Restylane Contour Is Here To Change The Cheek Filler Game

Hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers are consistently among the most popular non-surgical cosmetic procedures performed each year, and now there is a new HA injectable in town specifically for the cheeks: Restylane® Contour.

When you consider that the 2020 Yelp Economic Average Report found that cheek filler searches have risen 218 percent between 2018 and 2020, it would seem the product is right on time. Below, everything you need to know about the first-of-its-kind cheek augmentation solution.

What Is Restylane® Contour?

This week, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved Restylane® Contour, a new HA dermal filler for cheek augmentation and the correction of midface contour deficiencies in adults over 21. It joins Galderma’s existing suite of HA filler, including Restylane® Silk and Restylane® Kysse for the lips and perioral lines, Restylane® Refyne for nasolabial folds, and Restylane® Defyne for chin augmentation and deep facial wrinkles to name a few.

Restylane® Contour is Galderma’s first product for the cheeks to be formulated with its proprietary XpresHAn Technology™. The unique manufacturing process creates a smooth injectable gel that, when placed into the skin, allows for dynamic expression. The result? A softer and more natural look.

The Benefits of Cheek Augmentation with Restylane® Contour

“Cheeks are the cornerstone of the face,” says Leslie Baumann, MD, a board certified dermatologist in Miami and a lead investigator in the clinical trial of Restylane® Contour. But the way aesthetic providers approach cheek augmentation with filler has evolved over the years. “Focusing on natural contour and not just volume loss can result in a dynamic expression that amplifies their natural beauty,” she explains.

Restylane® Contour was created with this in mind. “In the past, it was all about volume for the cheeks, but consumers today are looking for natural-looking results, such as the dynamic expression provided by XpresHAn Technology™,” says Diane Gomez-Thinnes, head of Galderma U.S. “While individual results may vary, 98 percent of Restylane® Contour patients were pleased with their result at one year. The dynamic results truly speak for themselves.”

The results Gomez-Thinnes is referring to come from a 48-week, randomized, comparator-controlled, multicenter, pivotal Phase 3 study conducted at 15 centers across the United States. There were 270 patients involved between two groups. In the study, patients treated with Restylane® Contour required less total volume to achieve optimal results compared to a competitive product. The results last up to a year.

According to Galderma, the filler was well-tolerated for cheek enhancement during the study using both needle and cannula injection methods. As with any HA dermal filler, the most commonly observed side effects were bruising, swelling, and injection site pain, tenderness, redness, and itching. With that said, the report indicated that “85 percent of patients did not experience any adverse events.”