“Love the Result - Hope It Lasts! ”

 About 3 months prior to getting juvederm I saw a dermatologist that injected 1 syringe of Restylane in my lips and n/l folds. She used a numbing creme and did the dental block and I could just feel little pinches but it wasnt bad at all. An hour later I went back to class looking  just a tiny bit swollen but not enough that anyone would know I had anything done. I'm young so I think she wanted to be modest with it but I really wasnt satisfied, I wanted more of a change. If I didnt know that I had it done, I would have never noticed a difference.

I was seeing a plastic surgeon for rhinoplasty and asked him about fillers, he recommended a fat transplant but I wasnt quite ready for that so we decided on Juvederm. He said 2 syringes will be enough for a good result. The nurse applied the numbing creme (no dental block) about 15 minutes before the injections and they hurt A LOT!! I have a high pain tolerance so that wouldnt stop me from doing it again but I would definitely recommend asking for the dental block, especially if your doing your top lip.

Most of the swelling on the n/l folds and my bottom lip went down within a few hours but my top lip was very swollen and bruised. I didnt leave home for two days and then covered my face with my giant scarf for two more days before enough of the swelling went down that I didnt feel like a freak. Seven days later I look normal but during the follow up the doctor said I still have a little swelling left. I read a lot of bad reviews here posted only a few days after the procedure so my point is to give it some time before you decide you hate it.

Overall, I'm very happy with my results. Ideally I'd like just a little bit more in the n/l folds but it looks great and it's worth what I paid. I plan to maintain it and go back for more in hopefully no less than 4 months.

Some tips if your getting it done - Ice it as soon as you get home. Take Benedryll at night or Claratin during the day (or both which I did) to help with the swelling. Drink tons and tons of water the first few days. Juvederm is hydrophillic so this will help soften it quicker. If you have any lumps, gently massage them with some lip balm or moisturizer. I was very surprised at how maliable juvederm is - after three days of light massaging the large bumps I had are pretty much gone, so you dont need a lot of force or you may actually move it around. I've also read that chewing gum may break it down faster but I'm not sure if it's true.

The most imporatant thing in my opinion is to choose a good doctor. Except for the few people that metabolise fillers very quickly I think most of the problems stem from the person doing the injections and not the Juvederm. I went to the head of plastic surgery at a very good hospital in Cleveland which is an easier way to know your going to someone experienced and wont be ripped off. Allergan gives out platinum awards to doctors that have had a lot of success with juvederm so thats another thing you can look for. Do lots of research about who your going to, I wouldnt do it at a spa or have a nurse do it.

I'd love hear from anyone thats been getting Juvederm for a while - how often do you go for touch ups? How much do you get and how much did you get initially? If anyones tried both Juvederm and Radiesse, how much longer does it really last? Thank you for any feedback and I hope this helps someone!!