Q: Do RHA fillers have side effects?

Generally, treatment with HA fillers is very safe— especially in experienced hands. The most common side effects to experience after treatment with RHA fillers are bruising and swelling at the injection site. You can help diminish them by avoiding alcohol and blood-thinning medications like aspirin and fish oil in the days leading up to your dermal filler appointment. Related: Injectable Bruises? Been There. Here’s How to Handle Them Without Hiding Out Nodules, or little bumps, are also common and can usually be resolved with massage. Ask your provider during your appointment about their stance on massaging filler. The biggest potential complication from any filler is inadvertent injection into a blood vessel, which can cause tissue death, vision loss (particularly a risk with nonsurgical nose jobs ), and even stroke if it’s not dissolved quickly. Related: Vascular Occlusion Is the Scary Filler Complication No One Talks About In addition to where the filler is being injected, the factor that most increases the potential for risk is an unskilled injector. That’s why it is criticalthat you seek out treatment from a trained, experienced, and licensed provider with a thorough comprehension of facial anatomy, such as a board-certifieddermatologist or plastic surgeon, or a nurse or physician’s assistant who specializes in injectables. Remember that physicians, physician’s assistants, and nurses are the only providers who are licensed to administer filler in the United States, so steer clear of estheticians and salon owners offering injectables.

Q: What are the alternatives to RHA fillers?

Other HA filler brands include Restylane , Juvéderm , and Belotero . Like the RHA Collection, these brands all offer multiple hyaluronic acid fillers with varying degrees of viscosity to address different aesthetic concerns. Just keep in mind that they probably won't be as long-lasting as RHA fillers, which may also provide a more natural look as your face moves. There are also fillers for your face that use ingredients other than hyaluronic acid, including biostimulatory fillers like Sculptra Aesthetic (made from poly-L-lactic acid) and Bellafill (bovine collagen and polymethyl methacrylate microspheres), both of which trigger your body to naturally produce collagen for long-lasting firming effects. Another filler, Radiesse , uses calcium hydroxylapatite to help plump the skin. However, these treatments can’t be dissolved or reversed like hyaluronic acid fillers, which is important to remember if the ability to change your mind (or correct an unwanted result) is important to you. If you’re looking for a more permanent facial rejuvenation solution than dermal fillers can offer, you could be a candidate for facial fat grafting , using your own fat.

Question 1

What is the RHA Collection?

Accepted Answer

The RHA Collection is a line of hyaluronic acid fillers designed to provide an exceptionally natural appearance, whether your face is at rest or in motion. RHA fillers are the only FDA-approved formulas to treat the dynamic facial wrinkles and folds that develop in response to natural facial expressions.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a substance naturally found in our body that holds up to 1,000 times its weight in water. When it’s used in dermal filler, it can make skin look more hydrated and plump, fill in wrinkles and folds, and improve facial contours.

RHA, or “Resilient Hyaluronic Acid,” was developed to more closely mimic natural hyaluronic acid than traditional fillers. RHA fillers feature longer chains of hyaluronic acid with less crosslinking than other filler formulas, so it’s more similar to the natural HA found in your body.

Even with facial movement, these longer, more resilient chains can appear more natural and less “stiff” than those from fillers that contain shorter hyaluronic acid chains.

Called Teosyal in Europe, the RHA Collection is made by Swiss company TEOXANE and distributed in the U.S. by Revance Therapeutics. There are five products in the full collection, though so far, only RHA 2, RHA 3, RHA 4, and RHA Redensity have been FDA approved in the U.S.

Question 2

What are the pros and cons of RHA fillers?

Accepted Answer

Pros:

Resilient hyaluronic acid fillers are designed to be more like natural HA, creating results that adapt well to facial movements.
Results are instant—you’ll see your new look as soon as your provider injects the dermal filler.
While results are temporary (as with other HA-based fillers), they last longer than many hyaluronic acid fillers on the market—up to 15 months. This makes the RHA Collection a good treatment option for someone who wants results with some staying power.
If you don’t like your results or have a complication, hyaluronic acid fillers can be dissolved with the enzyme hyaluronidase within 24 hours.
RHA fillers contain lidocaine, to help reduce discomfort during the injection process.
Studies suggest that the use of hyaluronic acid fillers stimulates your body’s fibroblasts, the cells responsible for collagen production. This means that regular use of hyaluronic acid fillers may lead to firmer-looking skin over time.

Cons:

Bruising and swelling are common after dermal filler treatment (especially with lip fillers), though these side effects can be minimized with careful planning.
Though fillers can add volume and correct deep folds, not all skin laxity can be improved with injectable filler. If sagging skin is your primary concern, talk with your provider about skin tightening options.
The RHA Collection is currently only offered at select providers’ offices. However, those who do currently offer RHA fillers were hand-selected by Revance because they’re highly skilled physicians with exceptional aesthetic outcomes. The quality of your results will directly correlate with the skill and experience of your injector, and this selectivity increases your likelihood of seeing results that match your expectations.

Question 3

What are the types of RHA Collection fillers?

Accepted Answer

Presently, there are four RHA fillers available in the United States, each with different degrees of crosslinking.

RHA 2 is a flexible dermal filler that’s FDA approved for correcting the appearance of moderate folds. It’s ideal for smoothing the surface of the skin as well as treating radial cheek lines (also known as “accordion lines”) and perioral or lipstick lines. It’s also a good choice for lip augmentation and under the eyes.
RHA 3 is a bit firmer, to treat moderate to severe facial folds. Providers like using it to address the corners of the mouth, also known as oral commissures, and to smooth moderate nasolabial folds (smile lines).
RHA 4 is the firmest of the three. It’s designed to be injected into the deep dermis and even the superficial subcutaneous tissue. This makes it the best RHA filler to address deep wrinkles and severe folds, including nasolabial folds and marionette lines, and to build out the chin and jawline.
RHA Redensity, the newest formula in the line to win FDA approval, is uniquely designed to treat moderate to severe perioral wrinkles—the fine lines and wrinkles around the mouth and lips colorfully called marionette lines, barcode lines, smoker lines, and lipstick lines.

Question 4

What to expect during an RHA fillers treatment

Accepted Answer

As with any facial filler treatment, being treated with products in the RHA Collection of fillers typically takes between 30 minutes and an hour.

Before actually administering the filler, you’ll have a consultation with injector to share your desired outcome and ask any questions you have. Your provider should then disclose the potential risks and side effects.
Because these formulas treat dynamic wrinkles, they may ask you to make various facial expressions to help determine the best placement.
Once you both agree on a treatment plan (which may include several different fillers or multiple appointments, depending on your goals), they should give you a ballpark cost estimate.
Your injector will then cleanse the area(s) to be treated with alcohol, and they may apply a numbing cream or other topical anesthetic to reduce sensation. Though the fillers themselves all contain lidocaine to help minimize discomfort, some people appreciate the added security against pain—especially when receiving lip injections, as the lips contain many more nerve endings than other areas of the face.
Then, they will slowly and carefully inject the dermal filler, using either an ultra-fine needle or a blunt-tipped cannula.

Question 5

How soon will you see results?

Accepted Answer

You’ll see your initial results immediately after your treatment.

Most people have no downtime, though swelling and bruising post-injection is normal. It may take up to two weeks for all of your swelling to go down so you can see your final results.

Question 6

How long do RHA filler results last?

Accepted Answer

How long RHA Collection filler results last will vary from person to person. Typically, hyaluronic acid filler’s longevity depends on where the filler is placed (facial areas that move more often tend to “burn through” filler faster), your metabolism, and how your body responds.

However, RHA fillers are some of the longest-lasting hyaluronic acid fillers available in the U.S.: results last up to 15 months.

Nearly all other hyaluronic acid fillers last up to a year, except for Juvéderm Voluma, which lasts up to two years.

Question 7

Do RHA fillers have side effects?

Accepted Answer

Generally, treatment with HA fillers is very safe—especially in experienced hands.

The most common side effects to experience after treatment with RHA fillers are bruising and swelling at the injection site. You can help diminish them by avoiding alcohol and blood-thinning medications like aspirin and fish oil in the days leading up to your dermal filler appointment.

Related: Injectable Bruises? Been There. Here’s How to Handle Them Without Hiding Out

Nodules, or little bumps, are also common and can usually be resolved with massage. Ask your provider during your appointment about their stance on massaging filler.

The biggest potential complication from any filler is inadvertent injection into a blood vessel, which can cause tissue death, vision loss (particularly a risk with nonsurgical nose jobs), and even stroke if it’s not dissolved quickly.

Related: Vascular Occlusion Is the Scary Filler Complication No One Talks About

In addition to where the filler is being injected, the factor that most increases the potential for risk is an unskilled injector. That’s why it is criticalthat you seek out treatment from a trained, experienced, and licensed provider with a thorough comprehension of facial anatomy, such as a board-certifieddermatologist or plastic surgeon, or a nurse or physician’s assistant who specializes in injectables.

Remember that physicians, physician’s assistants, and nurses are the only providers who are licensed to administer filler in the United States, so steer clear of estheticians and salon owners offering injectables.

Question 8

What are the alternatives to RHA fillers?

Accepted Answer

Other HA filler brands include Restylane, Juvéderm, and Belotero. Like the RHA Collection, these brands all offer multiple hyaluronic acid fillers with varying degrees of viscosity to address different aesthetic concerns.

Just keep in mind that they probably won't be as long-lasting as RHA fillers, which may also provide a more natural look as your face moves.

There are also fillers for your face that use ingredients other than hyaluronic acid, including biostimulatory fillers like Sculptra Aesthetic (made from poly-L-lactic acid) and Bellafill (bovine collagen and polymethyl methacrylate microspheres), both of which trigger your body to naturally produce collagen for long-lasting firming effects.

Another filler, Radiesse, uses calcium hydroxylapatite to help plump the skin. However, these treatments can’t be dissolved or reversed like hyaluronic acid fillers, which is important to remember if the ability to change your mind (or correct an unwanted result) is important to you.

If you’re looking for a more permanent facial rejuvenation solution than dermal fillers can offer, you could be a candidate for facial fat grafting, using your own fat.

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