Take a look at yourself in the mirror.  Observe the line that runs from the side of the nostril on each side to the corner of the mouth.  This is referred to as the nasolabial fold.  This is also called the parentheses.  In a young person the folds are very shallow and may barely be noticeable.  Not so in the older person.  With age and gravity, the cheek pads enlarge and become heavier, and drag down the skin in an attempt to meet the upper lip.  Thus the nasolabial fold become deeper, to the extent it may be referred to as the nasolabial groove.  With age, the nasolabial fold continues past the corner of the mouth to meet the chin.  This is known as a marionette line, a feature very common in marionettes, and in the older person.

Look at your nasolabial folds.  Put your fingers on each cheek pad and pull the cheeks toward your ears.  Notice how the nasolabial folds disappear and you look instantly younger.  This is how fillers are supposed to work, by filling up the nasolabial folds so you look younger.
 

Nasolabial fold before restylane

Nasolabial fold after restylane

The nasolabial fold as well as the marionette line can be easily treated with Restalyne injections.  Restalyne (more correctly called Restylane) is a cross-linked hyaluronic acid filler safe and suitable for facial filler injections.  The cross-linkage allows Restalyne to stay in the site of injection for up to 6 months before being completely absorbed.

Restalyne is given as a lunchtime injection as it is considered a very short simple procedure which only takes a couple of hours, and the patient can go back to work after that.

The skin over the nasolabial fold is anesthesised either by an application of local anesthetic gel under occlusion with a plastic wrap for one hour or by injecting some Xylocaine into the regional sensory nerve, which works within 3 minutes.  Restalyne in the pre-filled 1ml syringe is injected initially under the skin in the hollow next to the nostril to fill up this space.  Then the injection is continued in a linear manner downward toward the corner of the mouth, filling up the nasolabial fold.  The marionette line is also treated if present.  After enough of Restalyne is injected, the needle is withdrawn and the gel pressed and massaged to smoothen the imperfections.  The entire process of injection takes between 1/2 and 1 hour, depending on the depth of the nasolabial fold.

Following this procedure you will be going back to work, looking years younger.  Follow up is usually 4 days to a week after, when top-ups may be given to correct any residual defect.  The injected Restalyne stays where it is for up to 6 months, following which you will normally want to maintain your newly acquired youth by going back to your doctor for a repeat Restalyne injection.

Thus restalyne fulfils one particular need in general – that of restoration of volume of the skin.

The common (and uncommon) uses for Restalyne injections and other facial fillers are listed below:

Restalyne beautiful face

 
 
Filling of forehead lines or creases
Filling of persistent frown lines
Filling of crows feet lateral to the eyes
Filling of nasolabial folds
Filling of marionette lines
Reshaping of the nose
Lip filling (lip augmentation)
Augmentation of the cheeks in people with sunken cheeks
Augmentation of the chin in people with small chins
Enlargement of earlobes
Filling of the hollows between the eyebags and the cheek bone
Enlargement of the breasts
Filling of depressed scars (acne scars, chickenpox scars, post traumatic or operative scars)

However this list is not exhaustive, and with time it is envisaged that further and more uses will be found for Restalyne.

Restalyne is a very safe product to use.  More than a million procedures have been done around the world using Restalyne, and very few reactions have been reported.   Although Restalyne had been in use widely in Europe countries since the 1990s, it has only been in 2003 that the FDA, after extensive studies, approved it for use as a facial filler in the United States.  As Restalyne is made from non-animal sources it does not require allergy testing before injection.  Upon injection into the skin, the following side effects may be encountered in some cases in a minimal manner: mild swelling, mild bruising, itchiness, redness and pain or tenderness.  These may last a few hours to a few days.  It is rare for these minimal side effects to last longer than this. Also, those persons who have Restalyne injections into the lips for lip enlargement or contouring may have some lip swelling after injection, primarily because of handling and manipulation of the lips during injection.  This may also last a few hours to a couple of days.

Because Restalyne is injected into the skin, persons who are on medication to thin the blood or reduce clottability of the blood, such as warfarin, aspirin, Plavix, Ticlid, vitamin E, or anti-inflammatory agents such as ibuprofen, are advised to stop these for a week before their Restylane procedure.  This reduces the risk of bleeding or bruising in the injection site.  Similarly persons at higher risk of delayed clotting such as hemophiliacs are advised to be very cautious when undergoing any surgical procedure.

Sometimes patients with a history of frequent cold sores (herpes labialis or herpes type 1) may have an attack precipitated by procedures done around the lips such as lip filling with fillers.  It may be advisable for such persons to have prophylactic acyclovir before undergoing such procedures.

As with every procedure or medication, Restalyne is advised to be used with caution in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Persons with a history of keloid or excessive scar formation are also advised to exercise caution.  Similarly, those who are going through laser treatment or chemical peels immediately after or before Restalyne injections are advised that there may be an increased chance of inflammation around the injection site.

See your Restalyne doctor before you plan to undergo any Restalyne injections.