“Ultimately pleased, but recovery time considerable.”

I received Juvederm in my nasolabial folds, upper lip, and to push out a scar beneath my lower lip that was deepening into a wrinkle.  One thing that surprised me was that the topical anesthetic was more unpleasant than I anticipated.  The dental block was basically like what you'd get from a dentist.  The Juvederm injections themselves were just a little uncomfortable -- the dermatologist didn't quite get one side as numbed as the other.

Walking out of the office I was skeptical that it had been a success.  My face was so puffy I looked more like someone had stuffed cotton in my mouth to impersonate Marlon Brando than I did younger.  After the swelling went down, I could see the improvement, but the bruising and needle marks were still a big conspicuous.  On one side there was bruising along the fold line, which unfortunately accentuated it.  I wish I'd gotten some Covermark before the procedure.  That side also appeared to have an unevenness; after two weeks, I went back the doctor, who corrected it and said this had probably contributed to the bruise mark taking so long to heal.  It's still there faintly after three weeks or so.

My opinion of how "worth it" it is is definitely going to depend on how long it lasts, though.  The expense and discomfort are considerable for something that at best is supposed to last nine months.  Still, I'm already thinking about my touch-up, when I'm going to ask her to fill out my lips more.

Updated on Mar 14, 2009:

BTW, meant "a bit conspicuous" in the original review; hope that was obvious.

I think I'm at about five months now, and I'm still very happy with the results.  I also started doing the FlexEffect facial exercise program, which is helping considerably with hollowing of the cheeks.  Between the two, I feel much more confident about my appearance.  Several times lately people have expressed surprise about my age or made it clear from things they've said that they thought I was younger than I really am -- that wasn't happening before.