Hyaluronic Acid Dermal Fillers
While wrinkles get the lion’s share of attention as signs of aging, volume loss is probably more telling. As we age, our bodies produce less and less collagen every year. This allows our cheeks to flatten and sink, our lips to thin and develop vertical lines, and the skin around the mouth to begin to show wrinkles. Add sun damage and the natural slackening of tissue with the passing years and you have a perfect recipe for facial aging.
To address these problems, Dr. Walker offers the entire line of Juvéderm® hyaluronic acid dermal fillers to fight this volume loss — Juvéderm XC, Juvéderm Voluma XC, and Juvéderm Ultra XC, Juvéderm Ultra Plus XC, Juvéderm Vollure XC, and Juvéderm Volbella XC. Each Juvéderm® filler addresses a different area of the face and replaces lost volume.
What is a dermal filler?
The name says it all — when dermal fillers are injected beneath a wrinkle, crease, or sunken area, these injectables “fill in” the area, pushing the skin back upward. Dermal fillers are classified as “natural” or “synthetic,” depending on what they are made with.
Dr. Walker only uses Juvéderm® “natural” fillers made primarily from hyaluronic acid.
What is hyaluronic acid?
Hyaluronic acid is a sugar molecule that occurs naturally in the skin. It helps bind water to collagen, hydrating the skin and making it appear plumper and firm. Hyaluronic acid also works to provide cushion and lubrication in our joints and other tissues.
How are hyaluronic acid fillers different than Botox?
Dermal fillers treat what are known as “static” wrinkles. These are the wrinkles that develop from sun damage and natural aging, and they show themselves at all times. Botox® is different; it is a neuromodulator, and it treats what are called “dynamic” wrinkles. These are wrinkles that form when muscles contract under the skin when we make expressions such as smiling or squinting. Botox® relaxes the muscle, so the wrinkle doesn’t form above it. Botox® has no effect on static wrinkles.
What areas of the face do hyaluronic acid fillers work on?
The Juvéderm® line of hyaluronic acid fillers used by Dr. Walker targets the static wrinkles described above. These wrinkles, lines, and creases form primarily due to sun damage and the continuing decline of collagen as we age. Every year after our 20th birthday, our bodies produce one less additional percentage point of collagen. That means at 50, your body is now producing one third less collagen than in your youth. That collagen decrease, coupled with sun damage, allows the formation of the lines, creases, and areas of volume loss (such as the cheeks) that are the typical signs of facial aging.
These are the areas and issues Dr. Walker uses Juvéderm hyaluronic acid fillers to treat:
- Smile lines running from the nose down to the corners of the mouth
- Parentheses lines framing the sides of the mouth
- Marionette lines descending from the corners of the mouth
- Barcode lines above the upper lip
- Sunken cheeks
- Under eye hollow
- Tear troughs
Juvéderm® can also be used to return volume to the backs of the hands to mask the tendons and blood vessels that become more and more prevalent with age.
What fillers use hyaluronic acid?
The world’s most popular dermal fillers are hyaluronic acid fillers. These are the extended lines of Juvéderm® and Restylane®. As mentioned above, Dr. Walker offers the complete Juvéderm® line of fillers for our patients.
Dr. Walker also utilizes the below fillers to help with patients concerns:
- Restylane Refyne
- Restylane Defyne
- Restylane-L
- Resylane Kysse
- Restylane Lyft
- RHA 2
- RHA 3
- RHA 4
What does each Juvéderm® filler target?
Juvéderm® XC
As the skin loses elasticity and moisture, some people form relatively deep parentheses lines that frame the corners of the mouth and creases that run from the nose to the mouth (nasolabial folds). Juvéderm® XC adds volume beneath the skin to smooth these lines and folds. This was the first Juvéderm® product and remains one of the world’s most popular fillers.
Juvéderm Voluma® XC
Clinically known as “age-related mid-face volume loss,” you know it as sagging cheeks. Over time, as you lose the collagen to support your skin and as your underlying muscles weaken, your cheeks flatten. Juvéderm Voluma® XC is designed to add volume beneath the skin’s surface to lift and contour the cheek area. Plump cheeks are a tenet of a younger look.
Juvéderm® Ultra XC
You may not think about your lips with facial aging, but our lips thin as we get older. Other women have never been happy with the fullness of their lips. Juvéderm® Ultra XC provides or returns fullness and fills the vertical wrinkles that form on our lips.
Juvéderm® Ultra Plus XC
Like Ultra, Juvéderm® Ultra Plus XC adds volume to the lips and areas around the mouth. Ultra Plus is composed of bigger molecules than Ultra, making it thicker and a little longer lasting. Ultra Plus is better for severe wrinkles and folds and for extra lip volume enhancement.
Juvéderm Volbella® XC
Juvéderm Volbella® XC is perfect for adding subtle volume and shape to the lips. Plus, it erases the vertical lines that come from volume loss. Juvéderm Volbella® XC does this without overtly enlarging the lips. It provides a more subtle option when compared with Ultra or Ultra Plus.
Juvéderm Vollure® XC
Juvéderm Vollure® XC is the newest addition to the Juvéderm® family of dermal fillers. Vollure® is designed for the correction of moderate to deep creases and wrinkles such as nasolabial folds running from the nose down to the corners of the mouth, and parentheses lines framing the mouth.
What Our Patients Have to Say
"I love Dr. Walker’s office! She’s amazing and is so warm, professional, and detailed in her approach. Her office staff is super friendly, which honestly, matters a ton in today’s world. Excellent patient experience and would highly recommend."
Are there any risks involved with having dermal fillers injected?
All the fillers Dr. Walker offers have been approved by the FDA for aesthetic use. To gain these approvals, each filler needed to be proven safe and effective for treating the signs of aging.
Because hyaluronic acid is a substance that occurs naturally in the human body, reactions to Juvéderm products are very rare. Plus, if the patient isn’t happy with the look of an injected area, Dr. Walker can inject an enzyme into the area, and it instantly breaks down the hyaluronic acid and returns the skin to its former appearance. Otherwise, there can be a little redness and slight swelling at the injection sites, but that passes very quickly. Results are immediate.
How long will my results last with hyaluronic acid fillers?
Results vary with the individual Juvéderm filler. As with all injectables, the duration of the effects can vary based on the individual patient’s metabolism. Still, there are some general measures of durability of these products:
- Juvéderm Voluma® XC is the longest-lasting hyaluronic filler, restoring cheek volume for up to two years.
- Juvéderm® XC, Ultra XC, Ultra Plus XC, Vollure XC, and Volbella XC last between 9-12 months.
How do I know which Juvéderm filler is right for me?
The original Juvéderm filler was approved by the FDA in 2006. Juvéderm, along with Restylane, were the original dermal fillers. Since that time, the Juvéderm line has been expanded to target different areas of the face. For instance, Voluma was developed specifically for returning volume to the cheeks. Volbella was created to add subtle volume to the lips, whereas Ultra was created to add noticeable volume to the lips.
But you don’t need to be a Juvéderm expert. Leave that to Dr. Walker. When she sees you during your initial consultation, you’ll describe the issues you’d like to address with your facial aging. From there, she will discuss the various Juvéderm fillers that could be right for you.
Schedule a Consultation
For more information about The Plastic Surgery Center of Dallas and the services we provide in Dallas and the surrounding areas, please call us at (972) 661-5077 or fill out the consultation request form on this page. Dr. Rachel Walker and her staff will reach out to you as quickly as possible.