11 Things I Wish I Knew Before Juvederm

In our Juvederm community many people look back on their experiences and say, "I wish I had known..." some information prior to undergoing Juvederm treatment. Here are 11 tips from RealSelf community members that you may find helpful. Feel free to add your own in the comments! --Sharon

1) Juvederm is For Wrinkles... and More

I had Juvederm injected one month ago into my face to look younger -- a "liquid face lift." I wanted a mini face lift, but thought I could put it off for a while. -Mishka

I had Juvederm injected below my bottom lip, on each side, in order to fill out some rolling acne scars. I'm not very satisfied with the result. The product seemed to pool into areas I didn't need it, and didn't do a great job of filling out my scars. -all_smiles

I decided to have Juvederm to fill a recessed area of my nose. The doctor filled it and it looks bad. I want my old nose back. -biba

I'm 36 and had treatment for "lipo-deficient" cheeks with Juvederm Ultra Plus. About 1.5 vials in one side and 0.5 in the other, to make the appearance even. -Hopeitgoesaway

I have reasonably-sized lips and wanted a little more volume, especially in my top lip. I had more injected into the body of my lips instead of the border so they looked more natural, not strange like they can look if too much is around the vermilion border. Juvederm is perfect for this and gave me my dream lips! They look very natural and luscious. Only downside is they will bruise and swell a bit but it is easily masked with lipstick or gloss. Get Juvederm Ultra Plus which lasts a bit longer. I recommend this to those looking for a plumper pout! I wish it lasted forever though, not just several months. -SoniainBoston

2) Choosing an Injector

I decided not to take any shortcuts so I went to a plastic surgeon and had an initial consultation five months ago. (This shows how hard it was for me to make up my mind!) The actual injections were done by a nurse. This concerned me a little but she does these all the time and is trained and certified in them so I figured it'd be better to choose experience over a title (RN vs MD). -blueeyedkitty

One should always make sure that the person doing the injecting is board-certified. They definitely should be a physician who specializes in these procedures. The quality of results are determined by the quality of the person doing it. -Janet Bryan

Not all plastic surgeons are good injectors. It takes someone that does it a lot and on a regular basis and knows how the products react. -Terry Brown

I went to an ophthalmologist who also does cosmetic Botox, laser and Juvederm. I watched him perform laser eye surgery on my father, and figured he had great hands for the needlework on my face. -Peggy C

3) Does Juvederm Hurt?

I had a dental block done, which wasn't very painful so the injections were a breeze -- No pain. My advice is to go to a very skilled dermatologist or plastic surgeon and spring for a bit more so you're happy. -Lee2

I had a local topical and the Juvederm was mixed with lidocaine. There was no pain, seriously, and I was really scared about that, and no bruising at all so far. I followed the instructions of no ASA/alcohol, and took bromelain pills for a few days beforehand. I was very nervous and had researched the pros and cons of this treatment ad nauseam. So in terms of the procedure, it was no big deal for me. -Lovisa

4) Bruising and Swelling

I have a little bruise under my left eye and hardly anything under the right one. I am also very pale and bruise easily. -blueeyedkitty

I bruised terribly above my top lip and had a dark black and blue mustache for a FULL week! I have an enormous soft "pillow" under one eye, and less obvious swelling under the other. -billiejoy

I didn't have any swelling after my shots, but did get pinpoint bruising that started the following day and lasted for about a week. It was very minimal. Now for my marionette lines, I bruised and swelled like CRAZY! -dolphins21

5) Aftercare

I took Arnica Montana and had minimal bruising. I took Arnica for about maybe two days before and during the day of injection and a day or so later. I took three pills about three times a day. -Krystal

Apply ice water for 20 minutes and then a warm tea bag for another 20 minutes. That should help the healing process. -aabob

I have been doing warm compresses every night. The warm compresses have changed the big bags into smaller ones. I have been lightly massaging it too -- seems to have helped somewhat. You might want to try a baking soda and water paste too. I did that for my Juvederm duck lips and it took them right away. (Baking soda neutralizes acid.) But I didn't really notice much of a difference with the baking soda paste in my eye area. I think it worked for the lips because I put in on the inside of my mouth and that tissue is more absorbent than skin.  -Hatejuvederm

6) Downtime

I literally expected a day or more of downtime after having this done. I have a couple of tiny pin prick marks that you'd need a magnifying glass to see. -Lovisa

Next time I have Juvederm injections it will be before a two week vacation. I went back to work on the fourth day post-injection. I was unhappy about the conspicuous bruising at work. -Los Angeles8948

My downtime is about 3-4 days to avoid people that know me really well! A stranger would have no idea I just had them done. -LOVE my lips

7) Lumps and Bumps

Juvederm is highly malleable, which means if you have lumps or it doesn't look smooth, the doctor can show you (within the first two weeks) how to massage it into place and smooth it out. It is a bit painful because you do have to massage hard enough to move it around. I use Arnica gel and oil to help massage, and it helps bring down the swelling and bruising if you have any. -Terry Brown

When I tried massaging my lumps I think I made my face more swollen. The lumps under my eyes eventually did go away but it took about five months or so. Thank goodness it didn't leave any lasting, sagging skin. -Hatejuvederm

I have noticed that some doctors say to massage the injected area but the lady who did mine has told me not to touch my face for three days or have it massaged for up to a week. -cecil

8) Touch-ups

The nice thing about Juvederm is that if you don't use all the syringe, your practitioner can store it for use until next time. I will be going back in the next week or so to have the rest injected, after I look my face over for a bit and see where I think it's needed. -dolphins21

I just had Juvederm done today; actually, twice today! I had one syringe this morning, but it was obvious my 11 lines and marionette lines needed more. After six hours of seeing how my super-sensitive skin tolerated it, I was back for the rest in the afternoon! My 11 lines won't completely disappear because they are too deep, but they are hugely better. He also worked on some deep wrinkles under my lip and on my chin. I got the Ultra which is supposed to last up to 12 months. I have no bruising (and, I bruise easily), even though I bled at the syringe site on my forehead. I am thrilled with this stuff! The doctor said it takes up to seven days to completely calm down, so it will get even better. -Peggy C

9) Dissolving Juvederm with Hyaluronidase

Another doctor superficially injected Juvederm in the tear trough area and, as a result, I had bags or pillows under my eyes. I had hyaluronidase injected in the tear trough area by a very competent dermatologist to correct the mistake. He injected one unit for both eyes and I immediately saw the result within minutes. The bags flattened out and by the time I went back home, which was about two hours, all the bags had disappeared. It felt like a miracle! -desperate333

I personally feel this product Vitrase is horribly abused. It should not be so generally accepted that, "Oh, if a doctor makes mistake with Juvederm, just get some Vitrase!" There are some physicians who have this thought process, and I say, find out ahead of time, and run for the hills if you encounter any practitioner who feels this way. That is too blase an attitude to have. A doctor should be skilled and competent enough to inject Juvederm the FIRST time! If he has to rely on Vitrase, don't use him. -Krystal

10) Longevity and Long-Term Effects

I hope the results are as lasting as it says... up to a year. My doctor told me I may need a touch up after four months or so, but we would have to wait and see. Different people have different longevity periods with this, but regardless, I'm in love with this stuff! I switched to the Ultra Plus though... it lasts a lot longer in my lips than the regular Juvederm. -Bama Chick

I had Juvederm done twice under my eye for the dark circles. The first time it worked great with very little bruising, the second time I bruised A LOT and then the dark circles were twice or three times as bad. It looked like I had black eyes all the time now. After 10 months of dealing with this and hoping it might get better but didn't, I went to another doctor and got an opinion on what may have made this worse and what I could do to make it better. He told me that I had a lot of tiny clusters of blood vessels under the skin that may have worsened by the severity of the bruising I had with the last treatment. Not sure if that was it, but it was definitely MUCH worse. He suggested the YAG laser to treat these veins and IPL laser to help with any discoloration of the skin. -nytowl

I had Juvederm injected for some hollowing underneath my eyes. Unfortunately, the dermatologist used a "superficial" technique leaving me with a Tyndall effect. I also had prolonged swelling for over six weeks because of the trauma to the thin skin in this area. I had severe bruising as well. -Still waiting

11) Was It Worth It?

After one treatment with Juvederm I'm hooked. It's absolutely incredible. Talk about instant gratification. -Bama Chick

Results? Yes? But they're very, very hard to place. They are subtle to put it mildly. I definitely wanted a more dramatic result, and feel I could have used another vial or two easily. I really considered getting more today because when I looked in the mirror after it was done I still saw my nasolabial folds. I'm not looking for radical improvements, but still something I can clearly see. Right now I feel like I would like more filler, but price can quickly become an issue, especially when I don't know if it'll last. -Lovisa

The results are so slight. I have no doubts that my doctor is competent and did a great job, I just didn't get the improvement that I hoped for. The treatment was pretty painful and I looked like a monster for a week so I'm not sure if I want to try again or go back for more, plus, it's pretty expensive to keep up. -billiejoy

I obsessed over my under eye bags for about two years before I got something done. Now I am just wondering how long this will last. But believe me, $425 is not a bad price for feeling this much better, and I will most likely do this again when the Juvederm wears off. I have definitely spent that much in creams, lotions, and makeup, which did absolutely nothing to the eye bags. I am happy! -blueeyedkitty