These New Natural-Looking Fillers Won't Make You Look Like a Real Housewife
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No shade to some of our favorite reality TV shows, but during certain heated arguments on certain programs, it seems that obvious ripples from filler injections can almost be as frequent as the obligatory table-flip. (Fun game: Take a sip from your glass every time either is spotted on-screen.) "Because your muscles move a certain way, the filler would sometimes move up, or you'd see a line," explains Dr. Cheryl Karcher M.D. of New York City's Sadick Dermatology. With their lightweight, malleable formulas, two new fillers called Refyne and Defyne aim to change that effect by flexing and moving along with the natural fluctuations of your muscles. They're part of the Restalyne family, so they're made with the same hyaluronic acid base, but create a more natural effect than their predecessors. Don't get it twisted, though--while formulas like Restalyne Silk are used to fill the lip area, these work primarily for plumping up wrinkles on the face.
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"These fillers use a relatively low molecular weight, and the products aren't highly cross-linked, meaning they're very soft, gentle, and don't look or feel like there is anything under the skin surface," Dr. Neil Sadick says. "Anyone who wants the appearance of their expression lines improved--particularly those on the lower third of the face, like on the cheeks or nasolabial folds--would be a good candidate." Refyne works best on superficial wrinkles that have just started to form, while Defyne is slightly more cross-linked, and can tackle those deeper, structural lines. Of course, you'll want to have a full consultation with a licensed plastic surgeon or dermatologist first to determine which formula, if any, is ideal for you. Each filler has a similar lifespan to its counterparts of roughly a year, although, since Lidocaine is actually mixed into the formulas, no numbing beforehand is necessary. "You may feel a little numb an hour or two after getting it because of the anesthetic, but then you'll forget it's even there," adds Dr. Karcher. "You won't see any lines when you smile or frown, and no one will even know you had anything done." Which is the end goal with just about any skin treatment, really.
