Juvederm
What is "Juvederm"?
Juvederm is a newer dermal filler, which was recently granted FDA approval at the beginning of 2007. Juvederm is a hyaluronic acid substrate, and according to Allergan, they claim that Juverderm has a higher concentration of hyaluronic acid with more cross-linking, so it should work longer as a dermal filler. Similar to other dermal fillers, Juverderm is injected with a tiny needle into the skin.
Who can administer Juvederm?
I think if you're going to a medi-spa, it's important that the doctor on staff does the injection of the Juvederm. This is one of those areas where it's a minimally invasive procedure, but you want to make sure that it's the doctor that's doing the Juvederm injection, not the aesthetician, and in my opinion not necessarily the physician assistant or the nurse practitioner. You may be spending a lot of money to have Juvederm injected, so I believe that you're better off having the doctor do the Juvederm injections.
How many types of Juvederm are there?
Currently in this country, there's only one type of Juvederm that's available. In Europe, there are many different types of Juvederm and this depends on the actual particle size. What that allows the Europeans to do is to inject Juvederm into some of the deeper wrinkles as well as the more superficial wrinkles. Within the next couple of years, almost all these dermal fillers will have different levels, different sizes of injectors, again, so we can inject either superficially or deeper.
How is Juvederm different from other dermal fillers?
According to Allergan, the claims surrounding Juvederm are that there is increased cross-linking. What does that mean? According to them, it's a firmer structure, a firmer substrate, and therefore Juvederm will last longer than the rest of the hyaluronic acids. At the end of the day we're probably talking about one or two month difference.
Who can get a Juvederm treatment?
Almost anybody can get a Juvederm treatment. It is safe and it's effective. I certainly wouldn't recommend it in patients that don't have wrinkles, in teenagers, or in young twenty-year-olds, because it's not going to prevent wrinkles from forming. I would also recommend any patient on a blood thinner, aspirin, or any herbal medications that might lead to difficulty with bruising, to stay away from Juvederm until they've been off those treatments.
Where can Juvederm be used?
Juvederm is primarily used in the face areas. Specifically, Juvederm is used in the upper and lower lips, in what we call the nasal labial folds. Juvederm is also used in what we call either the marionette or puppet lines. For some of us, we're also injecting Juvederm in the eyelid area, specifically in the glabella area. Sometimes we inject Juvederm around the crow's feet, and also in an area we call the malar bags, or the area below the eyes -specifically around this area - where it fills in those lines.
Can I receive other cosmetic fillers after getting a Juvederm injection?
Considering that Juvederm is made from hyaluronic acid and there's no immunological problem with it, you can receive Juvederm or almost any other dermal fillers at the same time.
What results will I experience with Juvederm?
What's great about Juvederm and the dermal fillers is that you will see almost instantaneous results. Those lines will fill up rather quickly and by the time you leave the doctor's office, you'll see most of those lines have either disappeared or shrunk substantially. What I like to do is have patients come back two weeks after the Juvederm or dermal filler injection so that they can have re-injections of Juvederm or dermal fillers if in fact some of those lines are still around.
Are there side effects associated with Juvederm?
There are no long-term side effects associated with Juvederm or with any of the dermal fillers. The short-term side effects are usually localized bleeding or bruising at the injection site, which is more common in the lip area or in the lower eye area around the lower eyelid. These usually resolve themselves within a day or two.
What should I be aware of after my Juvederm treatment?
Juvederm is safe and effective, and you'll see results right away. I have patients that come back two weeks later to see if there are other areas that need further treatment. For the most part using Juvederm or any dermal fillers is pretty easy. You only want to make sure that you're not aggressively using makeup within the first hour or two after the Juvederm injections. However, overall, Juvederm is safe and effective, and not much to worry about.
How much will a Juvederm treatment cost?
The prices for Juvederm depend on your doctor and what part of the country you're in. Juvederm prices range from five hundred dollars up to fifteen hundred dollars. Obviously in some of the bigger cities you're probably going to end up paying more for a Juvederm treatment. On the other hand if somebody is offering you Juvederm for almost nothing, I'd be extremely careful. Before you have these injections you want to make sure that it is actually Juvederm that is being injected.
