Facial Injections: Info, Prices, Photos, Reviews, Q&A

Juvederm may be better than Restylane for some things

Juvederm and Restylane are both non animal, stabilized hyaluronic acid fillers (NASHA). They are both excellent products that are safe and effective in restoring youthful volume to the deflated aging face and hands. Hyaluronic acid is a substance that is ubiquitous in our bodies.

These products are made to look very much like our own hyaluronic acid so they only very rarely cause allergic reactions and they are very well tolerated.

They are stabilized so that they last longer in the body than our own hyaluronic acid.

Restylane and its big sister, Perlane, are more robust than Juvederm Ultra and its big sister, Juvederm Ultra Plus.

This means that a Restylane product may be better in some uses than a Juvederm product and in some applications Juvederm may be better than Restylane.

25 Year Old Female Treated With Juvederm For Nasolabial Folds By Dr. Shaun Patel, MD, Miami Physician

For example, I prefer to use Juvederm (softer and smoother) for lip enhancement, but I prefer Restylane or Perlane (more structure) for filling in the area in front of the jowls. In some patients Juvederm seems to last longer than Restylane and in other patients Restylane seems to last longer than Juvederm.

The area injected may make a difference. I have not seen a good clinical study that concludes that one lasts longer than the other, so there is a certain amount of patient specific variation that has to be learned.

As usual, the management plan for each patient has to be customized for the individual. (Robert Swanson, MD – RETIRED, Bay Area General Surgeon)

Juvederm and Restylane are both excellent products that last about the same length of time. Through experience I have found that certain products look better in specific places, so to answer your question neither product is superior, they are just more appropriate for different places.

Doctor Alex Eshaghian, MD, PhD, Encino Physician – 32 Year Old Woman Treated With Restylane

My advice would be to find a very experienced Doctor that is confident in the use of many different fillers. (Janet Allenby, DO, Delray Beach Dermatologic Surgeon)

I do not think one is better than the other in all people. Depending on the location it is being used, and the type of problem being addressed, I will choose one product or another.

For example, are you treating deep, narrow grooves between the nose and the mouth? Or are you addressing an overall loss of volume on the lower face? Are you addressing the very fine lines on the upper lip? Are you filling the lips? One size doesn’t fit all, and each of the fillers has its place in our arsenal against aging. (Jordana S. Gilman, MD, Washington Dermatologic Surgeon)

Doctor Anil Rajani, MD, Portland Physician – 34 Year Old Woman Treated With Juvederm

Both Restylane and Juvederm are hyaluronic acid, a naturally occuring sugar that we all have naturally in our bodies. Hyaluronic acid has been proven to be a safe way to correct the changes that occur due to aging.

Both Restylane and Juvederm are great products! Due to the differences in their structure and manufacturing process, Juvederm, in my experience tends to have a greater incidence of causing “Tindle Effect,” which is a blue-appearing tint to the skin when used in the upper face under and around the eyes.

Otherwise, I have found them to be very similar and I cannot say that one is better than the other. Some people say that Restylane lasts longer while others say that Juvederm last longer. In the end, they are both great products, and most important, they are both safe!. (Arnold W. Klein, MD (in memoriam), Beverly Hills Dermatologic Surgeon)

Doctor Joseph A. Eviatar, MD, FACS, New York Oculoplastic Surgeon – 38 Year Old Woman Treated With Restylane

Both Juvederm and Restylane are great; let your physician help you decide!

Juvederm is dermal filler which is made of non-animal stabilized hyaluronic acid. Because hyaluronic acid occurs naturally in humans, no prior allergy test is needed. The product is typically injected into or just below the dermis to provide desired augmentation.

Juvederm™ is manufactured by Allergan (who is widely recognized for Botox®) and was granted FDA approval in 2006. Currently in the United States, we are using two formulations of Juvederm™ which vary in chemical characteristics by the particle size and cross-linking of the hylauronic acid molecule.

Both products are very smooth and inject easily. What does this mean to you? We are able to personalize and choose what best for you to achieve superior aesthetic results. Juvederm™ Ultra is more useful in the fine correction of facial wrinkles and folds and is great for providing lip definition and/or lip augmentation.

Doctor Mitchell Chasin, MD, Livingston Physician – 48 Year Old Woman Treated With Subcision And Juvederm For Indented Scar From Steroid Injection

Juvederm™ Ultra Plus is a thicker gel used for volume correction of deeper folds and wrinkles. Both of these Juvederm™ products are clinically proven to last up to a year in the laugh lines (nasal-labial folds), which we have witnessed in my practice.

In the lips, I have found that it Juvederm lasts about six to nine months. Restylane® is another hyaluronic acid product that is similar to Juvederm. It is also synthetically created. Obviously, there are some differences in the chemical formulation that distinguishes itself from Juvederm™.

Restylane® is somewhat harder to inject because it is a firmer chemical compound. I use this product when I desire more prominence in aesthetic facial contouring, such as elevation to the corners of the mouth or correction of heavy tear trough depressions (where the lower eyelid blends with the cheek).

36 Year Old Woman Treated With Restylane In Tear Troughs By Dr. Steven F. Weiner, MD, Panama City Facial Plastic Surgeon

Is Juvederm™ better than Restylane®? The most important factor is not so much the choice of product but the choice of your physician.

The experience, wisdom, and skills of your plastic surgeon are essential to all successful outcomes.

Your physician should be compassionate and cognizant of your individual needs. He will choose what is best for you! (Stephen A. Goldstein, MD, Englewood Plastic Surgeon)

I like Restylane better than Juvederm

Be careful with Juvederm injection in the tear trough areas. Had some of my patients and other physicians who had prolonged swelling following injections. Never had it with Restylane. Otherwise, Juvederm and Restylane seem about the same. (Vladimir Grigoryants, MD, Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon)

Juvederm vs. Restylane: Is Coke Better than Pepsi?

Juvederm and Restlane are so-called “Non-Animal Stabilized Hyaluronic Acid” (NASHA) fillers. Hyaluronic acid is derived as a product from bacterial cultures which are specially bio-engineered. The product is then purified and treated so as to stabilize it, and also to make it more viscous and to create micro-spherical particles of varying sizes.

Doctor Michele S. Green, MD, New York Dermatologist – 35 Year Old Woman Treated With Juvederm

Hyaluronic acid is a naturally-occurring complex carbohydrate molecule found in the human skin matrix in the space between cells. The molecule is hydrophilic, attracting water molecules to the area where it is found or placed.

Since the human form of hyaluronic acid is identical to the form produced by the bio-engineered bacteria, there is no need for allergy testing, and virtually no risk of immune reactions to the NASHA products.

Juvederm and Restylane both have variants, which are essentially the same product with different particle sizes. Juvederm (Allergan, Inc.) has four particle sizes (Juvederm 18, Juvederm 24, Juvederm 24 HV, Juvederm 30), used to treat the progression from fine to deep lines.

Restylane (Q-Med, Medicis) has four particle sizes (Restyane Touch, Restylane, Perlane, Restylane Sub-Q) with progressively larger particle sizes used to treat the progression from fine to deep lines and facial atrophy. Since both Restylane and Juvederm are NASHA products with varying particle size, what’s the difference?

Some injectors have a preference for one product over the other based on ease of injection, viscosity, the “feel” of the syringe, quantity of the product in each syringe, etc.

Doctor Ashkan Ghavami, MD, Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon – Lip Augmentation

There have been no studies to date to document that one product lasts longer or out-performs the competitor’s comparable product in a controlled, double-blind test format. Both products can provide excellent results when properly administered.

So, when it comes to the choice between Restylane or Juvederm as a filler, it’s a matter of individual preference or taste, not much different than the preference of Coke vs. Pepsi as a beverage.

A NASHA is a NASHA, and a cola is a cola, whether or not you agree with my choice. (Athleo Louis Cambre, MD, Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon)

32 Year Old Woman Treated With Juvederm By Doctor Albert W. Chow, MD, San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

There are many fillers available to physicians today to treat their patients. The best way to choose which is right for your is through the consultation process. A plastic surgeon who routinely performs facial injections should have multiple products available to treat the different problem areas of the face.

Juvederm and Restylane are very similar. They are both hyaluronic acid and have a similar spectrum of treatment areas.

Some prefer Juvederm for the lips as it is slightly softer, however I have had excellent results with both products and often long lasting results (over one year) in the lip area.

There is also Perlane which is a slightly thicker, longer lasting form of restylane which may be better for deeper lines and cheek augmentation. Another product that works very well for cheek augmentation and lifting is Radiesse which can last more than 18 months.

Another new product on the market is Evolence which is a new form of collagen which is very soft and natural and can last up to a year. Again, a discussion your doctor of choice is the best way to choose the filler that will meet your goals and expectations. (Sean A. Simon, MD, Miami Plastic Surgeon)