Agnes Ju Chang, MD

I'm 29 and in good shape (body and face), but in the last 2-3 year lines around my mouth [nasolabial lines] have been starting to form. I don't really have folds, maybe very mild ones, but the lines made me feel like I looked older than I should. A weird bout with adult onset acne and tons of medication I think perhaps prematurely aged my face, but just the shape of my face--where lines naturally crease on me and not others--plus that fact that I smile all the time is likely to blame as well as just...time. Anyway, I finally decided to give juvederm a try and talked with my dermatologist about it for over a year. I was so nervous before the procedure after reading some horror stories, but my doctor told me the chances of the really bad side-effects happening (like necrosis, etc) were extremely low. So, I sucked it up and we went forward. After the numbing gel they'd put on my face an hour before I barely felt a thing (more like a needle being lightly dragged against my skin than anything). I had Juvederm ultra xc so it had lidocain in it. She didn't need a full syringe and kept checking with me if I liked the look. It's so subtle and right now my smile doesn't appear to be altered. They gave me ice packs and sent me home. I started icing in the car and have been doing so on and off for the last 2.5 hours. There's a little discoloration--it's slightly lighter where the line would be and maybe a little yellow which makes me think I might eventually get some bruising. Other than that and the tiniest pinprick size marks that I think I can cover with makeup there's no sign that anything was done. I started taking arnica yesterday and I should have stopped drinking caffeine and alcohol before hand, but I didn't. I'm also applying arnica gel which my doc recommended and was conveniently available for less than $7 in the pharmacy downstairs. Right now I'm very pleased, but I'm reserving judgement until I see how things develop over the next week. I will post before and during and after pictures later. I hope this helps some other men and women out there considering this procedure. For me, I'm doing it as preventative care (the same reason I use retin-a) I don't want to look 22 forever, but I want to age as gracefully as modern technology and my budget will allow ;)

Updated on 11 Aug 2013:
So, I did bruise on one side--it gradually appeared over four hours--but was able to cover it with makeup (my boyfriend didn't even notice). Now, two weeks in and I really couldn't be happier. Honestly, I kind of wish I'd done it earlier. It's a really subtle change in terms of the folds because they weren't that bad. The most surprising thing to me was that the actual lines around my mouth (which appeared after I smiled a lot) diminished! I mean, they are basically gone and I didn't think filler would do anything for them.

I can feel the product a little when I make a certain face, but only I can tell it's there. I'm super pleased with the results and feel good that the product has positive side effects like increasing collagen production. I feel like I'm not just throwing away such a large amount of money on vanity, but investing in the future of my skin. I will post pics soon!

Updated on 13 Jan 2014:
It's still there although it's diminished a little (I think). My favorite part is that I can smile away all night long those parenthesis lines that used to kind of set in aren’t there or are faint and disappear quickly. I will definitely get a "refill" when the time comes.

Updated on 6 May 2019:
Five years after my first experience with Juvederm, I'm still really happy with it. At first, I was doing it almost exactly 12 months apart (a birthday gift to myself). It never took a full syringe which, is sort of a waste, but I didn't feel the need to do anything more (e.g. put it in my lips). Bruising was always minimal and easily covered with makeup.

At this point, I haven't done had the filler put in for almost two years and it still looks pretty decent. I'm only just starting to notice a little creasing. My doctor told me that, over time, it tends to last longer. I guess she was right! So, big thumbs up to Juvederm in the nasolabial folds. That said, I'm thinking the next time I get anything done I will try Voluma in my cheeks (to deal with volume loss) instead of XC in the nasolabial folds. If I do, I'll report back to you all about my experience.

p.s. sorry there are no pictures, but I value my privacy too much.