fold. Once in the skin, Restylane works together with the body’s own hyaluronic acid and binds to water molecules to help maintain and create volume. Unlike permanent implants, Restylane is completely degraded and eliminated by the body. Thus one has a choice to re-inject product when the effect of the treatment has worn off.

Restylane is injected into the mid to deep dermis to provide volume where the concentration of the body’s own hyaluronic acid has decreased. We use topical anesthetics to reduce the discomfort of the injection. One treatment session takes about 15 minutes. The results can be seen almost immediately. Side effects may include transient needle marks or bruising. Even though the treated area can swell up somewhat and be red for one to three days afterwards, one may return to work without any restrictions.

Restylane is not extracted from animals. This means no risk of allergic reactions. Therefore, Restylane is perfectly safe to use without pre-testing. How long the effect of Restylane treatment lasts depends, on many factors, such as structure of the skin, lifestyle and age as well as on the degree of perfection demanded by the individual. However, we know that in the majority of the patients treated, about 50-80% of the effect remains after 6 months. Most people choose to have a touch-up done within a year of the original treatment, after all correction has been obtained.

Perlane® is a stiffer form of Restylane, used for deeper injections and more robust corrections.

In our practice we often use the hyaluronic acid fillers interchangeably. Because Restylane is somewhat thicker than Juvederm it tends to fill deeper deformities well and is frequently used as an initial injection with lighter gel-like products such as Juvederm, used as an overlay product. On the other hand, the gel-like consistency of Juvederm makes it quite useful for lip augmentation and fine lines.