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  • Friday, January 11, 2008

    Restylane FAQ

    WHAT IS RESTYLANE?
    Restylane is a clear, transparent and viscous gel that is injected into the skin in order to add volume to lips and lift up wrinkles and folds. Restylane consists of hyaluronic acid, which is a natural substance already present in your body. Once in the skin, Restylane works by creating volume. In contrast to other similar products, the hyaluronic acid in Restylane is not produced from animals. This means that there is no risk of disease being transmitted or allergic reactions being elicited if you are sensitive to common foods, such as beef, chicken and eggs.

    WHAT IS HYALURONIC ACID?
    Hyaluronic acid is a natural substance that is found throughout your body. It gives volume to the skin, lubricates the joints and gives the eyes their shape. The hyaluronic acid in Restylane is stabilized for long duration and is not of animal or human origin

    HOW LONG WILL THE TREATMENT SESSION TAKE ?
    Treatment with Restylane is a very quick and easy process. As no pre-test is needed, the treatment can be carried out immediately. A treatment generally takes 30 minutes. The time differs somewhat, depending on the area and the correction you wish to have performed.

    HOW IS A TREATMENT PERFORMED ?
    During treatment, the crystal-clear Restylane gel is injected into the skin in tiny amounts with a very fine needle. The gel produces volume under the wrinkle, which is lifted up and smoothed out. When enhancing lips or facial contours, Restylane adds volume and shape to the treated area.


    WHAT SHOULD I THINK ABOUT BEFORE I HAVE A RESTYLANE TREATMENT?
    Look at yourself in the mirror and think about the result you are expecting. Try to convey your expectations to your physician before the treatment and ask him or her what is possible.

    DO I NEED TO HAVE A SKIN TEST ?
    No. Restylane is non animal based, so the chances of having an allergic reaction are extremely small. Of course if you would like a skin test, we are happy to perform one.

    WHAT CAN BE TREATED WITH RESTYLANE?
    Restylane can be used for smoothing out folds and wrinkles, lip enhancements and shaping facial contours. The most common areas are the glabellar lines (between the eyebrows), the nasolabial folds (from the root of the nose to the angle of the mouth) and the lips, although other sites can also be treated. Dr. Rivkin has been one of the physicians pioneering the use of Restylane under the eyes to eliminate dark circles. He is one of the most experienced practitioners of this procedure in the nation.

    DOES IT HURT ?
    Most people find the injections relatively painless. Westside Medical Spa is committed to providing the most comfortable and pain free experience for our patients. To that end, we always apply a topical anesthetic cream to the area being treated prior to your procedure. We also always use ice before and after the injection procedure. When enhancing the lips, a local anesthetic injection is always given to numb the lips completely.

    HOW SOON WILL I SEE RESULTS?
    The results can be seen immediately. There is a brief period of redness or swelling (usually a few hours to a couple of days), after which the final result is evident.

    WHAT WILL I LOOK LIKE AFTER THE TREATMENT ?
    Immediately after the treatment, you can expect slight redness, swelling, tenderness or an itching sensation in the treated area. This is a normal result of the injection. The discomfort is temporary and generally disappears in a few days. After a lip treatment, the lips may become swollen, slightly bumpy or look a bit uneven. This can persist for a few days (up to a week). If the discomfort continues, please contact your physician. In almost all cases, these issues resolve very quickly and the result is a beautiful and natural looking enhancement.

    WHAT SHOULD I BEAR IN MIND AFTER MY TREATMENT WITH RESTYLANE?
    Immediately after treatment we suggest using Arnica Montana to decrease swelling and Tylenol for if there is any soreness once the numbing has worn off. The next day, Dr. Rivkin has seen benefit to using Ibuprofen if there is any residual swelling or soreness.
    During the first 48 hours after your treatment, do not massage or rub the treated area. If you have had a lip enhancement, avoid puckering your lips for the first two days after the treatment and avoid hot liquids for the rest of the day. Until the initial swelling and redness have resolved, do not expose the treated area to intense heat (e.g. in a solarium or by sunbathing) or extreme cold.

    CAN RESTYLANE BE REMOVED?
    Yes.
    If the results of the treatment are unsatisfactory, Restylane can always be dissolved with the injection of a safe, naturally occurring enzyme. It is extremely rare that we have to reverse our Restylane injections, but it does give our patients peace of mind to know that reversal is possible and easy.

    CAN RESTYLANE REPLACE SURGICAL PROCEDURES?
    No.
    However, Restylane is sometimes used in conjunction with surgery to fill out wrinkles that cannot be removed by surgery.

    ARE THERE ANY SIDE EFFECTS ?
    The rate of reactions to Restylane is very low. However, after the treatment some injection-related reactions may occur, such as swelling, redness, pain, itching, discoloration and tenderness at the injection site. These typically resolve spontaneously within a few days after injection into the skin and within a week after the injection into the lips.

    WHY DO THE LIPS SOMETIMES BECOME SWOLLEN AFTER A RESTYLANE TREATMENT?
    The cause of this is not yet known, but there is no reason to believe that this is an immunologic reaction. Normally, the swelling is gone within a week after injection into the lips.
    CAN RESTYLANE BE USED AFTER LASER TREATMENT OR CHEMICAL PEELING?
    If you have recently had some other kind of facial treatment, you are recommended to wait until the treated area is totally healed and the skin has normalized (usually about 2 weeks) before you undergo a Restylane treatment.

    CAN PATIENTS WITH ALLERGIES BE MORE SENSITIVE TO RESTYLANE?
    So far, no connection between patients with allergies and patients that report a reaction to Restylane has been established.

    HOW LONG DOES THE EFFECT OF A RESTYLANE TREATMENT LAST?
    Restylane lasts for about 6 months in most areas. We have seen that under the eyes it tends to last about 8 months.
    The length of time the effect of a Restylane treatment lasts is very individual and depends on many factors, such as the structure of your skin, lifestyle, age, the degree of perfection demanded and the injection technique of the practitioner. Experience indicates that touch-up and follow-up treatments will add to the duration. Most people choose to have a new treatment within a year after the treatment of wrinkles and folds and within 6 months

    DOES RESTYLANE GET STIFFER IN COLD WEATHER? WHAT HAPPENS IN THE SUN?
    You should not expose the treated area to intense heat (e.g. in a solarium or by sunbathing) or extreme cold for the first few days after the treatment in order to avoid the risk of inflammation, as the area has been disturbed. However, once Restylane has integrated into the body, it will adjust to your normal body temperature.

    HOW WILL MY SKIN LOOK WITHOUT FOLLOW-UP TREATMENTS?
    The correction will gradually disappear until your skin looks like it did before the treatment. Follow-up injections will help you maintain your correction.



    Restylane Before and after Images
    Restylane Injections

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