Center of Dermatology and Laser Surgery of Philadelphia
Written by Dr. Ringpfeil
Over the years, our facial contour changes. When we look in the mirror, it may seem like invisible weights are pulling down on our cheeks, giving us an unflattering “droopy” face. In reality, the natural fat in our cheeks that is abundant during our youth gradually degenerates. Muscle also loses its volume and the underlying bone becomes thinner and changes shape. The result is loss of midfacial contour (point to cheek bones and medial cheeks), accentuation of nasolabial folds (point to them), grooves on the side of the chin (point to marionette lines), and jowl formation (point to jowls). Lifting fillers, such as Restylane Lyft and Juvederm Voluma, restore volume to the cheeks to provide a subtle facial “lift” without having to undergo plastic surgery.
Restylane Lyft and Juvederm Voluma are safe and effective alternatives to a surgical face lift. These synthetically made hyaluronic acid fillers add volume and soften the appearance of facial folds by attracting water to the injected site. Results are seen as quickly as within 1-10 days after injection. These fillers are eventually degraded by our body’s own hyaluronidase enzyme.
| price / syringe | lasts (months) | # treatments | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artefill | $900 (0.8 ml) | Permanent | 1-2 |
| Restylane | $600 (1.0 ml) | 6-9 | 1 |
| Voluma | $880 (1.0 ml) | 24 | 1 |
Purchase of a full syringe is required. When only a partial syringe is needed, the remainder can be injected to another area.
The greatest difference between Restylane Lyft and Juvederm Voluma is the duration of their results. Restylane Lyft lasts for up to 12 months, while results with Juvederm Voluma can last for up to 2 years. These differences were measured in different locations and are not absolutely comparable.
In real life, we observe that fillers placed over the bone tend to last longer while those placed in areas with mobility degrade faster. Therefore, you can usually expect these fillers to last for up to 2 years to reflate the mid-face and for about 1 year when used to augment troughs created by movement such as nasolabial folds with smiling.
Few contraindications to Restylane Lyft or Juvederm Voluma exist. The most important contraindication is an allergy to an ingredient within the products, specifically lidocaine or xylocaine. Hyaluronic acid is one of the main building blocks of our skin and a true allergy to this molecule does not occur. However, if someone has many allergies including many dietary or pollen allergies, his or her immune system is on hyperalert and may reject anything offered to it. This person is simply not a candidate for filler placement.
Lifting fillers can cause bruising, redness, swelling, pain, tenderness, or itching at the injection site. If experienced, these effects typically resolve within 2 weeks. Bruising can be minimized with microcannula injection when possible. It is recommended not to take pain medication like aspirin or ibuprofen and blood thinning supplements such as fish oil, vitamin E, and St. John’s wort for 7 days before the intended procedure.
