We had a refresher training on Restylane Silk the other day. We all love trainings because they are in essence just continuing education. There are always new techniques and subtleties in treatment and our injectors want to know it all! I was fortunate enough to sit in on the training. The model was a woman who wanted her vertical lip lines treated and wanted a small amount of hydration and definition in her lips. My favorite part of watching treatments is when the client looks in the mirror and sees the instant change that dermal filler allows. She said her vertical lines (often called smoker’s lines) were what bothered her the most and she’d always wanted them gone. In the space of about 15 minutes, after being injected with Silk, she looked in the handheld mirror and got this huge smile because the lines that had always bothered her when she looked it the mirror were instantly gone. Dermal fillers are like a real life photoshop.
Restylane Silk is a dermal filler that is newer in the United States and is also the only FDA-approved filler for treatment of vertical lip lines. Like Restylane, Restylane Silk is a filler made of hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring substance in our bodies that is essential to keep the skin hydrated, elastic, and smooth. As we age, our bodies slowly start producing less hyaluronic acid, leading to less elastic skin and more wrinkles. This volume and elasticity loss is very often apparent in the mouth area. The soft tissue of the lips is constantly stressed by the repetitive motions that occur when we eat, drink, talk, laugh, and cry. Also lips tend to dry out more quickly, leaving them looking wrinkled. The combination of loss of naturally occurring hyaluronic acids we age, together with these repetitive motions, causes the lip area to show wrinkles more quickly than other areas of the body.
What makes Silk stand out from other fillers?
It is a smaller particle formulation, making it a silky smooth product, that allows for precise shaping and definition, as well as for providing subtle, natural lip enhancement, definition in the lips and around the mouth area, and gives the appearance of hydration. Why does the particle size matter? Well, think of it this way, the bigger the particle, the more plumping effect you'll have. Restylane Lyft, for instance, is the largest particle formulation of the fillers from Galderma (makers of Restylane and Silk). It is used for adding volume and structure to larger areas of the face. Restylane has a smaller gel particle formulation than Lyft and is often used for lip enhancement and tear trough rejuvenation. Silk has the smallest particle and therefore will best be used in smaller areas where a great plumping effect is not desired. Silk, as its name implies, is silky smooth and slides into those delicate lines, and smoothes them over.
