JUVÉDERM Voluma® XC

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Our skin goes up against many adversaries in the aging process, including the sun, free radicals, medications, internal breakdown of collagen and fat, and worst of all, gravity. The effects of gravity are most present in the flattening, hollowing, and sagging of cheeks, which will make you look older and more sullen over time. Gravity can be challenged with the power of JUVÉDERM Voluma® XC, an injectable filler that will volumize and and revitalize your look for dazzling and youthful results.

WHAT IS JUVÉDERM VOLUMA® XC?

JUVÉDERM Voluma® XC (familiarly known as Voluma) is an injectable dermal filler that volumizes, contours, and lifts the mid-face region and is able to restore facial volume long-term. As a member of the prestigious JUVÉDERM family of fillers, the highest selling brand of fillers in the US, Voluma is sure to reverse years of abuse by gravity and refresh your look. Results not only look gentle and natural, but boast optimal mid-face enhancement that affects your overall appearance.

Voluma is made of hyaluronic acid (HA) which is a naturally occurring sugar found in the body, predominantly in the skin, between the joints, and in the eyes. The modified form of HA used in Voluma made via Hylacross™ technology (which makes the material smooth versus granular) resembles a fluid and clear gel. HA works by absorbing water (which helps skin retain softness and suppleness), delivering nutrients, and acting as a volumizing agent (whether adding volume to skin or cushion around joints).

WHY VOLUMA AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

Voluma works by relying on the main ingredient, the HA, to add volume and fullness to injected areas (as the name”filler” suggests). It acts like a sponge of sorts, taking in moisture and expanding to physically fill out areas with sagging and volume loss. The material is administered via fine needle injections to areas of interest, and is able to mimic natural facial fullness by binding to water and offering hydration and volume in return. Further, the injected HA induces your own collagen production which would further plump the skin. Due to its thickness, Voluma also combines with elastin and collagen to improve the elasticity and structure of skin as well. The improvement will be so subtle that everyone will notice, but nobody will know.

WHAT AREAS CAN YOU TREAT WITH VOLUMA?

Voluma is the thickest HA gel off all the JUVÉDERM fillers, so it is naturally indicated for specific purposes. It is much too thick for injection in the mouth area that has thinner skin (at least for most people) so it is used in the mid-face region, an area with thicker skin and that usually has more fat (unless degraded by time) and therefore needs a more heavy-duty filler to get desired results. Voluma is mostly used in the cheeks, on the cheekbones, and around the chin. The product is able to provide lifting of jowls from chin injections, lifting of nasolabial folds from cheek injections, lifting of the cheeks, apples in the cheeks, youthful contouring of the cheeks, and restoration of volume/shape loss. These effects all translate into a fuller, more radiant look for you.

WHAT ARE THE CREDENTIALS OF VOLUMA?

JUVÉDERM Voluma® XC is manufactured and sold by the illustrious pharmaceutical company, Allergan. This product gained approval by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in October 2013 for deep subcutaneous injection (on top of the cheek bone) in order to temporarily correct age-related volume loss in the mid-face region and to augment the cheeks. It is regarded for its exceptional longevity (2 years, almost twice that of most other fillers). We here at Lavande would love to discuss this noteworthy product with you, and all the wonderful benefits it has for you.

WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT FROM JUVEDERM TREATMENT?

It is comforting to know what to expect with a treatment that includes needles in the face, so we have detailed pre- and post- treatment instructions below so our clients can come into their appointments confident and ready.

It is highly recommended to consult with one of our aesthetic professionals here at Lavande prior to booking your filler appointment. This is to determine the best course of action for your aesthetic needs, determine which filler is right for you and your skin type, and to prepare you for your filler appointment. In preparation, we ask that you abstain from taking bloodthinners or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (such as alcoholic drinks, Ibuprofen, Aspirin, Advil, Aleve, Fish Oil, Vitamin E, and others) for a couples days before treatment. This will lower the possibility of thinner blood causing bleeding, bruising, and swelling during/following treatment. In addition, we here at Lavande will offer our filler clients complimentary Arnica, which is a natural oral medication that has anti-inflammatory properties and will further prevent the likelihood of bleeding, bruising, and swelling. This should also be taken starting a couple days before treatment.

When you come in for your treatment, if a personal evaluation synthesizing your medical history and aesthetic goals had not been completed before, it will be done at that time. We here at Lavande want to make sure you are a candidate for this treatment as well as confident about your decision to proceed with the injectable gel treatment. The treatment area will be examined by our skilled and knowledgeable practitioner before injection, and private “before” pictures will be taken for comparison purposes and kept in your profile. Once examined the treatment area will be prepared by being cleaned with antiseptics, and a topical BLT (Benzocaine, Lidocaine, Tetracaine) numbing agent will be applied to sit for 30 minutes.

During treatment, our provider will begin by determining the most strategic injection sites that adhere to your aesthetic goals and needs. Using a fine gauge needled syringe, our provider will skillfully and softly begin injecting small amounts over multiple injection sites, while pausing for short intervals of time between injections to allow for the lidocaine numbing agent present in the gel to take effect. Also in between injections, our provider may rub injection sites with their fingers to mold the desired result with the filler and make sure the gel is distributed evenly under the dermis. They will also provide clients with a mirror to watch the smoothing and volumizing of their skin take effect in real time, as well as to provide constructive feedback. Finally, an ice pack will be provided to clients to apply until they get home, in order to minimize pain and swelling. In total, the treatment should take about 30-60 minutes, but we will book the full hour in order to assure that all client needs are met and all questions answered.
Recovery time following JUVÉDERM Voluma® XC treatment can be anywhere from a day to a week. Most people can resume daily activities following treatment, although they might have slight swelling immediately following treatment. Some clients develop bruises after about a day, and this can take anywhere from 5 days up to 7 days to subside. For the first 24 hours, it is recommended to avoid exposure to sunlight and high temperatures, and also to abstain from strenuous exercise and drinking alcohol, in order to evade any increase in redness, itching, swelling, and to avoid filler breakdown. Clients are advised to make a follow-up appointment for 1 month after filler treatment in order for our aesthetic professionals to examine treated areas and assure appropriate targeting of problem areas, evenness of treatment areas, and to determine whether more filler would be recommended.

WHEN CAN I EXPECT TO SEE MY VOLUMA RESULTS?

Clients can watch the HA gel work its magic during the treatment, witnessing volumizing and smoothing with a mirror provided by our practitioner. Improvement is visible immediately following treatment, however the full result will not be visible until about 4 weeks following treatment. This is because swelling inflates results right after treatment, and it takes time for the HA to absorb moisture and for new collagen to form. It will take about a month for swelling to go down, the material to fully settle, and collagen production to be to successful; only then will the final result be present and touchups can be pursued.

HOW LONG DOES VOLUMA LAST?

A majority of subjects enjoyed results for up to 2 year in the clinical trials. However, results will vary for clients depending on multiple unique factors including their metabolism (how fast their body naturally breaks down the material), their aesthetic goals, and more. Most people experience the benefits of Voluma for about 1 to 2 years, after which they are welcome to get additional injections for maintenance, cumulative benefits, and prolonged benefits. Due to the long-term benefits of collagen production, future treatments can be less frequent and may require less filler to achieve the same result.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Recommended amounts of filler vary depending on client personal aesthetic goals, volume loss, skin thickness, and more unique defining factors. Clients with more volume and collagen loss will need more filler to attain desirable results. Clients with thicker skin might be recommended more filler, or a different type of filler that will provide their skin with more support and lift. Certain clients want a natural look, therefore they might be recommended less filler, whereas clients that want dramatic changes will be recommended more filler. There is a delicate balance between type of filler, amount of filler, and clients needs that will need to be addressed by our professional and knowledgeable staff here at Lavande before proceeding with your injectable treatment.

Due to the fact that Voluma’s main ingredient, HA, is a naturally occurring substance in our bodies, the results of using this material for cosmetic purposes is actually quite natural. The HA will simply provide support in place of lost volume, collagen, and fat, which allows for a youthful and natural result. Further, the soft nature of the gel filler is made to mimic the suppleness of youthful skin (which is why particular fillers with particular thicknesses will be recommended for different areas of concern). People can of course achieve a more dramatic look by request, but a natural look is absolutely within reach.

The second main ingredient present in Voluma is 0.3% of the anesthetic lidocaine, which serves to make the injection experience more comfortable. Of course, perception of pain is a unique experience for everyone, but most clients will only feel a mild discomfort due to the combined numbing of the topical and injectable anesthetic that accompanies the procedure. Areas with thinner skin, such as around the mouth, will be slightly more sensitive as well. Further, the cooling effect from the ice that will be applied to the area following injections helps reduce any pain at injections sites.

Most side effects will be moderate or mild, and should last no more than a week or two. Side effects such as tenderness, redness, swelling, and bruising at injections sites might be immediately visible, of course only minimally, and can be covered up with makeup. Other common side effects include firmness, lumps/bumps, itching, and discoloration. If you are worried about any side effects, please feel free to make an appointment to meet with one of our professional providers or to give us a call at (760) LAVANDE (528-2633) to discuss your concerns.

There are various other filler options available at Lavande, and we invite clients to discuss these options with our experienced and insightful staff before proceeding with treatment. Most fillers are made with the same natural HA ingredient, but others have different chemical makeups to achieve similar results that are useful for certain circumstances and needs. Even among the HA fillers, there is lots of variation between added compounds, gel consistencies (spectrum of thinner to thicker fillers), designation of depth of injection, and more. Even in a single treatment, different fillers might be recommended for different needs (such as a thicker filler for your cheeks and a thinner filler for your lips), so it really is best to come in for a consultation for full understanding of recommendations first.

As a volumizing filler (not quite a wrinkle-filling injectable), other products that would compare are Sculptra® Aesthetic and Radiesse®, although Voluma is the only HA product of these options. Other available wrinkle-fillers include JUVÉDERM® Ultra Plus XC, JUVÉDERM Vollure™ XC, JUVÉDERM Volbella® XC, Restylane®, Restylane® Lyft, Belotero Balance®, and others. Certain situations might have recommendations that deviate from filler options.

Filler, as the name suggests, will physically fill out any lines, wrinkles, and hollows you may see. However, Botox as a neuromod is meant to simply relax underlying muscles by blocking nerve impulses and therefore prevent the formation of said lines and wrinkles. Filler is usually made from a natural ingredient that already exists in the body, but Botox is made from a neurotoxic protein. Filler is indicated for injection in the mid and lower parts of the face, and Botox is indicated for injection in the upper part of the face. Filler results will last up to a year, Botox results will last up to 3-4 months. Most clients will get a combination of filler and Botox treatments for optimal results.

Not to fear, there is absolutely a method for dissolving HA filler via injection of the enzyme hyaluronidase. This enzyme is another naturally-occurring substance found in the body (therefore it is safe and effective) that is able to degrade hyaluronic acid (HA) by catalyzing the bodys ability to absorb the material. This option is available per client desire, such as for clients that might be unhappy with their injectable filler injection, and per client need, such as clients that have an adverse reaction to the filler or those that have filler injected in a blood vessel. If HA filler is inadvertently injected in a blood vessel, it can cause negative side effects such as skin ulceration, breakdown, and necrosis, but thankfully hyaluronidase can reverse these effects. It is recommended to get this antidote at the institution that did the injection.