What is the difference between Voluma and RHA4? (photos)

Question

I had Voluma and RHA4 injections a few months ago in my cheeks and chin. Problems treated were indentations under my eyes (malar bags), loss of volume in cheeks, lift for nasolabial folds, and added length to chin. I got amazing results, but I’m not sure if it was the Voluma or the RHA4 that helped the most. I’m going back for more next month and can only afford one syringe and don’t know what to go with. I want to continue to treat the malar bags, nasolabial folds, and add more cheek volume.

Jennifer Thomas-Goering, DO, MBA · Answer

Hello. Thank you for your question. The main difference between the two fillers Voluma (Allergan) and RHA 4 (Revance) is how they are manufactured. They are both hyaluronic acid fillers but because of the way that they are made they are placed in different depths of the face. For instance, Voluma is a great lifting and sculpting filler but needs to be placed deep into the tissue, usually just on top of the bone. RHA 4 can be place into the deep dermis in the hypodermis. This allows it to give lift without being noticeable when you animate your face. RHA 4 allows a bit more versatility in its ability to be injected in more areas on the face. All that being said, I think that you look great and you don't need anymore filler from this picture!

Lisa Vuich, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question. It's hard to answer specifically without knowing where each was placed. These are both products used when an injector wants a sturdier support such as lifting and contouring in regions such and the cheek, jawline and chin. In the realm of hyaluronic acid-type fillers they are both marketed as long lasting- Voluma boasts itself to be a '2 year filler" but what they don't tell you is that in those studies they injected the subjects with on average 5 to 7 syringes to get that 2 year correction! To me that's a bit of false advertising since most clients do NOT get that much voluma put in, especially at the prices they charge for it. The Voluma syringe contains 1 ml of product. RHA 4 has 15 month studies showing there is still correction evident so that too is robust for this type of filler, and they were not injecting so many syringes as the Voluma studies. The RHA4 syringe contains more product- 1.2 ml so that is 20% more filler volume. Another advantage to RHA4 is that its crosslinking is made to look most like the crosslinking of HA that appears naturally in your body- this means that it is "flexible in motion"- it looks "natural" when the facial muscles move. the company refers to this as "natural in motion" I believe. Personally I don't care for the Voluma cheek look- I feel like I can always tell when someone has Voluma there because the cheeks begin to look too puffy and round to my eye, versus the RHA 4 look which allows you to get more defined contour- more of a sculpted look versus a 'fluffed up' look. I hope that helps.

What is the difference between Voluma and RHA4? (photos)

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What is the difference between Voluma and RHA4? (photos)

Answers (2)

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about RHA Collection Fillers

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.