Better Than Botox?
Todd Minars, M.D. Dermatology
RESTYLANE is finally here. The most significant advance in the non-surgical treatment of wrinkles, since Botox, has finally arrived in the United States. Since 1996, more than a million people have been successfully treated in more than 60 countries worldwide with RESTYLANE. Our neighbors in Canada have been showing their results in journals and at meetings for years, while dermatologists in the US have looked on with envy. Finally, in December of 2003, the FDA approved RESTYLANE.
So, “what is RESTLYANE”? RESTYLANE is made in Sweden. It is a crystal-clear, non-animal, biodegradable gel based on a natural substance, called hyaluronic acid. The gel is injected into the skin in tiny amounts with a very fine needle. The result is instantaneous and produces a long-lasting, natural enhancement, gentle and safe to your skin.
How is this different than collagen or Cosmoderm (which I wrote about in this column less than a year ago)?
Simply put…it lasts longer. More than twice as long: six months in the lips and up to a year in wrinkles.
Is RESTYLANE better than BOTOX? This is a completely different way to treat wrinkles. Botox relaxes certain muscles that make wrinkles, while Restylane “fills” wrinkles. Certain wrinkles will lend themselves more to one treatment than the other. A simple rule of thumb is that most wrinkles on the upper one-third of the face can be treated with BOTOX, while lines on the lower one-third of the face are treated with fillers such as RESTYLANE. Often though, a tough, deep wrinkle that won’t respond to either, will respond when both treatments are combined. Restylane may be the end of our search for the ideal wrinkle “filler”: it is safe, long-lasting but not permanent, and easy to work with. It does last longer than Botox, but Botox is not a “filler”, it is a “relaxer”. So Restylane is not “better” than Botox, it is simply different. It will never replace Botox, but it may be just as “big” as Botox (maybe even “bigger”).
For more information on Botox treatment, call Dr. Todd Minars at 954-987-7512.
