Temporary Filler for Lips and  Face (Juvéderm®)
 

Plump Lips have always been a characteristic of an attractive young woman. There is nothing more appealing than having naturally full lips that add color and appeal to a woman's face. Some of us are born with this blessing, some had it and lost it over the years and others never had it. Over the years our tissues sag causing the lips and other areas of the face to show age or at least lose the young plump we once had. Temporary fillers can restore the plump and adequate hydration to your lips and face by giving your tissues a substance it already had but lost with time. This explains why this substance can't stay permanently in your tissues. Your tissues tend to absorb it with time. While a permanent filler can restore plump to other areas of your face permanently, there is no alternative - up to this day - that can restore plump to the lips and fine wrinkles of the face other than temporary fillers. Usually with older candidates a combination of a temporary filler + a permanent filler + Botox is used to restore youth to the entire face and lips. It is also important to know that fillers can't correct the loose skin caused by age. If the jowl area or the neck has loose skin, a surgical procedure such as a face or neck lift may be needed to achieve best results.


What is Juvéderm® ?

Juvéderm is a Hyaluronic acid in the form of viscoelastic gel, which is transparent, homogenous and of a non-animal origin. Hyaluronic acid is a substance which is naturally present in the dermis (the thick layer of our skin) and gradually disappears with age . The Hyaluronic acid in Juvéderm is a physiological component of dermal tissue which maintains local moisture content and is gradually reabsorbed with time. When injected into the dermis, the  Hyaluronic acid in Juvéderm simply  performs the role of the natural Hyaluronic acid in the body, plumping-up your lips and raising the skin where lines and wrinkles have formed. Juvéderm is famous for lip filling and smoothing out . moderate and superficial wrinkles. Juvéderm is available in 3 different concentrations, to be used according to the depth of the wrinkle and the nature of the area being treated.
 

Juvéderm 18: Is injected in the superficial dermis to fill fine wrinkles like Peri-oral wrinkles (on top of the upper lip), Glabellar lines (between the brows), Forehead frown lines (beneath the hair line) and Crow's feet (on the outside corners of the eyes).
 




 



Juvéderm 24: a denser version than Juvéderm 18, is injected in the middle dermis. It fills deeper forehead wrinkles, Glabbelar lines and mild to moderate nasal furrows and cheek wrinkles.


 


Juvéderm 30: the densest version, is injected into the deep dermis. Juvéderm 30 adds volume to the lips, fills deep naso-labial folds (deep smile lines extending from the sides of the nose to the corners of the lips), Marionette lines (creases extending from the corners of the lower lip) and gives volume to the cheeks. The effect of Juvéderm usually lasts between 7 to 12 months; sometimes the effect may last longer or shorter depending on skin type, the area treated, the volume injected, and the technique used in injection. Also if a retouch is made a few weeks after the initial treatment this usually makes the effect last longer.
 


Are You a Good Candidate for Juvéderm® ?

Just about everybody is a candidate for Juvéderm. Women as young as 18 years old use Juvéderm to plump-up their lips. In general you would be a good candidate for Juvéderm if you seek to add volume to your lips or smooth any fine lines or wrinkles in your face. Some of the areas corrected by Juvéderm are also corrected by permanent fillers, some candidates prefer to try their look with the Juvéderm first as it is absorbed by the body in time before they commit to the permanent filler. You would also be a good candidate if you wish to restore the look you had to your face a few years back and not go 10 to 20 years back. You also need to understand that Juvéderm can't remove hanging skin in your jowl area or neck, that can only be achieved by surgery. You also need to know that Juvéderm can't fully correct all wrinkles and depressions in your face; some of those need a more viscous permanent filler like Esteform.

Preparing for Your Procedure

Before your procedure, Dr. Metwally will perform a complete evaluation with you to discuss your concerns with your face and/or lips in order to determine the role of Juvéderm in their treatment. If some of the areas of your concern can't be treated with Juvéderm, Dr. Metwally will suggest a combination of Juvéderm with other more permanent fillers and maybe Botox to give you best results.

Duration of the Procedure

The duration of your procedure varies significantly according to the areas being treated. The lips usually take 5 to 10 minutes for both lips. The face wrinkles take about 10 to 15 minutes and the cheeks take approximately 20 minutes.
Anesthesia Used

Juvéderm is injected with a very fine needle, therefore it only requires numbing cream to be applied to the area of treatment 20 minutes prior to the injection. Some Juvéderm fans who've been using it for years don't even find the need to use the numbing cream. You may leave instantaneously after your procedure and resume your normal daily activities.

 During Your Procedure

For your lips, Dr. Metwally starts by injecting a small dose in one side of the upper lip and then gives you a mirror to view both the injected side versus the non injected side. If you are satisfied with this volume he injects the same amount in the other side, if not he injects another dose and lets you take a look at it once more. Once the upper lip is to your satisfaction he proceeds with the second step which is injecting the lower lip in the same fashion. In some of the cases only the upper or lower lip is what the candidate wants to augment. In this case only the first step of the procedure is done. For your face wrinkles, the dose necessary to raise the skin on top of the wrinkle is injected. For the cheeks the same procedure as the lips is performed and you get to see the injected cheek before the other one is injected in order to give your input. Treated area/s are gently massaged immediately after injection to make sure that the substance is equally distributed.

After Your Procedure

After your procedure you will notice that the injected area/s may be a bit red. Your lips will be a bit swollen from the injection. Early lumpiness may occur and can be removed by massaging the lumpy area while applying pressure to it. On the second day, you will notice that your face and/or lips has swollen, this swelling subsides gradually over the following 3 days. In rare cases especially with candidates with fair skin color, a tiny blue spot the size of the needle hole may occur this can easily be covered with make up and disappears within 3 to 5 days. No pain killer or antibiotic will be prescribed to you and you may resume your normal activities immediately after your procedure is completed.

Seeing Your Result

With Juvéderm and most fillers in general, you can actually see your result immediately after injection. You just need to know that what you see upon the completion of your procedure is slightly bigger than your actual result due to the swelling from the injection. This subsides gradually until your final result is achieved usually by the 7th to 10th day.