(Dr. Weiner is one of the most experienced users of Restylane Refyne and Restylane Defyne in the US and has trained multiple physicians on his injection techniques of these new products.)

Restylane Defyne Treatment Radial Cheek Lines – Dr. Steven F Weiner

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Late 2016, two new dermal fillers, Restylane Refyne and Restylane Defyne were FDA approved. Although new to the US, these fillers had approval in Europe in 2010  and in Canada in 2015 under the name Emervel. The announcement flew mostly under the radar and it wasn’t until early 2017 that Galderma officially launched the new fillers. Although these fillers are similar in composition, hyaluronic acid (HA), to many of the other fillers on the market, it is the technology behind them that set them apart from the rest.

Restylane Refyne and Defyne are made with XpresHAn technology which adds flexibility to the fillers – “think honey” – and makes them perfect for treating areas of expression. (Other Restylane fillers are based on NASHA technology, and are particulate in nature – “think sugar”.) Additionally, Refyne/Defyne have high crosslinking that lends to their ability to stretch and recoil. Refyne has less links, so it can stretch more, while Defyne is more tightly bound.

The clinical outcomes of using Refyne and Defyne are unique and directly related to their manufacturing process. With placement in the dermis using small aliquots (a different technique than other fillers) in areas of high muscle movement (expression), the filler will support the skin and soft tissue in unparalleled ways. In fact, muscle strain around the mouth was tested before and after Refyne/Defyne placement and was shown to revert a 55 year old’s profile to one similar to a 30 year old on average. The hyperactivity of the muscles was “constrained” by the filler, just as Botox or Dysport does in the glabella and crows feet. The previously difficult to treat radial cheeks lines (smile lines) can now be improved significantly with the new Restylane Refyne/Defyne fillers. Other fillers used to treat this area are more apparent and obvious due to their lacking the XpresHAn technology, and don’t look as natural with movements. Adding bulk/volume to the lower face is usually not desired because beautiful and youthful faces are V or heart shaped. The unique placement of Refyne/Defyne in the dermis does not add fullness in the lower face during corrections of the marionette lines, prejowl sulcus, and smile lines in Dr. Weiner’s experience.

Cohesiveness is the ability of a filler to “stick to itself” and integrate with the surrounding tissues. Both Refyne and Defyne have a high cohesivity. This equates to more blending of the filler with the tissues, and a more natural appearance. In clinical use, these new fillers can be injected into the mid/deep dermis (a dermal filler actually being injected in the dermis!) and still go unnoticed, without nodules or lumps.

One final highlight of Refyne/Defyne is their low degree of swelling associated with injections. This is beneficial for areas such as lips and tear troughs, where swelling can lead to social downtime, precluding some clients from doing these procedures. When comparing all the HA fillers available in the US, it’s been Dr. Weiner’s experience that Refyne/Defyne have the least amount of swelling.

Restylane Refyne and Defyne open up a new treatment paradigm for the perioral smile lines (radial cheek lines) where previous corrections were usually suboptimal.  This area is often overlooked or discouraged, but is a frequent concern for a majority of dermal filler clients. The satisfaction rate with these corrections have been extremely high in Dr. Weiner’s experience. With the additional benefits of high conhesiveness and low swelling, Restylane Refyne and Defyne are a great addition to the filler armamentarium of the advanced injector.