Hello Dr. Rivkin,

I was recently reading an article about the use of Restylane SubQ in England as an alternative to cheek implants. Is this type of Restylane available in the U.S. yet? Also, do you have any opinions on this treatment?

Thank you,
Emii

hi emii,
restylane subq is not yet fda approved in the USA. i don’t know that much about it, but it sounds like a concentrated hyaluronic acid filler, like perlane and juvederm ultra plus.
i routinely use fillers to do cheek enhancement. i honestly do not see any reason to do fat injection or silicone implants for cheek augmentation. fillers like perlane, juvederm ultra plus or radiesse last about 8 months to a year, are really easy to place and are very reliable. they are very customizeable to the individual (unlike premade silicone implants) and they do not have the swelling, down time, risk and expense of surgical methods. also, the claim that fat is permanent is simply not true. no one can predict how long fat will last – it is very variable depending on the individual patient.
the only catch is that you have to go to a physician who has some aesthetic sense and is able to do a good job. if the doctor isn’t an artist, he or she will have a hard time making you happy.

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