A natural part of the aging process is the appearance of loose skin, fine lines and wrinkles, and hollow cheeks. However, just because it’s a natural part of the aging process doesn’t mean you have to live with it for the rest of your life. At Kaniff Cosmetic Medical Center in Sacramento, CA, we offer several anti-aging treatments to help our clients improve their aesthetic, including Juvederm Voluma. Here’s everything you need to know about this treatment.
How Can You Lift Your Cheeks? Discover Juvederm Voluma
Juvederm Voluma is an FDA-approved anti-aging treatment designed to improve the appearance of the midface. Specifically, it can be used to restore volume to hollowed cheeks, lift and tighten cheek skin, recontour the cheekbones, and improve the appearance of the undereye region. This safe, effective filler works thanks to the active ingredient hyaluronic acid, a polysaccharide that your skin produces naturally.
Cheek hollowness can occur due to extreme weight loss, but it is usually due to a loss of hyaluronic acid and collagen. Excitingly, increasing the amount of hyaluronic acid in the cheeks leads to an increase in collagen production. The extra collagen production is one of the reasons the results of this treatment work.
How Does This Injectable Work?
Juvederm Voluma, like other dermal filler treatments, is administered using a tiny needle. It is injected into several strategic points in the problem areas, such as the apple of the cheek or just above the cheekbone. This filler erases wrinkles and fine lines, recontours the cheeks, and lifts and tightens skin by increasing the amount of hyaluronic acid in the treatment areas.
Why Does Cheek Volume Loss Occur?
People often show the first signs of aging between the eyes and chin. It is not uncommon for undereye concerns to arise, but the cheeks most commonly lose a significant amount of volume quickly. Sharp cheekbones and hollow cheeks can make people look older than they are, but why is this such a common occurrence.
The cheeks most commonly show the signs of volume loss-related aging first due to natural fat distribution changes. It is incredibly common for people in their 30s to lose facial fat, making the natural collagen loss much more noticeable.
Sun Damage Also Causes Volume Loss
Another reason your cheeks start to show the signs of aging quickly is prolonged sun exposure. UV rays produce free radicals which endanger the health of the skin cells by depleting collagen. Put another way, UV ray exposure results in premature skin aging because it slows collagen production, resulting in volume loss and skin sagging.
What Can You Expect During Your Treatment Session?
One of the reasons Voluma is so popular is the simplicity of the treatment process. Typically, Voluma sessions take a mere half of an hour from start to finish. During this time, your skin will be sanitized and, if you’d like, we can apply a topical anesthetic to the treatment areas. However, our Voluma formulas contain an injectable anesthetic that will numb the treatment areas within 15 seconds of injection.
How Should You Care for Your Skin After Treatment?
Another reason this treatment is so popular is that there isn’t a drawn-out recovery period required after the injection session. You’re free to drive yourself home after your treatment session and spend the rest of your day relaxing, but there’s nothing stopping you from going back to work. However, there are a couple of restrictions you should adhere to for one to two days:
- Refrain from vigorous activities
- Don’t use any harsh topical products
- Don’t apply too much pressure to the treatment areas
- Don’t use tobacco products or drink alcohol
- Avoid unprotected sun exposure, hot water, and steam
How Quickly Do the Results of This Treatment Become Apparent?
You will see the initial results of your treatment as soon as your session is over. However, this is only due to the fact that hyaluronic acid attracts up to 1,000 times its molecular weight in water molecules and binds to those water molecules, keeping them in the cheeks.
The final results come about due to the increased production of collagen in response to the extra hyaluronic acid. Your final results will become apparent approximately 10 to 14 days after the injections are administered.
How Soon Will You Need a Follow-Up Session?
Most people can enjoy their final results for approximately 24 months after their injections. After this point, the results of your treatment will fade slowly over the course of several months. However, everyone metabolizes the hyaluronic acid at a different rate. Also, your lifestyle choices and unique genetics will affect the longevity of your treatment results.
For instance, a younger individual with healthier skin and a better skincare routine may enjoy their ideal results for longer than two years; on the other hand, an older individual who smokes and drinks alcohol regularly may need a follow-up treatment after only 18 or 21 months. Nevertheless, the results of Voluma last far longer than the results of other dermal fillers.
How Can You Make Your Results Last Longer?
While the average person will enjoy the results of this treatment for 24 months, it is possible to increase the longevity of your results by looking after the health of your skin. For instance, your skin will stay plump, hydrated, and healthy if you eat nutritious foods, get enough sleep, and stay hydrated. Also, it is very important for the health of your collagen to wear adequate sun protection daily, even when you’ll be in a car or office all day.
Similarly, you should protect collagen health by minimizing the amount of time you spend outside between 10 and 4. Moreover, using quality skin care products will go a long way towards keeping your skin healthy, hydrated, and young. It is very important to moisturize your skin, and you can benefit from serums that contain hyaluronic acid and collagen.
How Effective Is This Treatment?
Another reason this treatment is incredibly popular is it was approved by the FDA in 2013 for efficacy. Since then, over 500,000 people have recontoured their cheeks and lifted sagging cheek skin satisfactorily. You can feel confident that you will feel satisfied with the results of your Voluma injections after just one treatment session.
Is Voluma Better Than Botox?
Botox is among the most popular injectable muscle relaxants in the world. However, we can’t say it is better than Voluma because they are two completely different types of treatments.
Although they’re both used to reverse the visible aging signs, the specific aging signs you’re seeing will determine which treatment will help you achieve your goals. Botox is a better treatment for the reversal of muscle-related wrinkles. Voluma is a better treatment for the reversal of volume loss-related wrinkles.
Can These Treatments Be Combined?
Yes, Botox can be injected in conjunction with your Juvederm treatment. As a matter of fact, combining dermal filler and injectable muscle relaxant treatments may be the only way to achieve your aesthetic goals. It is common for people to have both volume loss-related wrinkles and muscle-related wrinkles.
What About Other Juvederm Formulas?
The Juvederm family of fillers includes several specialized formulas. Each formula was designed to treat a different region of the face very effectively. If you have volume loss-related concerns in your lower face, you may benefit from another Juvederm formula.
Juvederm Vollure
Juvederm Vollure is an incredibly dense Juvederm formula that was designed to tackle the toughest facial wrinkles. Primarily, it is used to reverse chin wrinkles, nasolabial folds, and smile lines. Due to the density of this filler, the results of this treatment will last for approximately 18 months.
Juvederm Ultra
Juvederm Ultra is similar to Vollure in that it can erase deep lines around the mouth and nose. However, it differs in that it can also be used to augment the lips, recontouring them and correcting asymmetry. Typically, the results of this treatment usually last for 12 months.
Juvederm Volbella
Juvederm Volbella is a thinner, silkier iteration of Juvederm Ultra. It can erase lipstick and smile lines or subtly augment the lips for approximately six months.
Restore Volume to Your Cheeks Today
You should feel confident every time you catch a glimpse of your reflection in your bathroom mirror or a store window. Juvederm Voluma is the perfect non-surgical solution for you if you wish your cheeks looked a little more volumized. To learn more about this treatment, reach out to us at Kaniff Cosmetic Medical Center in Sacramento, CA, and set up an appointment.