If you're bothered by early signs of facial aging—but don't want to deal with the downtime or expense of facial surgery—Restylane may be a smart choice for you.

Restylane can:

• Fill in facial lines and wrinkles
• Plump up the lines from your nose to the corners of your mouth
• Add fullness to thin lips
• Diminish vertical lip lines, known as “smoker's lines”
• Smooth out acne scars or pits
• Help to camouflage jowls
• Create fuller “cheek bones”

What is Restylane?

“Restylane is a safe, natural hyaluronic acid facial filler that adds volume and fullness to the skin. This filler, from Medicis Aesthetics, corrects moderate to severe wrinkles and folds such as the nasolabial folds from your nose to the corners of your mouth.”

What is Restylane made of?

“Restylane is made of non-animal-based hyaluronic acid in a crystal-clear gel. The gel is biodegradable and fully compatible with the natural hyaluronic acid your body produces. This means that the possibility of allergic reactions is greatly reduced, compared to animal-derived fillers such as collagen.”

Do you administer Restylane injections, or does a nurse do them?

“I do all the injections myself. This is just one aspect of the level of service I offer my patients. It's very popular to have nurse injectors doing facial injections, but I prefer to do them personally.”

Do you do anything to numb the area before a Restylane treatment?

“Yes. I always give ‘field’ blocks or nerve blocks. There are various nerves in the face where I can inject a little anesthetic to make the patient much more comfortable during the treatment. I do that every time because it makes the treatment a much more enjoyable experience. It allows me to take my time and really concentrate on doing things right, not on relieving the discomfort by stopping as soon as possible. I also think that makes people more willing to come back and do it again.

“I usually give intraoral, or in-the-mouth, injections. First, I spray a little something to numb your gums, then I inject the nerve, which you shouldn't really feel. We wait about 10 minutes while the anesthetic takes effect, then I inject the Restylane. Doing it this way makes my patients much more comfortable.”

How do you inject Restylane?

“That all depends on the area being treated. I think most of us use similar techniques for the lips and laugh lines, but there are some areas that doctors disagree on. Although some people prefer to inject Restylane into the soft tissues, I like to inject it right along the bone. If I don't, you'll get little bumps and it won't look good. When I put Restylane near the bone, it camouflages the filler. You'll see the fullness, but you can't tell the face was injected. This deep-injection technique gives an attractive, long-lasting result.”

Is there normally any downtime after a Restylane treatment?

“Not really, although sometimes people are a little bit swollen when they leave the office and that can last for a day or two. Also, I have seen at least one patient who developed some redness that lasted almost a week, but that's about it.”

Does Restylane have any side-effects?

“You might have some redness or swelling after a Restylane treatment. If this occurs, it typically lasts less than seven days. It's important to avoid sunbathing and cold outdoor activities until any redness or swelling disappears.”

How long does a Restylane treatment last?

“In my experience, how long a facial filler treatment lasts depends on where you inject it. A facial filler seems to last a long time in places that don't have a lot of motion.

“For the nasolabial folds, Restylane is great. And it seems to last a very long time in the tear trough area. On the lips, it tends not to last as long, simply because there is a lot of motion in that area.

“As for the research showing that Restylane can stimulate the skin to make its own collagen, I think this may cause the filler's effects to last a bit longer with each treatment. But I've never seen a case where a hyaluronic acid facial filler produced results I'd consider permanent.”

What results can you expect from Restylane?

“Basically, most people just feel better about themselves. They look a little younger, but their friends can't quite tell what they've done. These subtle changes can make a big difference for a lot of folks.”