Restylane

What Is Restylane?

Restylane is a long lasting, crystal-clear gel made of stabilized hyaluronic acid used for augmenting lips, lower eyelids, and filling facial wrinkles and creases. Hyaluronic acid is a normal constituent of our skin, subcutaneous tissue, and connective tissue. When injected under the skin, hyaluronic acid attracts and holds water adding volume to the area injected until it is normally degraded by the body in from four to eight months after injection. The increase in volume that results from implanting Restylane under the skin improves overlying facial creases and wrinkles, and makes lips larger.kes lips larger.

What Is Restylane Used For?

Restylane is implanted to improve facial wrinkles and creases such as the nasolabial fold (the crease between the nostrils and the corner of the mouth), frown lines ( especially in conjunction with BOTOX® Cosmetic), and wrinkles on the cheeks. It is particularly useful to enhance and augment the lips and fill vertical wrinkles above the upper lip. Recently, we have been injecting Restylane under the skin in the lower eyelids to eliminate dark circles, hollowness, and to hide bags there. For many patients, the improvement after a Restylane injection into the lower eyelids is quite dramatic.

How Is Restylane Implanted? How Long Does The Procedure Take? It Is Painful?

Restylane comes in prefilled syringes and is injected just underneath the skin with very fine needles into the area to be improved. As Restylane is a natural body product, no pretesting is necessary as is required with bovine collagen Prior to injecting Restylane, we numb the area to be filled with topical anesthetic cream. As we inject the area, we cool the overlying skin with our Zimmer Cryo 5 skin cooler resulting in additional anesthesia. This combination of topical anesthesia and cold air reduces any pain from the injections to a minimum. If the lips are to be enhanced, nerve blocks are administered to numb the lips. The implantation of Restylane after numbing takes between 20
and 30 minutes.

When Will I See Improvement From Restylane And How Long Will It Last?

You will see improvement from Restylane immediately after it is injected. On average, this improvement will last from four to eight months. After the first two or three injections of Restylane, most patients find they can go increasingly longer intervals without reinjection.

Is There Any Downtime Following Restylane Implantation?

No! You can return to your normal activities without restriction following the Restylane implantation procedure as soon as you wish. The area injected, particularly the lips, may be swollen and numb similar to visit to the dentist. The numbness will disappear in one or two hours.

Is Restylane Safe? Are There Any Side Effects?

Restylane is FDA approved for the indications mentioned above. While relatively new to the United States, it has been used for many years in Europe and Canada. It is an exceedingly safe product with few side effects. Occasional bruising, swelling, lumpiness, and/or tenderness at the implantation site can happen but all disappear within a few days. Rare allergy to Restylane limits its use in some patients. As for any cosmetic procedure done around the mouth and particularly to the lips, we customarily provide a prescription for an antiviral agent to prevent any outbreak of cold sores (oral herpes virus).

How Much Does Restylane Cost?

Restylane is priced by the syringe. Most individual areas such the lips, lower eyelids, nasolabial folds, etc. require only one syringe. Multiple areas may need more. To inquire about our current prices for Restylane, please call our office.

If I Am Considering Restylane, How Do I Proceed?

Satisfaction with Restylane treatments is high. If you think you will benefit from Restylane, call the office for a complimentary consultation with Dr. Richard Fisher. Call 623.876.9494.