Juvederm: 7 Reasons Why You Should

It’s just a fact of life. As we age, lines and wrinkles appear on our face and deepen over time. No matter how we care for ourselves, or how genetically gifted we may be, it will happen to all of us in time. Some are happy to allow time to take its course, while others of us want to hold on to our youth for as long as we can. If you’re in the latter group, you may have been sitting on the fence about getting those lines filled. No doubt, you can think of a few reasons why you shouldn’t have Juvederm treatments: recovery time, cost, and of course, being seen as vain. But in the end, it’s your face and your choice. Here, we’re going to shamelessly give you seven reasons why you should!

But First: A Brief History of Juvederm and Other Fillers

Fat transplants! That’s where it started. In 1893, a German plastic surgeon, Dr. Gustav Neuber, transplanted fat from a patient’s arm to around their eyes to correct scarring from a bone infection. The resulting smoothing of the area was very quickly seen as a way to not only correct scarring but fill the lines and wrinkles that come with age. Silicone injections soon followed. It seemed like a good idea at the time. No one suspected the health problems that might result, but these soon manifested. Clearly, safer treatments were required. All of this took almost a hundred years, though.

By the 1970s, animal collagens* were being used as fillers but of course, there were some health concerns around the idea of injecting people with animal tissues. The FDA did eventually approve these treatments. The most well-known trade names were Zyderm and Zyplast. By the early 21^st century, synthetic fillers were being developed. Both Juvederm and Restylane were approved by the FDA in 2006, and the latest promising newcomer, Revanesse, in 2017. We can be sure that advances will continue to be made and we can all look forward to even more effective treatments in the years ahead.

*Collagen: The most abundant protein in the body, you can think of collagen as the ‘glue’ that holds our tissues together. A loss of collagen means a loss of firmness and elasticity, and unfortunately, we lose collagen naturally as we age.

Juvederm: Not Just One Product

It’s important to know that Juvederm (and Restylane) are not just one filler. Each is a family of fillers formulated to be most effective for different treatment areas. Juvederm Ultra, Ultra Plus, Vollure, Volbella and Voluma all have slightly different formulas. When you come to see us for a consultation, we’ll be able to recommend the best filler for you and the areas to be treated.

Why Juvederm Works: Hyaluronic Acid

When we’re young our skin contains lots of an essential molecule called hyaluronic acid. The most important function of HA is to bind with water – up to 1,000 times its own weight in water, in fact! All that water plumps and smooths our skin. We lose HA as we age. Juvederm, Restylane and Revanesse all work by replacing the lost hyaluronic acid. You can learn more about hyaluronic acid and facial fillers in general here.

Reason 1: You Are Not Alone

Think you’re the only one? Not even close. There were 1.8 million filler procedures performed in the U.S. in 2010, rising to 2.8 million in 2016, and it’s increased every year since. And that’s just fillers. In 2018 there were a total of 17.7 million minimally invasive cosmetic procedures performed in the U.S alone. As most of these were women between the ages of 20 and 60, a little math tells us that almost 20% of U.S. women in that age range have had at least one procedure.

As the procedures become ever safer, and results can be fine-tuned, more and more women (and men) are opting for these minimally invasive procedures. If you fear being labeled as ‘vain’, or someone who is futilely trying to hold on to your youth, fear no more. Chances are very good you know someone who has had Juvederm treatments, or some other brand of filler.  Think you don’t? Remember that most people don’t talk about it. So think about the people you know who always seem to look younger than they are. They might be genetically gifted, or, just maybe…

Reason 2: You’ll (Probably) Be Happier

There are lots of ‘studies’ out there from cosmetic companies showing that your life will be transformed by cosmetic procedures. Really, folks? Of course they say that. Fortunately, there is a very thorough scientific study from independent researchers in Europe that says so too. In 2012, researchers from Ruhr University and the University of Babel conducted a study with 550 subjects who all received cosmetic procedures. What did they find?

In the latest study, the psychologists tested the patients before surgery, as well as three, six and 12 months afterwards. Compared to those who had chosen not to have plastic surgery, the patients who opted for surgery “felt healthier, were less anxious, had developed more self-esteem and found the operated body feature in particular, but also their body as a whole, more attractive,” the researchers wrote. “No adverse effects were observed.”

Read More Here

While this study focused solely on more invasive plastic surgeries, we can tell you from our own experience that the vast majority of our clients who have come to us for Juvederm and other filler treatments are very happy with the results and feel better about themselves and their appearance afterward. So much so that the majority return regularly to maintain their more youthful face.

Reason 3: Your Relationships Will Improve

Doubt us? Think we’re making this up? Nope. Numerous studies show a strong correlation between self-esteem and satisfaction in our relationships. The better we feel about ourselves, the better we are likely to feel about our partner. Poor self-esteem undermines our view of, well, everything. If you don’t feel good about yourself, you are far more likely to overreact or blame your partner for your unhappiness.

Since we already determined in the previous point that cosmetic procedures have a high likelihood of making us feel better about ourselves it follows that we’ll also feel better about our relationships. And that’s not just with our significant other. Our level of self-esteem affects all of our relationships: family, friends, and co-workers.

As just one of many articles on this subject, here’s one from Psychology Today.

Reason 4: You’ll Like Your Job More

We know what you’re thinking – now we’re really stretching! But no, it’s more of that stuff about self-esteem. Just as with relationships, higher self-esteem equates to greater job satisfaction. There could be a number of reasons for this. Feeling better about ourselves affects our outlook on everything. But there’s also evidence that when our self-esteem is good, we want to maintain that in all aspects of our life. This can translate into working more diligently at our jobs. Since working harder almost always produces more positive results, we take pride in our competence and contributions in the workplace. This creates a feedback loop that can lead to even greater self-esteem.

And all of this can get a boost just from feeling better about our appearance. Who knew!

Reason 5: People Keep Asking if You’re Tired

Bags under your eyes? Skin darkening, and not in a good way? These are common effects of aging on our face and skin. As we lose collagen and elastin*, the resulting fine lines and wrinkles soak up light, reducing the amount that gets reflected by our skin. If you use highlighter as part of your makeup regime, you know that it can make your skin look more youthful.

*Elastin: A highly elastic protein that lets our skin snap back into shape after stretching or folding.

This is because young skin is not only firm and seamless but full of healthy oils that reflect the light. Under-eye creams can help, but this just brightens the flat areas that remain. The lines and wrinkles are still there, soaking up the light, producing those dark bags under your eyes and reducing the albedo* of your face.

*Albedo: The amount of light reflected by a surface

If others are frequently asking you if you’re tired, it doesn’t just affect your self-esteem. Psychological studies show that we humans are very susceptible to suggestion, especially if the message is repeated from different sources. This means that if people keep asking if you’re tired, it won’t be long before you’ll believe that you are. Your energy levels will actually drop, leading to less activity and even faster aging of your appearance as a result.

Reason 6:  You Don’t Want Surgery

There can be a lot of reasons why you might not want cosmetic surgery. It’s very expensive and carries greater risk of something going seriously wrong. It’s irreversible. There’s a lengthy recovery time. And for some us, it’s just going too far.

Juvederm treatments are minimally invasive, largely painless, and have a very short recovery time. You may have some bruising and swelling for up to 72 hours after your injections, but for most patients, it’s barely noticeable. In addition, we can treat bruising with laser therapy.

Finally, maybe you are considering surgery, but you’d like to have a better idea of how much benefit you would get from it. Many people use fillers as a way to determine just how many years they can take off of their appearance before making that big commitment.

Reason 7: Affordable, Instant Results

There’s actually a number of things we can do to make ourselves look younger. Exercise, diet, sleep, a better job, a new relationship – all of these things can positively affect our appearance. The problem is they take time and commitment, or in some cases, just plain luck. Surgery can certainly work too, but it’s expensive and has a long recovery time. There are also more risks associated with invasive surgical procedures.

With a Juvederm treatment, you can walk out of our clinic looking better already, and be fully recovered within a few days. You’ll also be surprised at how affordable treatments are. It’s simply supply-and-demand economics. As treatments become more and more common, the cost of the ampules continues to drop. Come see us for a consultation and quote.