Comparison of Dermal Fillers

Are you thinking about having treatment with dermal filler? If so, we’d like to give you a brief overview of four of the very commonly used products that we love here at Celibre Medical Corporation. We believe it is important for you to understand your treatment choices and why certain products might be better for you than others. We also believe that the more knowledge and education we impart to our patients, the happier and more satisfied they are with their treatment—so let’s give you the rundown.

The four most commonly used dermal fillers at our practice are Restylane, Restylane Lyft, Juvederm and Radiesse. The first three are hyaluronic acid (HA) based dermal fillers and Radiesse is a product that is made from calcium hydroxyapatite (CHA).

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a sugar-like molecule that can be found in our skin and joints. The filler products are just synthetic versions of what we naturally have in our bodies. So there is virtually no risk of allergic reaction to these products, but they do slowly degrade over time. What makes HA so great as a filler is that each molecule has the capability to absorb up to 1000 times its own weight in water! This means that these gels don’t just work by acting as a filler all alone, they work hard to pull in extra water around them once they’re in the skin. This makes them excellent volumizers that look soft and natural. They are also 100% reversible, which makes them extremely safe. Each varies a bit inconsistently, but generally, they are all soft, pliable gels. Therefore, all are very safe and effective fillers for any area, but especially sensitive ones such as the lips and under the eyes.

By contrast, Radiesse is a great “foundational” dermal filler. It is much thicker than the HA gels, and the CHA particles act like little “scaffolds” that trigger your body to form its own collagen around them. It is our go-to for building up the volume in larger areas, such as the cheeks or backs of the hands. Because it’s not as easily broken down by the body and it stimulates collagen remodeling, it lasts longer than the HA fillers. But it isn’t reversible, so you must make sure that your injector has a good base of knowledge and expert technique to ensure you get the results you are looking for with Radiesse. It isn’t good for the sensitive areas listed above, so beware if your injector suggests using it there!