Restylane Injections Overview

Restylane Injections

Treatment | Before and After Pictures | Cost

Do you look in the mirror and often wish you looked as good as you felt? Do you take care of yourself, watch your weight, exercise and avoid the sun, but feel like your face still doesn’t reflect your age? If this sounds familiar, it could be that you’re missing a very important piece of the anti-aging puzzle: volume.

As we age, we lose precious volume in our face. Have you ever really looked at an older, heavier person’s face? They DON’T look their age! Their weight keeps their face full and their skin doesn’t seem to sag or wrinkle as much. Not to suggest you should pack on the pounds to look better, but wouldn’t it be nice if we could all choose where the fat goes instead of nature choosing for us! We aren’t quite there yet, but there is another way to add volume where we want it: dermal fillers such as the Restylane family of products.

The Restylane family consists of three unique products: Restylane Lyft, Restylane and Restylane Silk. While all are similar, each is formulated specifically to target different areas. The specificity of all of the Restylane products lies in the thickness or viscosity of each. Restylane Lyft is thick and its name says it all. It’s a great choice to restore natural volume to hollow temples, cheeks and chins; the areas that need the most volume. Restylane is less thick, but a great go-to for tired, hollow tear troughs and heavy nasolabial folds around your nose and mouth. Lastly, Restylane Silk is aptly named as it has the lightest consistency. It’s smooth, soft volume makes it the perfect choice for enhancing or rejuvenating your lips, giving you back that sexy pout and making your lip gloss fun again!

By adding back lost volume you can literally LIFT your face and re-contour your features, restoring the classic “heart shape” that’s full around the eyes, tapered at the jaw and restore the soft, rounded and full features of your youth. These injections are minimally invasive and have little downtime, but their results are BIG!

An added benefit is what these products can do for your skin. Think of a deflated balloon. Just like the balloon, our skin loses elastin and collagen as we age becoming sallow, thin, and sagging. Now imagine blowing that balloon back up again. It looks much better, right? Well, that’s what Restylane products can do for you. While they can’t rebuild the lost collagen and elastin, they can provide the supporting structure your skin needs to make it appear smoother and firmer too. Who wouldn’t want that?!

What makes Restylane work so well?

Restylane products are injectable gels made up of particles of hyaluronic acid (HA). HA is an amazing, sugar-like molecule that is a natural part of our bodies. It is an important part of our skin and joints. Restylane is a totally natural, non-animal based product.  And the very best part is, there’s absolutely no allergy testing required before treatment! Anyone can be treated with Restylane.

Let’s talk more about the wonders of HA. Did you know that it has the ability to absorb up to 1,000 times its weight in water? That’s real lifting power! When Restylane gel is injected into a line or crease, it instantly plumps the skin, filling in that line and helping it look smooth and disappear. When used to add volume back into the cheeks, temples and lips, it works like little pillows that attract and hold onto water to stay fluffed and full. The best part: you don’t have to wait for this to happen! Not only are the results of Restylane treatment visible immediately after treatment, they get better over the next few days as the product starts holding on to water!

How Long will My Restylane Last?

Since there are three different Restylane products, it depends on which product you choose and where you put it. All three have different consistencies in addition to uniquely sized HA particles. While this makes them perfect for treating different problems areas, it will play into the longevity of each as well.

Restylane has been used in the U.S. since 2003. It has medium sized HA particles and is the go-to product for providing volume to tired looking tear troughs. It is extremely versatile and can be used in other places such as laugh lines, lips and even some types of scars as well. It’s effect can last for 6-8 months or longer.

Restylane Lyft, re-branded from Perlane in 2015, contains larger sized particles that go a long way to volumize deeper structures like cheeks, chins and temples. Because the product is placed deeper, it doesn’t get disrupted much by facial muscles and movements.  Most patients will see improvement for 8-10 months or longer!

Restylane Silk, the newest product, was approved in June of 2014. It has the smallest HA particles, so its perfect for areas that you want to look soft and natural like your lips. Patients usually see improvement for 3-6 months with this treatment.

Since HA is present in our bodies, we will break down the HA in the gels just like we do our own. This process happens very slowly, over time. So when you notice unwanted changes returning, please come back in to see us at our Torrance, CA clinics!

What are the Possible Side Effects of Restylane?

As noted above, Restylane products are natural and extremely safe. They require no prior allergy testing at all. Because these injections tend to be a bit deeper, there is a higher risk of bruising after treatment. Many people also have mild swelling after their injections. These can both last a few days after treatment. You are probably fine to return to work or run errands after, but you may want to schedule your treatment awhile out from any important meetings, social gatherings or photo sessions.