While many patients know of the Juvederm brand, smaller, more niche brands like Stylage, a French line of hyaluronic acid fillers, may be comparable and even more suitable for your patient, depending upon their aesthetic aims. This article will shed some light on these leading brands and examine how they compare to one another.
Similarities Between Stylage and Juvederm
The Juvederm line of dermal fillers are considered an integral component of the aesthetic doctor’s armamentarium. These best-selling dermal fillers are regularly used in many cosmetic injectable procedures. Products include Juvederm Voluma, a highly volumizing filler that is used to add fullness to large areas of the face, Juvederm Volbella, which is used for lip augmentation, and Juvederm Vollure, Ultra, and Ultra Plus, which are used for softening lines and wrinkles.
Generally speaking, Juvederm products have high G prime (a measure of the hardness of the gel) and medium to high cohesivity, resulting in a gel that is smooth, malleable, resistant to deformation.
Stylage is a European brand of injectable dermal fillers that are hyaluronic acid based. Their products include Stylage S, M and L, three products of varying viscosities that are used to improve the appearance of wrinkles and lines, and rejuvenate the back of the hands. They also have a filler used specifically for lip contouring, Stylage Special Lips.
A unique characteristic of Stylage dermal fillers is the formulationÂ’s addition of mannitol. This antioxidant prevents free radical damage, improving the stability and longevity of the gel in dermal tissue. The antioxidative effects of mannitol also help lessen side effects like swelling and bruising.
How Do Stylage and Juvederm Compare?
Both the Stylage and Juvederm brands offer a range of products with varying hyaluronic acid densities that suit various treatment purposes. In this regard, they both cater to a wide variety of aesthetic indications.
Stylage is made using IPN-like Technology, which involves the transformation of individual cross-linked matrices into a monophasic gel through an interpenetrating network-like (IPN-like) process. This increases the density and degree of cross-linking without the need for additional cross-linking agent. Juvederm products, on the other hand, are made using Hylacross and Vycross Technologies, which both involve a single cross-linking process. In Vycross, high- and low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid chains are incorporated to form a monophasic, monodensified gel.
Different manufacturing processes result in products with distinguishing physical characteristics that affect the way they integrate with dermal tissue. A microscopic analysis of Juvederm products reveal a cohesive consistency while Stylage products have a lighter, less dense structure with fewer continuous networks. When implanted into the dermis, the gel distributes evenly among the area of treatment in large pools.
As mentioned previously, another distinguishing feature of Stylage products is the addition of mannitol. This antioxidant preserves the physical characteristics of the gel by preventing damage incurred by free radicals, which are molecules generated by enzymes present as a result of the inflammatory response cause by the injection.
Differences Between Stylage and Juvederm
Stylage and Juvederm products share many common features, as the starting material in both these fillers is hyaluronic acid. However, the differences in the cross-linking technologies used to create the final products results in gels with different rheological and physical properties that affect their behavior within the dermis.
Additionally, Stylage contains mannitol, which is incorporated to decelerate product degradation, enhancing result longevity. The practitioner must understand these differences in order to select the right product for their patient.