One of the most profound and immediately noticeable visible signs of aging is a loss of volume and elasticity in the skin. These two declining factors are the root causes of appearance concerns like fine lines, expression lines, and wrinkles, as well as hollowness in the face. When you want to restore your facial volume, you need to use the best treatments available. At Adoro Medical Spa in Severna Park, MD we know that one of the most reliable volume-restoration treatments is Juvederm.
How Does Juvederm Smooth Your Skin?
Juvederm is part of a family of other facial fillers that restore volume to the skin. As an anti-aging rejuvenation treatment, this particular filler has a reputation for producing reliable, long-lasting results in virtually all patients. Dermal fillers such as this one are designed to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. But how does this filler successfully smooth your skin texture? The secret is the key active ingredient.
Hyaluronic Acid
The entire Juvederm family of products is formulated with one key active ingredient at the forefront: hyaluronic acid. Whether the consistency is gel-like or silky smooth, the efficacy of hyaluronic acid is an unrivaled, natural source of skin support that can dramatically improve the appearance and texture of the skin.
Hyaluronic acid, which occurs naturally in the body, can restore the youthful suppleness and volume of skin on the face. With this particular filler, hyaluronic acid works to naturally fill the loss of volume in the face, such as in the cheeks, around the eyes, and near the mouth.
Why Hyaluronic Acid Is Important
Hyaluronic acid is an important compound for skin support. As with collagen, all people produce plenty of hyaluronic acid in their youth, and this production begins to decrease as we age. With less hyaluronic acid, the skin becomes thinner and drier, and supportive proteins like collagen begin to dwindle faster. Hyaluronic acid is important to the restoration of skin volume because this acid is responsible for retaining moisture in the skin and feeding proteins such as collagen.
Other Frequently Asked Questions
What Can You Expect Before Treatment?
Like any other cosmetic treatment, you will need to follow some steps to prepare for treatment, such as:
Consultation
You will need to attend a consultation appointment to determine if you are a qualified candidate for this treatment. We will discuss your appearance-related concerns and examine the treatment area: particularly the volume and elasticity of your skin. We will gather some information about you, including general medical history, any potential drug allergies, cosmetic treatments you have had in the past, and your general lifestyle habits.
Most patients are qualified for this treatment, however, it is standard practice to conduct an allergy test for first-time patients. We may also explore additional treatment options that may be better suited to your needs or work with you to include treatments on your treatment plan to achieve all of your desired appearance goals.
Pre-Treatment
Before your treatment, we will provide you with a list of pre-treatment instructions. The pre-treatment instructions are standard rules to prepare you for successful treatment. Some pre-treatment instructions will include:
- Avoid using alcohol or tobacco products
- Do not use Retinol products
- Stop taking certain supplements
- Schedule other treatments at least 2 weeks before the appointment
What Can You Expect During Treatment?
From start to finish, this treatment generally takes about 30 minutes to complete, meaning it is your typical “lunchtime” treatment. The treatment itself is simple and involves only two main steps.
Step One: Preparation
We will prepare your skin for treatment by cleansing and sanitizing the skin surface to remove any dirt, oil, or make-up. At patient request, we can apply a topical numbing cream to ensure comfort during the treatment. If you are interested in using a topical numbing cream, please inform us beforehand so we can be prepared at the start of your appointment.
Step Two: Filler Injection
The injections for this Juverderm filler treatment involve the use of a thin sterile needle, which will be used to inject the hyaluronic acid solution into specified treatment areas. It is typical for your treatment to involve multiple small injections to produce the ideal desired results. Depending on how many areas of concern you have, this portion of your treatment may involve several injections for optimal results.
What Can You Expect After Treatment?
The period of time after your Juverderm treatment is dedicated to ensuring a good recovery and results. During this time, you may be scheduled for a follow-up appointment to check that you are responding well to the treatment. We may also include a touch-up appointment if the first treatment did not produce the exact desired results you wanted the first time around.
Post-Treatment
After your treatment, we will provide you a list of post-treatment instructions to help guide you through the recovery period. It is important to follow these post-treatment instructions to make sure you receive the desired results from treatment. Some post-treatment instructions may include:
- Avoid using alcohol or tobacco products
- Do not touch, rub, or massage the face
- Stop taking certain supplements
- Do not use Retinol products
- Sleep on your back
- Avoid excess heat, sweating, or strenuous exercise
- Do not stay in direct sunlight
- Use SPF protection in the sun
We may also give you advice on how to care for skin after the treatment, such as directions on how to use cold compresses. After your treatment, you are free to use make-up and return to most of your normal daily activities, including driving, work, and errands.
When Can You See Results?
The results from your treatment will be most obvious about 2 weeks after your treatment. Some patients report noticing results as soon as 3 to 7 days after treatment in the form of improved skin texture. After 2 weeks, the results of this treatment will continue to improve until they hit a peak at about 3 to 4 weeks, which is when the hyaluronic acid begins supporting freshly produced collagen.
How Long Do Results Last?
On average, one treatment with this filler can last for about 4 to 6 months at a time. Certain fillers in this family, such as Ultra Plus, can last for up to 9 months. The results from this treatment last depending on certain variables, such as your age, the condition of your skin, and how well you are responding to treatment.
Will You Need Follow-Up Treatments?
If you enjoy the results produced by this treatment, then you will normally require follow-up treatments to maintain the results. Because the treatment lasts an average of at least 4 months, we generally recommend patients have regularly scheduled appointments about 3 times a year to maintain results. Depending on how well you respond to the treatment, you may require fewer appointments to maintain desired results.
Is This Treatment Safe?
The entire family of Juvederm products is FDA-approved to smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles as well as restore the volume of skin to a more youthful state. Because this treatment is FDA approved, that means it has passed several clinical trials and studies and has been found safe for use on the majority of people. This treatment also produces reliable results for virtually all patients.
Is There a Best Time for This Treatment?
Unlike certain other cosmetic treatments, and particularly energy-based treatments, there is no best time to have a facial filler. Dermal fillers are treatments that can be performed
at any time of the year without any concern for weather exposure. This treatment can be done all year round.
However, if you are using this treatment to prepare for an important life event, then we recommend you schedule your treatment appointment for at least 1 month before your event. This allows the treatment time to settle in and begin working to improve your appearance.
Can You Combine This Treatment?
Absolutely! In fact, facial fillers are treatments that are highly compatible with most other cosmetic treatments. It is common for a dermal filler to be just one of the routine treatments used to maintain your appearance alongside other treatments. At our clinic, the most commonly combined treatments with this filler include:
Botox
Botox is a dermal injectable treatment that uses a neurotoxin to relax the muscles in the face to smooth the appearance of severe and moderate wrinkles, particularly on the forehead and between the eyebrows.
Although Botox is also an injectable treatment, it is compatible for use with fillers because it addresses a different cause of facial wrinkles. While a filler restores volume, Botox temporarily removes the primary cause of wrinkles, which is tense facial muscles.
Laser Skin Resurfacing
Laser skin resurfacing is a type of energy-based treatment that is designed to address superficial skin concerns, such as dark spots, uneven pigmentation, sun damage, acne, and acne scars. At our clinic, we offer both CO2 laser and IPL laser treatments. Each of these treatments perfects the surface of the skin to rejuvenate and revitalize your appearance.
Microdermabrasion
Microdermabrasion is an advanced exfoliating technique that removes dead skin cells from the surface of the skin, stimulates blood flow in the skin, and encourages a more rapid turn over of new skin cells. By itself, microdermabrasion can painlessly improve the overall appearance of your skin as well as
soften fine lines, improve skin tone, and control acne.
Thermage
Thermage is another energy-based treatment that can restore and improve your overall appearance. Thermage uses radiofrequency energy, which penetrates the surface of the skin to stimulate collagen production in the sub-dermal layers. Thermage treatments can greatly reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and works seamlessly with volume restoration treatments like facial fillers.
Who Are Good Candidates?
Facial fillers are some of the easiest and safest cosmetic treatments available to patients and can easily be combined with several other treatments. Good candidates for this treatment include those who are seeking a simple and easy to maintain rejuvenating treatment. You may be a good candidate if you want to:
- Improve skin elasticity
- Restore skin volume
- Correct dry and thin skin
- Reduce fine lines and wrinkles
- Increase collagen production
- Use a nature-based treatment
Rejuvenate With Juvederm Today!
You don’t have to live with the most visible signs of aging. Restoring lost facial volume is a breeze with the right cosmetic treatment. If you are interested in the benefits of a rejuvenating anti-aging treatment like Juvederm, reach out today to Adoro Medical Spa in Severna Park, MD, serving the whole Annapolis and Columbia area. We look forward to helping you achieve your ideal appearance goals.
