Are you unsatisfied with the appearance of your skin due to lines, wrinkles, and skin laxity? Do common signs of aging make you reluctant to look in the mirror? Do you want to achieve firmer, smoother skin with a non-invasive treatment designed to deliver instant, long-lasting results? If so, Juvederm could be the best product for you! What is Juvederm? This modern line of dermal filler creates a soft, skin-like texture while temporarily erasing lines and wrinkles. We’re proud to offer this service at Prizant Dermatology in Pittsburgh, PA and invite you to learn more about this skin-rejuvenating treatment!
What is Juvederm used for?
Juvederm is one of the most popular and longest-lasting dermal fillers available today. The brand family contains several unique dermal fillers designed to correct different aging concerns in various facial regions, including the cheeks, midface, chin, and lips. These versatile fillers can be used to smooth away mild to severe lines and wrinkles and can also correct mild to moderate skin laxity, giving you fresh, smooth skin for up to 2 years. A normal appointment normally takes 5-45 minutes to complete, is completely painless, and requires zero downtime. Best of all, your results are instantly visible.
Each filler has a base of hyaluronic acid: a sugar naturally produced by the body to act as a plumping and hydrating agent in the skin. Unlike similar fillers, this product uses cross-linked hyaluronic acid, which is more durable and is able to create a more dramatic lift once injected. Each filler also includes a small dose of lidocaine, which helps numb the skin during injections and ensures your comfort. Our patients find that ongoing treatments with these dermal fillers can effectively erase their aging-related concerns and keep them looking their best for years to come without expensive surgery or short-term treatments.
Since this product line includes a variety of fillers, there are several signs of aging that can be addressed with treatment. Our skilled doctor will recommend the best fillers for your specific concerns during your initial consultation. Here are some of the most popular concerns we treat with Juvederm.
Erasing Fine Lines
You may notice fine lines beginning to develop in your early 20s, especially around your eyes, mouth, and across your forehead. These thin, shallow lines in the skin can create an uneven texture and may become more obvious when you apply makeup products. In addition, they usually become deeper and more noticeable with time, prompting many patients to seek an easy, effective solution. A dermal filler can erase fine lines by tightening the skin and creating a smoother, younger-looking surface.
Smoothing Away Wrinkles
Wrinkles and folds in the skin are one of the most-treated signs of aging. They are usually caused by a combination of collagen and elastin support breakdown in the skin and harmful sun exposure, which can accelerate the aging process by damaging your skin. Dermal filler injections can help fill and smooth even severe wrinkles, restoring your skin’s youthful beauty and delivering long-term rejuvenation.
Correcting Skin Laxity
Skin laxity often affects the midface, the skin around the mouth and chin, and jawline. These areas may be more prone to loose or sagging skin, which can pull your expressions downward and make you look older than you actually are or less happy than you feel. Dermal fillers help fill loose skin to create a firmer, more lifted appearance.
Restoring Volume
Along with skin laxity, some areas of the face can begin to lose volume as the aging process continues. This concern often affects the midface, eye area, and the cheeks, which may appear more hollow as you grow older. Dermal filler injections in these regions can boost volume and correct hollows. With just one treatment, you could see a fuller midface and rounder, plumper cheeks.
Plumping and Redefining the Lips
Lip augmentation can help correct signs of aging in and around the lips. As you age, you may notice your lips becoming thinner or losing their definition. Juvederm offers fillers specifically designed to plump and redefine the lips in one easy appointment. You can expect to see fine lines around your lips disappear as we define your lips’ borders and build natural, attractive volume.
What is Juvederm Compared to Other Anti-Aging Options?
If you’re concerned about signs of aging, you may be considering several different anti-aging treatments and procedures. Here’s an overview of how dermal filler treatments compare to two other popular corrective options.
Facelift Surgeries
Both the mini and the full facelift surgery produce the longest-lasting anti-aging results in the beauty world today. However, these results are not permanent, lasting 10-15 years for most patients. During this procedure, a surgeon tightens the skin on your face to erase lines and wrinkles and correct skin laxity, giving you a younger, more lifted appearance. This surgery cannot address the loss of volume in the face or lips. In addition, it requires significant preparation and downtime and comes with all the normal risks associated with major surgery.
A dermal filler can address many of the same issues as a facelift without the discomfort, downtime, and cost that comes with this surgery. Results are instantly visible and can last up to 2 years, depending on the fillers recommended by our doctor. In addition, Juvederm offers several fillers designed to correct even the most severe lines and wrinkles without invasive measures. Many of our patients find that dermal filler treatments offer them the flexibility of just one or two quick, painless treatments per year without making them compromise their ideal image.
Neurotoxins
We offer several popular injectable neurotoxins to meet your cosmetic needs. However, it’s important to understand the difference between a filler and a neurotoxin. Fillers are designed to correct static wrinkles and skin laxity caused by the natural collagen framework breakdown in the skin. Static wrinkles remain the same regardless of your facial expressions and can grow deeper over time. In contrast, neurotoxins are made to temporarily block nerve signals to certain facial muscles. This prevents dynamic wrinkles from appearing in the skin when you make your normal facial expressions.
A neurotoxin can last 3-6 months, after which point it wears off and your normal muscle movement resumes. Juvederm fillers can last 6 months-2 years before safely dissolving into the body. During your initial consultation, our doctor will examine your skin to identify your unique concerns. If you experience a combination of dynamic and static wrinkles, we can combine filler and neurotoxin treatments to achieve your ideal image.
Am I an Ideal Candidate?
If you are an adult man or woman who wishes to correct signs of aging in your skin, you could be an ideal candidate for treatment with dermal fillers. In general, you should be healthy and experience mild to severe lines and wrinkles and mild to moderate skin laxity. You should be free from any allergies to the filler ingredients. In addition, you should not exhibit signs of any active skin irritation or infection in the target skin at the time of your treatment. This treatment is generally effective for patients of all ages and all skin tones, types, and sensitivities.
You may not be an ideal candidate if you experience severe skin laxity. This issue may need to be addressed with an alternative treatment or procedure, depending on our doctor’s recommendations. If you have any questions about whether dermal fillers are the right treatment for you, our doctor can help you determine your candidacy for treatment during your initial consultation.
What Should I Expect?
Are you interested in Juvederm fillers but wondering what you can expect during a typical treatment process? Every patient’s personal experience is unique, but here is a general idea of what your journey to smoother, younger skin could look like:
Consultation
We always begin with an initial consultation. This appointment allows our doctor to examine your concerns in-person and learn more about your ideal image and cosmetic goals. During this consultation, our doctor will ask you questions about your medical history, evaluate your skin concerns, and discuss the anticipated results of this treatment in your unique case. If she approves you for treatment, she will also recommend a personalized treatment plan to create and maintain your ideal results. This plan will include specific filler recommendations and an expected schedule of treatments after your first appointment.
Preparation
In general, this treatment requires little preparation. We recommend protecting your skin from sunburn and irritation by wearing sunscreen whenever you are outdoors and limiting your time in direct sunlight. In addition, you should plan to stop taking blood-thinning medications like aspirin and ibuprofen approximately 1 week before treatment to reduce your risk of bruising after the injections. For the same reason, you should stop drinking alcohol 24-48 hours before your first appointment.
Treatment
On your appointment day, we recommend that you avoid wearing makeup in the target areas. Our doctor will clean your skin, then apply a topical numbing cream that will work with the lidocaine in each injection to keep you comfortable. Once your skin is numb, our doctor will use a fine needle to inject the dermal filler into the predetermined regions of your face. This process should be completely painless and takes just 5-45 minutes, depending on how many areas are being treated.
As our doctor performs each injection, she will be able to see the instant results of this skin-smoothing treatment. As a result, she can skillfully create your ideal image in a matter of minutes. You will be able to see your results as soon as she is finished, and you can expect to return to your normal activities with zero downtime right after your appointment.
Recovery
During your recovery period, you should plan to avoid touching the treated areas for the first 2 weeks. This prevents you from accidentally disturbing the filler, which should settle into its final position within 2 weeks of treatment. Once your final results are visible, you can return for enhancement injections to further lift or fill the skin. During this 2-week period, you should also avoid anything that could irritate the treated skin as it heals. This includes direct sun exposure, exfoliants, new or untested skin or makeup products, and additional anti-aging treatments that could slow the healing process.
Results
You can begin enjoying your results after your very first treatment and expect your results to last 6 months-2 years. You may be able to prolong your results with enhancement injections and good sun protection habits. Once your results begin to fade, you can return to our office for follow-up treatments, which can continue indefinitely to maintain your ideal image.
Contact Us to Learn More!
Are you ready to say goodbye to signs of aging and hello to smoother, more attractive skin? To learn more about what is Juvederm, contact our team of professionals at Prizant Dermatology in Pittsburgh, PA to schedule an initial consultation today! We look forward to serving you!