Before your Restylane® treatment, it's important to be fully informed about what to expect. Here are the answers to some questions you may have.

How much does a Restylane treatment cost?
How is the treatment performed?
How long will the treatment take?
What will I look like after the treatment?
What is Restylane?
What is hyaluronic acid?
Is Restylane safe?
What is the history of Restylane?
What is the background of Medicis Aesthetics™ Canada?

WHAT CAN I EXPECT?

Restylane® is injected directly into the skin in tiny amounts by ultrafine needle, resulting in minimal discomfort.

You probably have some questions relating to Restylane treatment effects. Contact us or your physician should you have any additional questions.

Do I need to have a skin test?
Are there any side effects?
Why do the lips sometimes become very swollen immediately after a treatment with Restylane?
Can Restylane be used if I have undergone laser treatment or chemical peeling?
Can patients with allergies of different kinds be more sensitive to Restylane?
Does Restylane get stiffer in cold weather? What happens in the sun?
How long does the effect of a treatment with Restylane last?
How will my skin look without follow-up treatments?

How much does a Restylane treatment cost?
Restylane treatments are customized to each individual's specific needs, so the cost varies from client to client. Treatments typically cost in the $300 to $1,000 range. With follow-ups required only about twice per year, Restylane proves to be economical over the long term.

How is the treatment performed?
Restylane is injected directly into the skin in tiny amounts by an ultrafine needle, resulting in minimal discomfort. The procedure is simple and convenient, and results are practically instantaneous. To optimize your comfort during the short procedure, your physician may anesthetize the treatment area. Restylane is available only through a licensed health care professional.

How long will the treatment take?
As no pre-testing is required, the treatment can be carried out immediately. A session generally takes about 30 minutes, although the time varies depending on the effect you want to achieve. The procedure is simple and convenient, and results are practically instantaneous.

What will I look like after the treatment?
Immediately after the treatment, you can expect slight redness, swelling, tenderness or an itching sensation in the treated area. This is a normal result of the injection. The discomfort is temporary and generally disappears in a few days. After a lip treatment, the lips may become swollen and look somewhat uneven. This can persist for up to a week. If the discomfort continues, please contact your physician.

What is Restylane?
Restylane consists of 20 mg/mL of stabilized hyaluronic acid and physiological sodium chloride solution with a pH of 7. All Restylane products are clear, transparent and viscous gels. The only difference between the products is the size of the gel particles. In contrast to some similar products, the hyaluronic acid in Restylane is not produced from animals. This means that there is no risk of animal or human disease being transmitted or allergic reactions being elicited if you are sensitive to common foods, such as beef, chicken and eggs.

What is hyaluronic acid?
Hyaluronic acid is a natural substance that is found throughout your body. It gives volume to the skin, lubricates the joints and gives the eyes their shape. The hyaluronic acid in Restylane is stabilized for a long duration and is not of animal or human origin.

Is Restylane safe?
Yes. Restylane has been used safely by dermatologists and plastic surgeons in over 3 million procedures worldwide since 1996. After your treatment, you might have some redness or swelling. This will normally last less than seven days. Sunbathing and cold outdoor activities should be avoided until any redness or swelling disappear. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or under 18, you shouldn't use Restylane. Click here for safety information.

 What is the history of Restylane?
After many years of research, Q-Med AB, the Swedish manufacturer that licenses out its products to Medicis Aesthetics™ Canada, succeeded in developing NASHA™, a Non-Animal Stabilized Hyaluronic Acid, to replace the loss of volume in the skin. The first product, Restylane, was launched in 1996. Before this, only collagen made from cowhides and hyaluronic acid made from rooster combs had been available.

What is the background of Medicis Aesthetics™ Canada?
The country's exclusive distributor of Restylane, Medicis Aesthetics™ Canada is a subsidiary of U.S.- based Medicis®, a well-established dermatology company dedicated to helping patients maintain a healthy, youthful appearance and self-image. Medicis is the continent's leading independent specialty pharmaceutical company, focused primarily on the treatment of dermatological conditions and aesthetics medicine.

Do I need to have a skin test?
No. Because Restylane is non-animal-based and fully biocompatible, allergy testing is not required.

Are there any side effects?
The rate of reactions to Restylane is very low. However, after the treatment some common injection-related reactions may occur, such as swelling, redness, pain, itching, discolouration and tenderness at the injection site. These typically resolve spontaneously within a few days after injection into the skin and within a week after injection into the lips. Other types of reactions are very rare, but about one in 2,000 treated patients have experienced localized reactions thought to be of a hypersensitive nature. These have usually consisted of swelling at the injection site, sometimes affecting the surrounding tissues. Redness, tenderness and, rarely, acne-like formations have also been reported. These reactions have either started a few days after the injection or after a delay of two to four weeks, and have generally been described as mild to moderate and self-limiting with an average duration of two weeks. This text does not contain all the information known about these products. For more information please consult your health care professional.

Why do the lips sometimes become very swollen immediately after a treatment with Restylane?
The cause of this is not yet known, but there is no reason to believe that this is an immunological reaction. Normally, the swelling is gone within a week after injection into the lips.

Can Restylane be used if I have undergone laser treatment or chemical peeling?
If you have recently had some other kind of facial treatment, it is recommended you wait until the treated area is totally healed and the skin has normalized (usually four to six weeks) before you undergo a Restylane treatment.

Can patients with allergies of different kinds be more sensitive to Restylane?
Yes. Patients with severe allergies manifested by a history of anaphylaxis or history or presence of multiple severe allergies should not use Restylane. Patients who have a history of allergies to gram positive bacterial proteins should also not use Restylane.

Does Restylane get stiffer in cold weather? What happens in the sun?
You should not expose the treated area to intense heat (e.g. in a solarium, under a UV lamp or by sunbathing) or extreme cold for the first few days after the treatment, in order to avoid the risk of inflammation as the area has been disturbed. However, once Restylane has integrated into the body, it will adjust to your normal body temperature.

How long does the effect of a treatment with Restylane last?
The length of time a treatment lasts is very individual and depends on many factors, such as the structure of your skin, lifestyle, age, the degree of perfection demanded and the injection technique of the health care professional. Experience indicates that touch-up and follow-up treatments will add to the duration. Most people choose to have a follow-up treatment within six months after the treatment of wrinkles and folds and within six months after a lip enhancement.

How will my skin look without follow-up treatments?
The correction will gradually disappear until your skin looks like it did before the treatment. Follow-up injections will help you maintain your correction.