Have you started to notice changes on the surface of your face? Does it seem like the worry lines are getting deeper and more pronounced? Do your lips or cheeks seem to have lost a bit of their volume and youthful suppleness? If so, you are certainly not alone. Every year, millions of Americans experience some sort of change in the face and skin as the result of age-related volume loss. Fortunately, at Allure Enhancement Center in Lafayette, LA, we have the answer: a highly effective and fast-working dermal filler called Juvederm filler.
Who Benefits Most From This Treatment?
Patients who elect to get this particular filler are typically 35 or older. However, younger patients may also benefit from treatment. Everyone experiences skin changes differently, so in some cases, wrinkles and folds may appear at a younger age. The manufacturer does recommend that patients be at least 21 years of age before getting their first injection.
This particular filler is very popular because it works with almost any skin type. Both men and women can get treatment, and it continues to show good results with both younger and older patients.
What Concerns Does It Treat?
This dermal filler works by creating increased volume under the surface of the skin in targeted areas. When it is injected, it plumps up low-volume skin or fills in wrinkles and folds. As a result, the patients who gain most from it will usually be looking to:
- Add volume to thinning lips
- Add volume to sunken cheeks
- Eliminate or soften facial wrinkles
- Eliminate or soften nasolabial folds (laugh lines)
- Eliminate or soften marionette lines on the chin
While Botox and other neurotoxins are frequently used on the upper part of the face, Juvederm filler specializes in areas where Botox is less effective, especially in the lower half of the face or deep facial folds around the mouth and chin.
What Is Juvederm Filler?
This is an FDA-approved filler that has been around since 2006, when it was first approved for treating nasolabial folds in the facial skin. Since that time, millions of patients have relied on it for a variety of areas, and several different types have been invented.
There are many dermal fillers and injectables on the market today, but there are some significant differences in how they work. Neurotoxins like Botox work by relaxing muscles to cause a decrease of wrinkles. Collagen treatments improve the collagen content of the skin itself. However, this particular treatment is a “hyaluronic acid filler,” which is uniquely good at filling in lines and folds.
What Is Hyaluronic Acid?
Hyaluronic acid is a chemical that everyone has in their skin. It is a naturally-occurring chemical that is essentially a type of sugar, and we are born with it. It is found in the joints and most commonly in our skin.
The main property of hyaluronic acid is that it binds to water. This ability allows one tiny hyaluronic acid molecule to attract and retain roughly one thousand times its weight in water. It is our skin’s natural method of retaining water, which keeps our skin looking plump and youthful.
If We Are Born With Hyaluronic Acid, Why Do We Need More?
Although we have a natural supply of hyaluronic acid in our skin, the chemical does not last forever. Over time, it begins to break down. As we age, we typically start to lose hyaluronic acid more quickly than we can replace it.
When the amount of hyaluronic acid drops, it begins to have a visible effect on the skin. We notice a decrease in the amount of water retained in the skin. This causes the volume in the lower layers of the skin to decrease, and this leads to wrinkles and folds on the surface.
How Does Injecting Help?
The good news is that although we lose hyaluronic acid as we age, we can replace it with injections. Our bodies readily accept the new acid in an injectable form. Because it is not an “unfamiliar” chemical, allergic reactions, or rejection of the treatment is very rare.
Hyaluronic acid is injected in gel form into the skin that needs more volume. This might be the lower lip, the upper cheek line, or deepening folds around the mouth or nose. Once the injection has a chance to settle, usually after a few days or weeks, the body will integrate the hyaluronic acid into the skin. The water-retaining chemical will then conserve more of the skin’s natural moisture, smoothing wrinkles and revitalizing the lips and cheeks.
How Quickly Does It Work?
Most patients will be astonished at just how quickly this filler starts to show results. Some changes will be noticeable immediately after a treatment session. The injection adds volume to the treated area right away and can be seen on the same day.
However, it is important to remember that the filler does need time to settle into place. Typically the ideal results will be seen roughly two weeks after the treatment session. After this, they will stay relatively consistent for the remainder of the injection’s lifespan.
How Long Do the Benefits Last?
Because hyaluronic acid does break down over time, the benefits are not permanent. Still, this particular brand does last longer than most other available treatments. It is one of the longest-lasting dermal fillers available on the market, which explains why it remains so popular among patients.
One treatment session can continue to give good results for anywhere from one to two years. Voluma XC, which is used to treat the cheeks, can show positive results for two full years after the injection. Other varieties used for the lips or the skin usually last for twelve to eighteen months after an injection.
What Can I Expect From Treatment?
One of the great things about this treatment is that it is extremely convenient. It is not like a facelift or other surgery that would usually require an extensive recovery period.
A typical injection session takes less than an hour. In fact, it can often be completed in just 25 minutes. The exact time for the session will depend on the specifics of the treatment, the amount of filler needed, and how many areas are being injected.
A Comfortable Setting
Patients are made comfortable when they arrive at our cliniv and can relax for the duration of the appointment. When our medical staff administers the filler, they use a very fine needle. This works to minimize the inconvenience and also to avoid leaving any signs of the injection afterward. The filler comes pre-mixed with lidocaine, a local anesthetic that helps to prevent discomfort.
Minimal to No Downtime
Because the treatment is minimally invasive, most patients won’t need to take a heavy dose of pain killer before their session. Most patients also have no need to lie down for the rest of the day after the session is over, and in fact can go back to work on the same day, or resume their normal activities.
What Should I Do Before and After Treatment?
Avoid Alcohol and Aspirin
The main things to avoid prior to treatment are alcohol and aspirin-based painkillers. Aspirin thins the blood in a way that increases the risk of the body forming a bruise in response to the injection, so we suggest avoiding blood thinners before the session. If you rely on this particular type of medication, please let us know, and we can discuss options for the days leading up to treatment.
In addition, it is advisable to avoid alcohol for 24 hours before and after treatment.
Avoid Heat and Direct Sunlight
For three or four days after the injection, we recommend avoiding exposing the treated areas to heat and direct sunshine. This would include very hot showers, saunas, tanning salons, or sunning outdoors. Patients will also want to postpone any massages for roughly two weeks after treatment, in order to give the filler a chance to settle into place.
Different Types of Juvederm Filler
There are several different “types” of this filler. Although they share a brand name and the same underlying hyaluronic acid design, they have slightly different consistencies based on where they are designed to be used.
Ultra XC
This version of the filler is used on lines and wrinkles near the face. It is particularly helpful in the lower region of the face, for the nasolabial folds and around the lips. It usually lasts for around a year.
Ultra Plus XC
As one might expect, the “plus” version refers to a thicker and more intense type of filler. The thicker consistency is useful in treating deeper folds, especially laugh lines and marionette lines that have become more pronounced over time. It usually lasts for around a year.
Volbella XC
Volbella XC is designed for the lips and the lines that surround them. Volbella XC is longer-lasting and typically delivers good results for eighteen months. Volbella XC can be used to plump lips, but it can also be used for more subtle and detailed contouring of the shape of the lip, which is one of the main reasons for its popularity.
Vollure XC
Vollure XC is used primarily for nasolabial folds and lasts for a year or more. The effect of Vollure XC is subtle, giving the injector a finer degree of control.
Voluma XC
Voluma XC is specially designed for the unique skin in and around the cheek. Our cheeks contain some of the thickest skin on our face, and because of this, a deeper injection is needed. Voluma XC can lift cheek lines, add volume to the “hollow” areas of the cheek, and even plump the cheek’s apples (the area that pops up during a smile). Because of the deep injection, Voluma XC usually delivers strong results for around two years.
Who Should NOT Get This Treatment?
Although this treatment is a good option for most patients, we do not recommend it in a few cases. Pregnant women and women who are currently breastfeeding should wait to get the filler injected. Patients who have allergic reactions to lidocaine should also seek another solution.
How Can I Maintain My Results?
Periodic maintenance treatments remain the best way to keep your results over the long term. Many dermal fillers require “touch up” sessions every six to nine months. With this particular brand of hyaluronic acid filler, patients may not need to get a refill until a year to two years after their initial injection. This leads to fewer appointments, and less time spent at the clinic.
Schedule Your Consultation Today!
Are you ready to reclaim your youthful look and self-image? You can do just that, with any of the many varieties of this effective and ground-breaking filler. Our medical staff will consult with you to determine your unique aesthetic goals, and come up with your own personalized treatment plan. Give us a call at Allure Enhancement Center in Lafayette, LA, to schedule your consultation. See the difference Juvederm Filler can make for you!