What Is Restylane XpresHAn Technology™? Everything You Need to Know About These “Expressive” Fillers

These past few years—for better or worse—we’ve all had a little time and space away from others to reflect on who we are and how we want to be perceived. When it comes to appearances, we believe the consensus is that we all want to look and feel our best (of course) but also embrace the quirks that make us unique.

This philosophy applies to how we feel about fillers (yes, we’re getting philosophical folks). Injections shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all standard of beauty, right? Restylane^®, a line of hyaluronic acid dermal fillers, shares our ethos. We connected with Dr. Cheri Frey, MD, board-certified dermatologist, assistant professor of dermatology at Howard University and Vice-Chair of the dermatology section of the National Medical Association, to glean everything you need to know about the brand and why you should consider asking for it by name.

Restylane is the only line of dermal fillers with four products manufactured with XpresHAn Technology™—a unique manufacturing process that allows the product to integrate into the tissue and naturally move with your facial expressions.^1,2 Dr. Frey explains, “Some patients who haven’t received any aesthetic treatment or don’t know much about fillers assume they make you look ‘fake.’ We’re seeing a huge uptick in patients wanting a soft, subtle, natural-looking appearance. This is another thing that makes Restylane so desirable—the product’s XpresHAn Technology gives those natural-looking results people are seeking, while still allowing them to keep their natural movements and facial expressions.

“You can imagine that I have used many fillers throughout my career. However, I’ve found that Restylane products, especially the ones with XpresHAn Technology, provide such a natural look that’s undoubtedly them. Unlike some fillers I have worked with, Restylane doesn’t make patients look over-filled, and strikes the perfect balance in enhancing natural beauty ever so subtly.”

Restylane has multiple products* that feature its proprietary XpresHAn Technology which allows the brand to tailor treatments to your specific needs. “Whether you are looking to soften your facial wrinkles, enhance the volume of your lips, or reclaim your cheek definition, Restylane has you covered,” says Dr. Frey. A few of the most popular treatments are Restylane_^® Contour (for the cheeks), Restylane_^® Kysse (for the lips), and Restylane_^® Defyne (for the chin and deep smile and laugh lines).

According to studies from the brand, you can see results for up to a year with Restylane Contour³, Restylane Kysse⁴, and Restylane Defyne⁵.  For more information, check out Restylane’s website.

When exploring Restylane treatments (like all dermal fillers), you should consider the potential safety implications and side effects. “Before seeking treatment, I recommend that everyone talk to their healthcare practitioner or dermatologist about what they are looking for since injectables can affect patients differently. Everyone has individual needs! My advice is to always be honest about what you expect from fillers—this will help determine the best treatment for your needs,” says Dr. Frey. The most commonly observed side effects are swelling, redness, pain, bruising, headache, tenderness, lump formation and itching at the injection site. In addition, Restylane is intended for patients over the age of 21. As always, talk to your health care provider before committing to the process and make sure to read the Important Safety Information below.

If you’re as excited as we are about these treatment options, you can head to Restylane’s website to find a specialist. They also have the ASPIRE Galderma Rewards program that allows you to earn exclusive rewards, bonuses and discounts throughout your facial aesthetic journey. Sounds like a pretty good place to start, right?

_{*Products formulated with XpresHAn Technology™ include Restylane^® Contour, Restylane^® Kysse, Restylane^® Defyne and Restylane^® Refyne.} 
¹_{Philipp-Dormston WG, Schuster B, Podda M. Perceived naturalness of facial expression after hyaluronic acid filler injection in nasolabial folds and lower face. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2020;19:1600-1606.}
²_{Lundgren B, Sandkvist U, Bordier N, et al. Using a new photo scale to compare product integration of different hyaluronan-based fillers after injection in human ex vivo skin. J Drugs Dermatol. 2018;17(9):982-986.}
³ _{Restylane Contour, Instructions for Use. Fort Worth, Texas: Galderma Laboratories, L.P., 2021.}
⁴_{Restylane Kysse, Instructions for Use. Fort Worth, Texas: Galderma Laboratories, L.P., 2022.}
⁵_{Restylane Defyne, Instructions for Use. Fort Worth, Texas: Galderma Laboratories, L.P., 2022.}

Important Safety Information

Approved Uses:

Restylane_^® Kysse, Restylane_^® Refyne, Restylane_^® Defyne, and Restylane_^® Contour are indicated for patients over the age of 21.

Restylane_^® Kysse is for lip augmentation and for correction of upper perioral wrinkles.

Restylane_^® Refyne is for mid-to-deep injection into the facial tissue for the correction of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds, such as nasolabial folds.

Restylane_^® Defyne is indicated for injection into the mid-to-deep dermis for correction of moderate to severe, deep facial wrinkles and folds, such as nasolabial folds. Restylane Defyne is also indicated for injection into the mid-to deep dermis (subcutaneous and/or supraperiosteal) for augmentation of the chin region to improve the chin profile in patients with mild to moderate chin retrusion.

Restylane_^® Contour is for cheek augmentation and for the correction of midface contour deficiencies.

These products contain traces of gram-positive bacterial protein and are contraindicated for patients with allergies to such material or for patients with severe allergies that have required in- hospital treatment. They should not be used by patients with bleeding disorders, with hypersensitivity to amide-type local anesthetics, such as lidocaine, or by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

The most commonly observed side effects include swelling, redness, pain, bruising, tenderness, lump formation, and itching at the injection site. Use at the site of skin sores, pimples, rashes, hives, cysts, or infection should be postponed until healing is complete.

These products should not be injected into the blood vessels as they may cause vascular occlusion, infarction, or embolic phenomena. Use with caution in patients recently treated with anticoagulant or platelet inhibitors to avoid bleeding and bruising. As with all skin injection procedures, there is a risk of infection.

Restylane_^® Kysse, Restylane_^® Refyne, Restylane_^® Defyne, and Restylane_^® Contour are available only through a licensed practitioner. Complete Instructions for Use are available at www.RestylaneUSA.com.