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stylage juvederm

Stylage vs Juvederm: Similarities & Differences | Medica Depot

Dermal Fillers / By  Nina Petrovic, CANS

17 Sep

In the realm of aesthetic enhancements, Juvederm has garnered significant recognition among patients. It’s noteworthy that many aesthetic practitioners, in their pursuit of top-tier solutions for clients, frequently choose to buy Juvederm. While lesser-known brands like Stylage, a distinctive French line of hyaluronic acid fillers, may offer comparability and even enhanced suitability based on individual aesthetic objectives, Juvederm remains the cornerstone choice for the majority of aesthetic professionals. This article aims to illuminate the strengths of these leading brands and provide a comprehensive comparison to assist practitioners in making informed decisions for their clientele.

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 addition of mannitol to the formulation. 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.

forehead treat

Treating Forehead Lines with Restylane | Medica Depot

Dermal Fillers / By  Nina Petrovic, CANS

28 Jun

Using Restylane to treat forehead rhytids is efficacious, easy, and safe, and is of great benefit to patients, who appreciate the quick procedure with no recovery period.

What are forehead rhytids?

Forehead rhytids are wrinkles that horizontally traverse the forehead and occur as a result of facial aging. Repeated muscle motion in the frontalis muscle from facial expressions often causes these lines to appear. When the effects of gravity set in, these wrinkles become static, persisting even when the face is at rest.

Restylane fillers for wrinkle correction

Generally speaking, forehead wrinkles are best treated with fillers that have low to moderate G prime (‘G’), as these gels tend to be less viscous and more easily spreadable. Low viscosity fillers are favoured in the forehead region due to the anatomy of the area: here, the skin is relatively thin, which heightens the risk of visible lumps and irregularities.

Restylane is a popular brand of hyaluronic acid-based dermal fillers that boasts several good options for treating forehead wrinkles. The classic Restylane dermal filler is used widely due to its established track record of safety and efficacy. Restylane Silk, with its fine-particle formulation and low ‘G’, is also suitable for correcting superficial forehead lines. Finally, for moderate to severe wrinkles, Restylane Refyne and Defyne can also be considered. These fillers are manufactured using proprietary XpresHAn Technology to preserve natural facial expressions, making them suitable for a high mobility region such as the forehead.

For forehead rhytids that are particularly deep or exacerbated by the contraction of the underlying muscle, a combination treatment of Restylane with a botulinum toxin like Botox can be used to prevent muscle movement and provide a better outcome. The choice of treatment will depend on the severity of the condition.

What you should know

When treating the forehead with Restylane, there are a few issues the practitioner should keep in mind throughout the procedure. The superficial placement necessary in this region means that any lumps are readily visible, so care must be taken to avoid beading and overcorrection. As well, injections should be administered intradermally, as subdermal injections can increase the likelihood of an inadvertent intravascular injection. To further minimize the risk of vascular compromise, the injector may also consider the use of a cannula instead of a needle. If using a needle, the serial puncture technique can be utilized to good success.

Common side effects and how to prevent them

This treatment produces side effects that are minimal and typically limited to injection-related reactions, such as bruising, swelling and/or bleeding. The patient can manage this by applying ice to reduce swelling, and avoiding alcohol intake. In the week after treatment, the patient should also avoid exposure to the sun and to heat.