One of first signs of aging most people notice is a loss of tissue in the mid-cheek area. This reduction in volume often happens fairly quickly, and people are horrified to realize they seem to have aged ten years practically overnight. The loss of tissue volume makes the face appear gaunt, and the overlying skin becomes loose and creased; in some cases, the loss of volume in the mid-face also causes skin around the mouth and jawline to sag, resulting in jowls. In the past, the only solution was a complex surgical procedure involving implants, but today there are minimally invasive fillers that can be injected under the skin to add volume to the face. One of the most popular such fillers is Juvederm®.
Juvederm®
Juvederm® is actually a line of fillers made out of hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is a natural substance normally present in the skin and joints throughout the body. In the various forms of Juvederm®, the hyaluronic acid has been prepared as gels of various thicknesses to provide fillers of the appropriate density for different parts of the face. For providing facial fullness, the thick gel Juvederm® Voluma is usually used to fill in lost volume in the mid-cheek area and to fill in deep nasolabial folds. The procedure is fairly straightforward. After discussing the patient’s goals from the procedure, the experienced and skilled doctor studies the patient’s face and decides where to inject the Juvederm® and how much to inject; the sites are usually marked on the patient’s face with a marker. Then, the skin is numbed and the filler is injected, usually through several different sites. The procedure itself doesn’t take very long, a matter of minutes on average. The filler itself contains lidocaine, which ensures patients remain as comfortable as possible throughout the process.
Recovery
There is no downtime or recovery period necessary; patients can immediately return to their normal activities. Results are immediately apparent after the procedure. The filler is gradually absorbed by the body and the treatment will need to be repeated approximately every two years, although the necessary interval varies by patient. Some patients report they are able to extend the interval between treatments for increasing amounts of time after each successive treatment, presumably because the injections are inducing their bodies to produce more hyaluronic acid at the treated site to supplement the filler.
Get In Touch with Us for More Information
If you have noticed loss of volume in your mid-facial area, get it treated with Juvederm® by making an appointment with Athena Plastic Surgery! At our convenient locations in West Palm Beach, our caring and dedicated team of professionals will be pleased to explain this treatment in full and answer any questions you may have. Contact us today to set up your consultation – we look forward to speaking with you!