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Juvederm vs. Restylane: Which Filler is Right for You?

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Juvederm vs. Restylane: How to Choose

Whether you’re new to injectable dermal fillers or you’ve been receiving the treatment for a while but curious about new options, many patients are confused when it comes to choosing a product. Two popular filler options that are available from Reflections Center are Juvederm and Restylane. Because these products are so similar, it can be confusing for the patient to choose between them.
The good news is it’s really not even in your best interest, as the patient, to try to choose between the two. We’re all about giving you the information you need to make an informed decision, and we hope that you’ll use this information to learn about fillers, but the best injectors across America stock both of these fillers and will know how to select the right one for your needs, including both of our New Jersey offices. What you may actually find during your free consultation with one of our physician injectors is that neither of these are actually the perfect choice for you – because while Juvederm and Restylane are certainly some of the most popular fillers today, they’re also the oldest hyaluronic acid technologies, and that means some new dermal fillers actually work better, last longer, and are even less expensive (when duration of result is factored in to cost over time measure).

What are Restylane and Juvederm?

Both Restylane and Juvederm are hyaluronic acid based injectable fillers. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance which bonds with water to create a plumper, firmer appearance in the skin. Hyaluronic Acid can be manufactured in a variety of formats, each giving a different property. Some flow like water when they’re injected, others are firm and create a bouncy or lifted look; some attract and hold on to more water over time, while others just stay as they are upon injection. It’s this variety of formats that has given rise to so many different dermal fillers being used in MedSpas these days. As you can imagine, each part of the face has its own softness, tendency toward wrinkling, etc. and so having a variety of injectables allows us to create natural results.

Restylane and Juvederm are 2 of a portfolio of around 20 different fillers currently approved by the FDA to be used in America, based on efficacy (ability to create a result) and safety. Restylane was the first to come onto the market in America, with Juvederm not too far behind, and as such, they represent some of the oldest technology in Hyaluronic Acid fillers, but also some of the most studied and well-tolerated (i.e. safe, effective, and work well for people of all types).

What’s the Difference Between Juvederm and Restylane?

Restylane pretty much gives an instant result upon injection, whereas Juvederm swells more over the first week or so after injection, and can swell in the future as well, particularly if the area becomes inflamed.

Why does that matter?

  • You don’t want your under eyes to swell with allergies, but sometimes they do – and the effect is much larger when the filler you have under your eyes then holds onto that swelling and even increases it. That’s why we don’t put Juvederm under the eyes – but we often use Restylane there.
  • Many patients want their lip filler to swell up as much as possible – so they can get bigger, plumper lips from a single syringe of filler. Juvederm can add a nice, subtle plump over time by holding onto more water and expanding beyond the volume of a single syringe (Where Restylane just stays that same volume it always has been). Some patients prefer a more subtle and controlled result, so they may choose Restylane or a different product, but most want a bit of a bee-stung look, and Juvederm is perfect for that soft, natural-looking plump. It would take many, many syringes of either to create an over-filled look.

Wondering how many syringes of each you might need? Check out this blog.

Where can You have Restylane or Juvederm Injected

While Restylane and Juvederm can be injected nearly anywhere, there are some areas they work better than others. These are the areas our physician injectors favor for each, based on our years of experience and focus on creating natural-looking results:

See Juvederm Before & Afters

See Restylane Before & Afters

Does Restylane or Juvederm Last Longer?

Both Restylane and Juvederm last about the same amount of time – the real differentiators in terms of how long your filler result will last with these two are:

  1. Your metabolism – some people just burn up filler faster, and generally we find this is truer for people who have faster metabolisms or who workout a lot, particularly endurance athletes. There hasn’t been any clinical study on this, but anecdotally, over the decades, this is what we’ve found to be true.
  2. Where it is placed, and in particular, how much movement the filler is subjected to – newer HA filler technologies have been formulated to better stand up to and endure high movement. The lips and mouth are particularly high movement, but so are wrinkles that have been caused by repeated facial expressions – and using Botox in the area helps reduce some of the movement, and that can help filler last longer.

Want to learn more about how to make your Botox and Filler last longer? Check out this blog.

Which Costs More: Juvederm or Restylane?

Both Juvederm and Restylane are the same price at our New Jersey offices: $650 per syringe, with each syringe containing 1ml of product.
We purposefully price them the same because we don’t want price to be a factor in a patient not going with the filler we believe will be best for their goals.
Our physician injectors provide individualized price quotes, based on treatment plans developed during the free consultation.