It IS confusing, isn't it?  And, there are "new" products all the time which make it seem even more so.   Here's my opinion after years of experience.  I tell my patients that comparing Restylane to Juvederm is like comparing apples to apples - like a Gala apple with a Fuji apple. (Did you all know that Washington produces the most apples in the country? Who knew?).

Despite all the marketing, they are very similiar.  There will always be some variation in individuals but they last the same amount of time and the results, in experienced hands, are similiar.  The one exception may be the lips because Juvederm is softer, less prone to swelling and less prone to bumps in the lips. A good injector can get good results with either though.  It really is the injector more than the product on this one.

As for the subtypes, Restylane and Juvederm Ultra are the same, Juvederm UltraPlus and Perlane are the same, and now both companies have versions of these with some numbing in them (lidocaine).  But, they are just the same product with lidocaine (example - Juvederm Ultra XC).  I'm not going to give all the fine points here ...... just the bottom line practical approach.  Dr. I