It is perfectly normal to experience changes to your skin as you age. That said, you don’t have to settle for living with these changes. If you don’t like the way your skin is changing, you may benefit from injectable dermal fillers at OptimizeFace MD in Aliso Viejo, CA. Today, we’re taking a closer look at one of our most popular fillers, Juvederm Voluma.
How Long Will Voluma Last?
Are you looking to enhance the appearance of your midface for a long time to come? Are you sick and tired of applying makeup every day to contour your cheekbones and make this look fuller? If so, you’re going to love Juvederm Voluma. Individual results vary, but you can expect the results of this volumizing treatment to last for around two years.
What Causes Facial Volume Loss?
Facial volume loss can occur for a variety of reasons. For example, some people lose a significant amount of weight due to an illness or a drastic change in diet and exercise routine. Nevertheless, the most common cause of facial volume loss is a significant reduction in the skin’s collagen production rate.
This drastic rate decrease starts at the age of 25 and worsens as time progresses. Note, your skin also starts to produce significantly less elastin by the time you turn 25, leading to sagging cheek skin.
What Is This Filler?
This injectable dermal filler is an FDA-approved, hyaluronic acid-based gel that is injected into the foundational layer of your skin using a very small needle. Also known as HA, hyaluronic acid is a polysaccharide that your body produces in abundance when you’re young. However, as you age, your body produces it at an increasingly reduced rate until it can’t make enough to replenish what it is using.
This creates a massive problem because, in the absence of sufficient HA, your skin cannot retain moisture efficiently. It also loses a significant amount of volume and can’t produce collagen and elastin as efficiently.
What You Can Expect During the Treatment Process
You may be wondering whether this is the right treatment for you if you have concerns about the appearance of your cheeks. It is also likely that you are wondering what the treatment process is like. To help you determine whether this treatment is right for you, here is a closer look at what you can expect throughout the entire process.
Going to Your First Appointment
Going to your first appointment is the first step in restoring the healthy, youthful midface you desire. To ensure that you are healthy enough to receive this treatment, we will discuss your health history in detail. Typically, you will be considered a good candidate for this treatment if you are over the age of 21, concerned about the appearance of your midface, and in fairly good health.
It is also important that your skin is healthy at the time of treatment to qualify. However, regardless of how healthy you are, this treatment is not right for you if you are trying to become pregnant, currently pregnant, or breastfeeding. Examples of medical conditions that may preclude you from qualifying for this treatment include uncontrolled type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or a history of keloid scarring.
Preparing for Your Treatment
If we determine that you qualify for this anti-aging injectable, we will advise you on how to prepare for your injection session. Among the most important preparation steps is protecting your skin from sun exposure. If you have a sunburn at the time of your appointment, it will need to be rescheduled. We will also need to reschedule your appointment if there is any other form of skin irritation, like rosacea, acne, or atopic dermatitis.
If you have a history of acne breakouts, we strongly recommend using a preventative cream for several weeks before your treatment to mitigate the risk of a breakout.
A Word on Blood-Thinners
Another very important preparation step is not taking drugs or supplements that cause blood-thinning, like NSAIDs, vitamin E supplements, garlic supplements, and MAOIs. Also, you should refrain from taking vitamin K supplements and fish oil supplements for a few days prior to your injection session.
Additionally, it is very important that you do not consume nicotine or alcohol for a couple of days prior to your treatment. A comprehensive list of preparation instructions will be given to you during your initial consultation. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
How to Prepare On Your Session Day
There is minimal preparation required on the day of your injection session. However, we strongly recommend that you eat something small and nutritious and drink at least 16 ounces of a hydrating beverage prior to your appointment. We also recommend coming in with a clean, bare face.
Coming in for Your Injections
You can expect your injection session to take between a quarter of an hour and a full hour depending on the scope of your treatment. Voluma is such an incredibly convenient anti-aging technique because the formula contains lidocaine, an injectable numbing drug, in addition to the HA that volumizes the skin. Thus, you don’t have to waste time waiting for a topical anesthetic to be applied and start working.
We will let you know how long your session should take once the scope of your treatment is determined during your initial consultation. Your injection session will only last around 15 minutes if you’re only worried about the appearance of your cheeks. However, if you have several areas of concern in addition to your cheeks, your session will take closer to an hour. As a general rule, it takes between 15 and 20 minutes to treat an area of concern.
Caring for Your Skin After Your Injection Session
One of the advantages of Voluma injections is you get the volumized cheeks you want without having to put up with a six-to-eight week recovery period. Rather, you are free to go back to work as soon as your injections are administered and we’ve reviewed your brief set of recovery rules.
Unlike invasive cheek augmentation, there is no forced downtime, and your recovery guidelines are incredibly simple. For example, you will need to protect your skin from the sun for a few days, refrain from participating in any activity that results in excessive sweating, and sleep on your back for one night. You will also be asked to go for a brief period without consuming alcohol or tobacco products.
Enjoying Your Results
As soon as the HA-based gel is injected into the deepest layer of your skin, your treatment area will be noticeably more volumized. However, you won’t see the final results of this treatment right away. Rather, it can take up to two weeks for your skin to produce enough extra collagen to give you the aesthetic you desire.
Just keep in mind while you are waiting for your skin to produce the extra collagen that this treatment is so effective there is no need for a second session until your final results fade. In other words, you will only have to come in for one injection session that takes around 15 minutes. Then, 10 to 14 days later, you can feel confident in the appearance of your cheeks for two whole years.
What You Can Do To Extend the Longevity of Your Results
To extend the longevity of your results, it is highly advisable to drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated ensures that there is enough water in your skin to keep your collagen as healthy as possible. It is also very important to moisturize the outer layers of your skin. During your initial consultation, we will advise you on whether you should moisturize once or twice daily to keep your skin as young and healthy as possible.
Other things you can do to extend the longevity of your results include:
- Quitting tobacco use
- Keeping alcohol consumption to a minimum
- Eating nutritiously
- Wearing sunscreen diligently
Schedule Your Initial Consultation Today
Typically, you can expect the final results of your cheek enhancement treatment to last for two years. However, you can extend the longevity of your results by making healthy lifestyle choices. To discover if you qualify for this anti-aging injectable, contact us now at OptimizeFace MD in Aliso Viejo, CA to schedule a consultation. We look forward to developing a comprehensive anti-aging plan that allows you to erase all of your aesthetic concerns.
