Are you noticing an increase in the number of lines on your face? Have frown lines, marionette lines, or laugh lines become more pronounced? Are you seeing a decrease in the volume of your lips or the thickness of your cheeks? If so, you may be a candidate for Juvederm, available from the medical experts at Capitis Medical & Aesthetics in San Diego or Roseville, CA.
Why Does This Happen?
As our skin gets older, the underlying components that make our skin “full” begin to decline. This change in our skin’s composition happens gradually, so we may not notice it happening immediately. But one day, many of us look in the mirror and are confronted with an appearance that looks older, tired, or even “worn out.”
The truth is that this may happen even if we feel great and are otherwise in excellent health. The skin’s aging properties are largely a matter of genetics and are inevitable. Although certain habits like smoking and sun exposure may have an impact, there is no way to avoid this completely. But there is something we can do to help restart the process and find a natural way to restore volume to our skin.
How Can We Restore Volume to the Skin?
There are multiple approaches to skin rejuvenation that are on the market today. Although some people opt for a major surgery like a facelift or a brow lift, not everyone wants to take such a drastic approach. Some of the most popular non-surgical skin treatments will fall into one of three categories:
Neurotoxins
Some options involve relaxing the muscles that cause the appearance of lines and wrinkles on the face. When muscles are tense, it causes lines to form even if we aren’t consciously trying to frown or move our faces. Neurotoxins tell the muscles to stop causing the wrinkles. Botox is the most famous and popular of the neurotoxin category.
Collagen Boosters
Other treatments focus on replenishing our collagen levels. Collagen is a connective protein that we all have in our skin. It keeps the skin both supple and strong, but it decreases with age. This leads to looser skin. On the extreme end, this can lead to saggy skin or jowls and may require more extensive treatment. But for small wrinkles or crepey skin, many patients want to restore their collagen levels in this way. It’s a good method, but the downside is that it takes a long time (several months) to get results.
Dermal Fillers
There are many different kinds of dermal fillers. These are injections into the skin. They eliminate wrinkles by putting something into the skin in order to add volume and smooth out the surface of the skin as a result. Dermal fillers are popular because they usually work quickly, showing results in the first week or two after the initial injection.
Hyaluronic Acid Fillers
One popular type of dermal filler is the hyaluronic acid filler, which restores the amount of naturally occurring hyaluronic acid in our skin. This encourages water retention and natural volume. Hyaluronic acid fillers can last anywhere from six months to two years, depending on the treatment location and the specific brand of filler that the patient decides to use. One of the leading brands of filler is a favorite because it’s long-lasting: Juvederm.
What Kind of Results Can You Expect From Juvederm?
This dermal filler came out in 2006, and since then, it has been used successfully by millions of patients for the elimination of folds, wrinkles, and facial lines. Available in several varieties, it can also target thin lips and hollow cheeks, restoring volume to these areas when they start to get a sunken look.
Fast Results
When you get an injection, you will use one of these previously mentioned specific varieties. Partial results start to appear almost immediately, but it will take a few days to get to your final look. After the injection, there will be a one or two week period where the filler “settles” into place. After this, you will start to get a feel for what your ideal results will be. The process takes only a short amount of time and is considerably faster than a collagen treatment.
Long-Lasting Results
Generally speaking, this filler will last for between one and two years. It requires maintenance treatments after this point, as the filler will ultimately become reabsorbed by your skin. However, for that one to two-year period, you will experience fuller lips and cheeks and a decrease in your facial lines, all by using hyaluronic acid.
Natural Results
Because hyaluronic acid is a substance that already exists in your skin, you are at almost no risk to reject the filler or have an allergic reaction. Hyaluronic acid restores volume by binding to water, which causes your skin to have a naturally fuller look. It also adds bounce and suppleness––something that other fillers don’t necessarily do.
The advantage of a hyaluronic acid filler are numerous, and many patients return for multiple treatments to keep their look consistent.
How Does Hyaluronic Acid Work?
Hyaluronic acid is naturally existing in the skin, and it accomplishes a number of different functions. One of these is that it binds to water. This keeps your skin hydrated and full. As we age, we lose the higher concentrations of hyaluronic acid that we have available. This leads the skin to lose volume and appear drier and more wrinkled.
When hyaluronic acid is injected into the skin, it uses your body’s natural moisture to restore that full, vital, youthful look to your skin. The acid is injected in very tiny amounts across a specific area, which enables it to spread out and provide consistency. In a short time, it settles, leaving you with skin, cheeks, or lips that look naturally more plump and younger.
What Are the Available Treatment Areas?
You can treat a wide variety of aesthetic concerns with this filler. Some may appear more serious than others, but there are specific varieties that have been developed for both minimal and large wrinkles. Typical treatment areas include:
- Lip lines
- Marionette lines
- Facial lines (especially on the lower part of the face)
- Crow’s feet
- Thin lips
- Hollow/sunken cheeks
- Nasolabial folds
What Are the Different Types of Juvederm?
For each of these treatment areas, there is a unique formula that is targeted to work on them. These all contain hyaluronic acid and rely on the same basic principles. They vary in the degree of their concentrations, where they are injected, and how long they typically last.
Voluma
Voluma is a filler that has been created primarily for use on the cheeks. Because the cheeks have thicker skin than other areas of the face, it is necessary to use a slightly different formula. Voluma also is injected somewhat deeper into the skin than fillers that target only surface wrinkles. Due to the depth of the injection, Voluma can provide high-quality, lasting results for two years.
Volbella
For the lips, there is Volbella. The lips can be especially sensitive, and it’s necessary to create a formula that will help make them plump but avoid complications with treatment. All of these fillers contain some anesthetic that will help the patient be more comfortable during treatment. But Volbella is specifically designed for the lips, to keep them looking fresh and plump after the injection. Volbella usually lasts for a year after the initial session.
Vollure
Vollure is used for lines on the face and is an excellent solution for folds or lines that may not be responding to other fillers. It gives a natural, lifted look. Vollure typically lasts for 18 months after treatment, which is considerably longer than many of its competitors.
Ultra
Ultra is a more concentrated form of the dermal filler, and it is used for the more serious lines on the face. It is injected deeper into a patient’s skin, and it has more filling power than the other varieties. Because of this, it is the ideal solution for the deepest folds and creases. The most recent versions of Ultra last for a year after the treatment session.
What Should You Expect From a Treatment Session?
We administer all our dermal fillers from one of our California dermatology centers in San Diego and Roseville. Our medical staff will make sure you are comfortable and administer the filler with minimal discomfort.
A Quick Treatment Session
The treatment is extremely quick, and no downtime is necessary. An injection session typically lasts between 30 minutes and an hour, depending on the number of vials used and the injection site.
Minimal Recovery Period
Patients often come in during a break from work or between other tasks. There is no need to take time off or spend days recovering, as there are with other treatments. Surgeries might require a patient to spend days or even weeks recovering, but with this filler, you can resume almost all your activities on the same day.
A Two-Week Period Where the Filler Settles
Over the next two weeks, the hyaluronic acid will settle into your skin. During this time, your skin’s layers absorb the acid. The multiple injection sites ensure that the filler becomes evenly distributed throughout your skin, and it gradually begins to bind to your skin’s natural moisture. After two weeks, you should have your ideal results. It will still look like you, just younger and fuller and with a more sculpted and lifted contour.
Maintaining Your Results
Depending on the type you use, you will start to notice your results diminishing after a year or two. In some cases, people take to the treatment so well that they experience positive results for longer. Still, we recommend periodic maintenance treatments to keep your ideal aesthetic. Maintenance treatments often require less of the filler.
Are You a Good Candidate for Juvederm?
If you are worried about the effects that time and aging are having on your skin, then Juvederm treatment may be for you. Hyaluronic acid fillers are an excellent option for anyone who is seeking a solution for wrinkles, hollow cheeks, thin lips, or deep facial folds. They are especially useful for anyone who has seen diminished results from Botox and other treatments. In addition, they are an excellent choice for a patient who is looking for a non-surgical option.
How Can You Get Started?
The first step is to get in touch with our office. We will meet for an in-person consultation to discuss your goals and concerns. In addition, we will make sure that Juvederm treatment is right for you based on your medical history, medications, and any other potential complications. Our staff is highly trained and eager to make sure you get the most from your Juvederm treatment with us!
Schedule Your Consultation
Are you tired of seeing the lines and wrinkles get worse with time? Come see us for your personal aesthetic consultation. With Juvederm, we can take years off, restore a sculpted contour, and give you that fuller, youthful-looking skin. Contact Capitis Medical & Aesthetics in Roseville, CA and schedule your consultation today!