Juvederm: Stories

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Trenches and Pockets in Cheek After Juvederm Ultra Plus

Hopeitgoesaway
posted 3 years ago
updated 3 years ago

Not Worth It
Cost: $1,300
Bala Cynwyd, PA

I'm36 and had treatment for...

10 Sep 2009

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?

Great review?

My Doctor: name not provided

No way unless he can fix the mess.

Comments (24)

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Nadtida 8 Apr 2013

Does Hyaluronidase work for the Juvederm Ultra Plus? I have had a lump under my right cheek bone. I didnt want it from beginning but the doctor injected over there both left and right. My intention was i want to be filledy tear through cos of wrinkles. But doctor injected at cheek bone too without telling mee. This both cheek bone is quite big. I prefer the face before injection. Now is 9 months already after that injection. But it seems like the cheeck bone at both face still big. And the lump under the right cheek bone is not smaller yet. I went to clinic last week for injection Hyaluronidase. But still same nothing change. Really serious. Last 9 months i cried everyday i hate this face lots. My face before is much nicer. Doctor is crazy too cos patient need him to fill tear through but he filled cheek bone too.

stefinash 16 Mar 2013

Hello Ladies, all this can easily be dissolved. Go get an injection to dissolve it.

sunflower68 20 Jan 2013

Under my eyes look terrible too! I am calling my doctor tommorow! I am so mad?

depressedgirl 26 Nov 2012

I've had the same experience and it has been three months. Has yours resolved at all?

Simba1234 10 Feb 2010

Hi! I have the same problem as you after restylane injection in my cheeks. Same discloration and I am in my seven mouth now. How are you now? After this my skin is awful and sometimes I am very depressed. I hope this problem will leave me in time. This is the only thing I have used in my life. I have never used botox or smoething else so I know the filler is the problem here.

depressedgirl 26 Nov 2012

I've had same issue. Any good news?

tried but failed 23 Dec 2009

The swelling, spongy feeling to your skin and the divots, loose skin etc sound very much like a botox disaster, not a filler disaster. Is it worse when your face moves?

Hopeitgoesaway 9 Dec 2009

Oh, and not to mention the dings and divets in my face from either not enough filler in the right places or the filler not blending correctly. So I got that going for me now too, along with the broken capillaries from where I was injected. Fun stuff.

Linman 1 Jan 2010

I had my first Juvederm injections on Dec 15. The "doctor" said that some swelling and bruising my appear. That would be the extent of the "side effects". I can feel the filler which remains hard and my cheeks are still quite sore. I am scheduled to leave for a vacation on the 18th and thought I would check out my snorkel mask and diving gear. Can't wear my mask; too painful. I hesitated for several months about this procedure. I should have done an exhausted research on the subject. Am going to try and get a refund (1300.) on my follow-up. Never Again!!!!

Nadtida 8 Apr 2013

Hopeitgoesaway 9 Dec 2009

Update at about 4 months... The swelling from juvederm/resylane has never resolved. Just swollen, mushy spongey face most days. The worst part is it has given me gigantic trench bags under my eyes - I look easily 5-10 years older now. No amount of concealer covers this. I had dark circles before, but now I have actual folds in the skin that some days are horrifying, most days just depressing. If anyone is thinking of getting these fillers in their cheeks, unless you ABSOLUTELY need it, it is NOT worth the swelling, changes to your skin, bags, and extra wrinkles where you didnt have them before. I'm sure I will have to deal with this for at least a year, and I hope it hasnt permanently ruined my face. Stick with the lips if you have to, but personally I would stay away from this stuff completely.

lisanisa 3 Dec 2012

I had to much juvederm injected into inside area's around eye's and I put a needle to the spongy stuff. It didn't hurt because it sits superficially under the skin. I actually would feel it squirt out from just barely putting the sewing needle in. I then over the course of six weeks sculped it to look decent...I didn't go to fast with the removal because I was worried some of the loose juvederm would get into my bloodstream at a high concentration so I took my time.

Malenita 1 Oct 2009

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Hopeitgoesaway 23 Sep 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.

tried but failed 21 Sep 2009

Any improvement?

tried but failed 17 Sep 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.

Julievdl 27 Feb 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!!!

tried but failed 15 Sep 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

Hopeitgoesaway 15 Sep 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?

tried but failed 16 Sep 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

Jane A 17 Sep 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.

lisanisa 18 Apr 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)

Happenedtometoo 22 Jul 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.

sunflower68 20 Jan 2013

This is terrrible !!!