Due to the popularity of cosmetic injectable treatments for facial rejuvenation, there are now a myriad of products aimed at correcting any type of aesthetic defect, from wrinkles to acne scars. Consumers find themselves spoilt for choice when it comes to selecting a dermal filler treatment. However, dermal fillers are not all created equal; a patient will find that certain products may be more suitable for them. It is therefore important that the patient makes an informed decision about the filler to use based on the information available to them and the guidance provided to them from a board-certified doctor.In this article, we will look at Prevelle Silk, a dermal filler that was approved by the FDA in 2008 and is manufactured by Mentor Corporation, and Juvederm, a brand of dermal fillers made by Allergan.
Prevelle Silk – The “starter filler”
Prevelle Silk is an FDA-approved dermal filler that is indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds, such as nasolabial folds. Practitioners typically use Prevelle Silk in the infraorbital hollows, on perioral rhytids, lips, and the lateral perioral lines. Patients who use this product often note that it gives consistent, reliable results that make it an ideal “starter filler” for patients seeking dermal filler treatment for the first time or for those who want to use dermal fillers to envision the results before committing to a more permanent procedure, such as surgery.
Juvederm – A brand you can trust
Think of dermal fillers, and the Juvederm inevitably comes to mind. This brand is one of the most popular dermal filler lines in the world. In the United States, the FDA first approved Juvederm products for cosmetic use in 2006. Currently, the Juvederm products that are approved for use in the United States include Juvederm Voluma XC, Juvederm Vollure XC, Juvederm Volbella XC, JUVÉDERM® ULTRA XC, and JUVÉDERM® ULTRA PLUS XC, among others. Of these dermal filler products, the filler that is most comparable to Prevelle Silk is Juvederm Volbella XC, a thin, spreadable product that is suitable for filling lip lines and correcting delicate dermal areas, such as the tear trough.
Which is better for lip lines, Prevelle Silk or Juvederm Volbella XC?
At first glance, both products seem very similar to each other, as they are both soft, spreadable products with low viscosities and G primes, both of which are measures of the rheological properties of dermal fillers. Likewise, these two products can be used for similar purposes, which include lip filling, correcting perioral lines and smoothing other superficial skin depressions. In addition, both products come premixed with lidocaine, an anesthetic agent that helps to reduce patient discomfort during treatment. However, these two products are manufactured via two different processes: Prevelle Silk is made with sizing technology, a process that is used to screen cross-linked hyaluronic acid of targeted sizes, but Juvederm Volbella XC is manufactured via proprietary Vycross technology, not sizing technology. Additionally, the cross-linking agent used in both brands is different: Juvederm uses 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether (BDDE) as its cross-linking agent, whereas Prevelle Silk is cross-linked via divinyl sulfone (DVS). These disparate manufacturing processes result in products with different physical properties that affect the respective clinical results of each product.
A key difference that distinguishes these two products stems from the relative hydration of each prepackaged product. While Juvederm Volbella XC is not fully saturated, Prevelle Silk is maximally saturated with water in the syringe. The hydrophilic nature of HA causes less saturated products to expand after injection, causing more swelling. With this in mind, the practitioner should be careful to slightly undercorrect when administering Juvederm Volbella XC so as to allow for the expansion of the product in the skin. This hydration factor also affects the side effects associated with each product; indeed, it has been noted that Prevelle Silk seems to cause less swelling that other filler products.
Prevelle Silk has a significantly lower concentration of hyaluronic acid (5.5mg/ml) when compared to Juvederm Volbella XC, which has a concentration of 15 mg/ml. The lower concentration of hyaluronic acid in Prevelle Silk contributes to its shortened duration of clinical effect. Most practitioners find that when used in the lips, Prevelle Silk typically lasts no longer than 3–4 months, whereas Volbella XC can last for up to a year in the lips. However, this shortcoming is compensated by the relatively cheaper cost of Prevelle Silk injections, which are usually much cheaper than Juvederm Volbella XC treatments.
Conclusion
Prevelle Silk and Juvederm are both established names in the hyaluronic acid filler market. Juvederm Volbella XC and Prevelle Silk are similar products used for adding volume to the body of the lips and the tear trough and can be used to soften fine lines. Prevelle Silk does not last as long as Juvederm Volbella XC, but it costs significantly less and does not tend to cause substantial amounts of swelling in the way that Juvederm products do.
