Restylane Refyne for Neck Wrinkles: A Small Completed Trial

TL;DR: This was a small (26-participant), single-clinic interventional study testing Restylane Refyne for horizontal neck wrinkles. It has completed and posted results, but the enrollment is tiny — treat any findings as preliminary, not proof of effectiveness.

What did this Restylane Refyne trial set out to test?

Restylane Refyne is a hyaluronic acid–based dermal filler — a gel injected under the skin to soften lines and restore lost volume. Hyaluronic acid is a sugar molecule that occurs naturally in skin and holds water. While many people know Restylane Refyne as a lip filler or for smoothing facial folds, this study looked at a different target: horizontal neck wrinkles, medically called transverse neck rhytides ("rhytides" simply means wrinkles).

The trial, sponsored by Siperstein Dermatology, enrolled 26 adults (aged 18 and over, all sexes) with neck lines graded 1–3 on the Transverse Neck Line Scale. Each participant acted as their own comparison: one side of the neck was treated using a blunt cannula and the other side using a 30-gauge needle, with up to 1 cc of Restylane Refyne filler per side. If correction was incomplete at day 30, the same treatment could be repeated.

How was the effect measured?

The primary outcome was the change in transverse neck rhytides from baseline to 30 days after the last treatment (up to 60 days total). "Blinded evaluators" — assessors who did not know which side received which technique — rated the wrinkles, which reduces bias in judging improvement.

The study also tracked two secondary measures: the number of neck halves experiencing adverse events (side effects), and the Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale, a standard clinician rating of overall visible change.

What do the posted results report?

Results are posted on ClinicalTrials.gov. The registry lists four comparison arms (two Restylane Refyne treatment groups and two control groups) and confirms that change in neck rhytides, adverse-event counts, and Global Aesthetic Improvement were reported. The registry entry available here does not provide specific effect sizes, so no numerical verdict can be stated. In plain terms: the trial measured these outcomes and posted data, but the summary does not establish how well the filler worked or which delivery method performed better.

Because the sample was very small and confined to one clinic, these findings cannot be generalized as proof that Restylane Refyne reliably improves neck wrinkles.

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