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POSTED UNDER Juvederm REVIEWS

Trenches and Pockets in Cheek After Juvederm Ultra Plus

ORIGINAL POST

I'm36 and had treatment for...

Hopeitgoesaway
$1,300
I'm36 and had treatment for "lipo-deficient" cheeks with Juvederm Ultra Plus a week ago. About 1.5 vials in one side and .5 in the other, to make appearance even.I would say the results were fair except I still swelling in one "pocket" next to left side of mouth (looks like I have something stored there or that skin was grafted on).Bigger issues are it looks like I have 2 divets in one cheek (and awful brown needle marks still there). That was the cheek that had 1.5 vials. There's a trench-like depression about a pinky wide on my other side. That had half a vial.I've been hiding my cheeks, which I had no marks or issues with before treatment. Is this common for it to come out so unevenly? Are 2 treatments necessary, or is this stuff always so unpredictable and uneven? I look terrible right now.Has anyone had this experience the first fill and was it able to be blended when you went back?

I had juvederm ultra plus injected in the hollows of my cheeks about a month ago and a trench refilled 2 weeks ago with Restylane (that was the PS decision). Yesterday my entire face swelled up again completely and it won't go down. Is this a delayed allergic response?

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Replies (32)

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September 15, 2009
Hi Hope - don't panic just yet! Some of what you are seeing is still swelling. Juvederm takes a couple of weeks at least to 'settle in' and blend with your skin. Further it is a 'water finder' and attracts/absorbs fluid in your natural tissue. This can create some bizarre results at the start. I would strongly recommend AGAINST having it dissolved with hyaluronidase (that comes with its own problems) until you are sure that you are looking at the final result and not swelling or settling. It honestly may take a few weeks for you to truly see how it is going to look. In my experience, Juvederm often feels 'hard' or 'firm' under the skin for a while (which could be creating the appearance of hills and valleys for you) and then it softens out and settles. I had major issues with hyaluronidase, mainly because it was put under my eyes. I am not sure whether it creates the same hypersensitivity reaction (massive swelling) if put in the cheeks or other areas of the face that are not so sensitive as the under eye area. If you are going to have it dissolved then find someone VERY experienced with hyaluronidase because a lot of your natural tissue is made up of hyaluronic acid (like juvederm) and you do not want to risk dissolving any of your natural tissue because you will be worse off than when you started before the juvederm. Trust me that you should wait for at least a couple more weeks. I was WAY TOO HASTY with 'corrections' and just ended up creating more and more problems. (Pity someone in the medical profession didn't suggest that I just wait it out!) My current botox disaster was the absolute end. It is irreversible by anything but time and it has forced me to be patient and wait it out. You should also take heart that it is way more noticeable to you than it is to anyone else. Keep photographing so you retain an objective perspective about what is happening to your face. Make an appointment with your doctor in two weeks' time so you have a specific date for review. In answer to your question about hyaluronidase swelling, the swelling under my eyes went away after about 6 weeks, but I still have puffiness under my eyes from the botox disaster so it is a little hard to tell. Keep us updated about your progress. Cheers
September 15, 2009
Thank you for your email TBF. Im sorry about everything you've gone through. I've had a botox issue in the not too distant past too. The swelling left bags and some real dark circles for months. But at least I could wear glasses to conceal things when was my eyes, unlike holey cheeks. No issues with Botox since then, and Ive had a few times, knock on wood. So I had the "hole" filled today by my PS and he put Restylane in it I guess because he was giving it to me for free and it comes in a smaller vial. I heard its lumpier, but I have a lumpy other cheek with Juverderm UltraPlus, so I cant say that product is much better. Very badly bruised, but I think after it goes down it will have helped. Swelling in general the past 2 weeks has not subsided and my face is dull with a spongey, tacky feeling so it makes sense what you wrote about Juvederm attracting water. I think its attracted every water molecule in my body. The mornings are the scariest - I dread seeing my face. I try to sleep upright, but then I don't sleep and look exhausted AND swollen. I yearn for my pre-filler tight, shiny skin. Why do we women do this to ourselves when we are fine naturally?
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September 16, 2009
Hi again Hope! I have noticed from various posts that a common theme seems to emerge. Lots of those travelling down the filler/botox road seem to be women who naturally look young for their age and want to keep looking that way or feel some pressure to do so. Last year when I was 35 I looked 28-30. After my series of disasters with restylane, hyaluronidase and botox, I am look much, much older and I am only 36. It is ridiculous. I wish I had never touched a thing on my face and just spent my hard-earned money on sensible skin care products and long holidays! Keep us updated with how your current filler situation is progressing, particularly the swelling. Putting a water-finder like juvederm or restylane into an area already swollen by a hyaluronidase reaction could mean that the swollen appearance will last a little longer than normal because the product is 'finding' the swelling as well as the fluid that would normally be in your skin. Regarding sleeping upright, I tried that too and got no sleep! Then I did a comparison by sleeping on a normal pillow on a Friday night and upright on a Saturday night. There was no real difference between the puffiness/swelling on Saturday and Sunday morning. In the end I decided it was better to get a good sleep and just went back to a normal pillow. Like botox, juvederm/restylane are not permanent and will go away. Hang in there. Cheers
September 17, 2009
Hi How long until you started to notice the fillers going away? I just had some awful Juvederm put into my cheeks 3 weeks ago. I look like a cat with chipmunk cheeks when I smile. I've got a wedding to attend in 2 months. I'm hoping it will be a bit more settled by then.
April 18, 2012
I'd like to tell you that a couple years ago I had juv injected around inner orbital area. It looked like shoestrings so I took a needle and poked little holes in the raised areas and low and behold the stuff squirted out so over two months I sculped it so as not to have it hit my bloodsteam to much at a tiime. I later had a Dr. put botox above my left eyebrow that left my left eye droppy-I got that out in five days. I massaged the heck out of it and used my zapper on the nerve (the one evil kenevil used to endorse)
July 22, 2012
I have divets and swelling under my eyes which has lasted for 2 years after Juvederm injections. I have become a great make-up artist, but the divest are humiliating. They looked soooo bad my doctor did a free under eye laser treatment, but when it failed to help, he just tried to sell me more treatments. It looks like someone went after my eyes with an ice pick.
January 20, 2013
This is terrrible !!!
August 3, 2013
Thank you so much for this post. I got Juv about 3 wks ago. It's not that I want it for wrinkles. I could deal w/wrinkles, I need filler for the horrible scars & fat loss from an Erbium Resurfacing procedure 6 yrs ago. I've had so many Fraxel treatments & other lasers to help. Now I do needling. I'm tired of all the heat going into my skin. It can't be good for you & I really never saw any great results. Needling seems to do just as good, forehead & 11 wrinkles too. But the dents didn't fill out as good with needling.& their very embarrising so I started going for fillers to help them out. I've never been satisfied with the fillers I've had so far, including Sculptra. This is the first time I tried Juvaderm, I was told not to touch it but it felt hard under my skin, I hated feeling the hills & valleys (just like you said).so I took a chance & massaged it. I was surprised it went down a bit after having it there for 3 wks but then I started getting nervous about Jub so I got on here & your post made me feel so much better about how long it takes to feel normal. Last week when I still saw the dent was still there I went back asking for more, really begged her but she wouldn't do it. Said to wait. I was mad but now I know she's right. I have to thank Dr Ambay for that. Some doctors would just say ok & overload you. I'm so glad you wrote about your experiance with it, what we should expect & how it feels because you said exactly how I felt. I jump too fast when things aren't what I expect but thanks to you I'll wait. I hate waiting! But it's better to wait then to jump & make things worse. (like you said)
August 6, 2014
What is needling? Never heard that term. Is it a form of acupuncture?
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September 17, 2009
Hiya Hope - Where did you have the botox and how much? I think it is inadvisable to have filler and botox at the same time because if you don't like the overall result it is very hard to tell exactly what you don't like and (more importantly) what caused it. Could your 'trenches and pouches' be botox-related more then juvederm/restylane-related or perhaps caused in part by both? Possibly! Botox may also be contributing to the spongy feeling to your skin. It is very, very hard to tell exactly what went wrong when filler and botox are done concurrently. If your face has 'dropped' a bit from botox in crows feet area (cheek ptosis) then it could be causing some of the effect you don't like. Chloerose calls cheek ptosis the 'dented apple' because of the weird indentations, bunching effect, loose skin and shadows that cheek ptosis can create on the sides of the face, particularly on smiling or otherwise animating the face. Before you chase your perceived filler problem with hyaluronidase, you might want to consider that at least some of the effect might be caused by botox. It is just a thought and I might be completely wrong. However, I once had juvederm in my tear troughs at the same time as botox in my bunny lines/crows feet and ended up with 'divots' on either side of my nose when I smiled. I originally attributed this to the juvederm but now know it was caused by botox. I know the waiting is really hard but keep writing here instead of going to doctors to have more stuff done! Keep us updated as to how it is all going. Cheers.
February 27, 2013

I had Juvie injected in my tear trough area about three weeks ago. My left side is not swollen anymore (after 3 weeks) and I don't feel the bump under my skin. However, the right side has a hard bump under the skin. It feels so unnatural and even hurts a bit. I tried to massage the area to lessen the swollen area but no luck. I fear I am stuck with the hard Juvedern under my skin and I have to wait a year for it to go away! Along with the Juvederm, my doctor injected 48 units in my forehead, crows feet area, above my lips (I have a big smile and just wanted it to be tamed down). A few weird things happened after one week post the Botox injections 1) my top lip became super skinny when I smiled and you can barely see it when I smile). I am so pissed! The Botox around my mouth has given me the oddest looking over-exaggerated wide smile. It foes not look natural. 2). Just like Tried But Failed, the Botox injected around my crows feet actually gave me divots on the side of my nose when I smiled! I have new smile lines under my eyes,,,its nuts! I look worse now than before I got Botox! I have learned a valuable lesson. Botox is fine for the forehead but should not be used in other areas of the face. And Juvederm....Never Again!!!

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September 21, 2009
Any improvement?
September 23, 2009
Not much. The swelling and bruising has gone down and the trench is now a ding, but I'll take it. No more fillers. Ever. Unfortunately I now have a fold running down my right cheek from my NF to the bottom corner of my mouth. Its hideous. I its becausehe had put some Restylane in one of my smile lines at my cheek and its pushing the whole area forward and up when my lips are closed. Awful. Just awful. I may try to see if he can dissolve the lump, but scared he will dissove everything in my cheek since its half inch or so away.
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October 1, 2009