Kysse, Lyft, Contour, Defyne, Refyne, Silk, Eyelight. They're not tiers of quality — they're different gel properties for different tissue. Here's what each is actually formulated to do.
Restylane products differ in firmness, flexibility, and how much water they bind — not in quality. Firmer products like Lyft and Contour hold shape against gravity and suit cheeks and jawline. Flexible ones like Kysse, Defyne, and Refyne move with expression and suit lips and mobile areas. All are hyaluronic acid, and all are reversible with hyaluronidase.
Listed by what they're built for rather than by marketing tier.
Formulated specifically for lips, using a flexible gel designed to move with expression rather than sit as a firm mass. That flexibility is the whole point — lips are among the most mobile tissue on the face, and a product that holds its shape rigidly there reads as filler.
Best for: lip volume and definition where natural movement matters. The default choice for most lip work.
The firmest of the range. Designed for deep placement on bone where it provides genuine structural support and resists gravity. This is a scaffolding product, not a smoothing one.
Best for: midface and cheek volume, jawline definition, chin projection, and hand rejuvenation. Placed deep, not superficially — Lyft near the surface is visible and palpable.
Built for the midface specifically. Softer than Lyft, and designed to flex with the movement that happens across the cheek when you smile — which is more than most people realise.
Best for: cheek augmentation in patients with animated faces, or where Lyft would read as too static.
Firmer than Refyne but still flexible. Intended for deeper folds where you need some structure but the area moves constantly.
Best for: deeper nasolabial folds, marionette lines, and chin augmentation where a softer product wouldn't hold.
The most flexible of the folds range. Designed for areas that move a great deal, where the priority is that the result looks right in animation rather than only at rest.
Best for: mild to moderate nasolabial folds and marionette lines in expressive faces.
Smaller particle size for delicate, superficial work. Not a volumiser — a refiner.
Best for: fine perioral lines, subtle lip border definition, and detail work where a larger-particle product would be visible.
Formulated for the tear trough, with lower water-binding than most hyaluronic acid products. That matters here more than anywhere — water retention under the eye produces the persistent puffiness patients complain about months after treatment.
Best for: genuine under-eye hollowing. But product choice is the second question here. The first is whether the hollowing is real, and whether the shadow is coming from the trough or from midface descent above it.
"Usually" is doing real work in that table. These are starting points, not rules. A thin-skinned patient may need a softer product in the cheek than the chart suggests; a very static face may take Lyft in areas where Contour would normally be chosen.
Restylane is a good range. So is Juvéderm. So is RHA. Each covers a similar span of firmness and flexibility, and for most treatment areas there's an equivalent product in every line.
What actually determines the result is whether the properties match the tissue — the right firmness for the layer, the right flexibility for how much the area moves, the right water-binding for how much space there is.
A practice that only carries one brand will tell you it's the best one. A practice that carries several picks by property. More on what actually determines filler planning →
Restylane traditionally uses NASHA technology — a particulate gel that holds shape firmly — and OBT or XpresHAn, which produces a smoother, more flexible gel. Juvéderm uses a cohesive, non-particulate gel throughout its range.
In practice this affects how a product behaves under pressure and in movement. It's a real difference, and it's smaller than the difference between choosing the right area and the wrong one.
Every Restylane product is hyaluronic acid, which means hyaluronidase dissolves it.
That's a genuine advantage over Radiesse or Sculptra, which aren't readily reversible — and it matters most for patients new to filler, or treating an area where the result is hard to predict.
Worth knowing before you start rather than after.
Not from a chart. At consultation, Dr. Mortazavi assesses four things, and the product follows from them.
Which layer. On bone, in the fat compartment, or in the dermis. Each wants a different firmness, and a product placed in the wrong layer is the most common cause of visible filler.
How much the area moves. A face that's very expressive needs flexibility. One that's more static tolerates firmer product.
Skin thickness. Thin skin shows everything. Firmer product beneath thin skin is visible or palpable regardless of how well it was placed.
Whether volume is the answer at all. Some patients arrive wanting filler and need resurfacing, or skin hydration, or nothing. Being told that costs a consultation and saves considerably more.
Patients arrive asking for a specific product by name more than they used to, usually from something they saw online. I'm happy to use it if it suits the area — but the request is almost always about the brand rather than the property, and the property is what determines whether it looks right. That's a two-minute conversation and it changes the plan more often than not.
What is the difference between Restylane products?
They differ in gel firmness, flexibility, and particle structure, which determines where each performs best. Lyft and Contour are firmer and hold shape against gravity, suiting cheeks and jawline. Kysse, Defyne, and Refyne are more flexible and move with expression, suiting lips and mobile areas. Silk is finer for delicate work. Eyelight is formulated for the under-eye. Selection is based on the tissue layer and mobility of the area rather than on which product is newest.
Which Restylane is best for lips?
Kysse is formulated specifically for lips, using a flexible gel intended to move naturally with expression. Defyne is sometimes used where more structure is wanted, and Silk for fine perioral lines. The right choice depends on whether the goal is volume, definition, or smoothing — and on how much movement the lips have.
Which Restylane is best for cheeks?
Lyft is the firmer product designed for midface volume and lift, placed deep on bone where it provides structural support. Contour is slightly softer and designed to move more naturally in the midface. Which suits better depends on how much projection is needed and how much the area moves with expression.
What is the difference between Restylane and Juvederm?
Both are hyaluronic acid fillers and both are reversible with hyaluronidase. The main technical difference is gel structure — Restylane products traditionally use a particulate NASHA or flexible OBT technology, while Juvederm uses a smooth cohesive gel. In practice each range covers a similar span of firmness and flexibility, so the more relevant question is which product properties suit the area being treated rather than which brand is used.
How long does Restylane last?
Duration varies by product and area. Lip filler generally lasts six to twelve months because the lips move constantly. Structural placement in the cheeks or jawline commonly lasts twelve to eighteen months. Individual metabolism, the amount placed, and the mobility of the area all affect longevity.
Can Restylane be dissolved?
Yes. All Restylane products are hyaluronic acid and are reversible with hyaluronidase. This is a meaningful advantage over non-reversible options such as calcium hydroxylapatite or poly-L-lactic acid, particularly for patients new to filler or uncertain about a result.
Which Restylane product is used under the eyes?
Eyelight is formulated for the under-eye area, with lower water-binding intended to reduce the persistent puffiness that can follow filler in this region. Product choice matters here more than almost anywhere, since under-eye skin is thin enough that small errors show clearly — but the more important question is whether the hollowing is genuine and whether filler is the right answer at all.
Does the brand of filler matter?
Less than most patients expect. What matters is matching the physical properties of the product — firmness, flexibility, water-binding — to the layer and mobility of the area being treated. Every major manufacturer produces products across that range, so brand loyalty is largely a marketing artifact. Selecting the right consistency for the tissue is the actual skill.
Dr. Mortazavi carries Restylane, Juvéderm, and RHA — and selects by what the tissue needs rather than what's on the box.
4667 MacArthur Blvd, Suite 310 — Newport Beach, CA 92660
(949) 568-7544 — info@plumpmedicalspa.com
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