Does Juvederm ever not take or work? (Photo)

It appears as though you did receive a slight augmentation, viewing before and after photos with your injector is always helpful. If you like the appearance of a fuller look, return to your injector and have them add more product. It is not unusual for the lidocaine to be in the product.  Best,

The most common reason that people feel their juvederm injections did not work is that they don't get enough of it injected in the first place. After your swelling went down, it became more obvious that you need more product to achieve the results you want. I discourage groupon deals because their is no follow up care and people rarely purchase enough product to satisfy their goals. This leaves you unhappy. It's important to follow up with your injector. Sometimes it requires more than one treatment session to achieve the goals you desire. Good luck to you.

Besides you thinking the doctor was shady, using "Groupon" is a very poor idea. It is a "hook" to get unsuspecting patients for an up sell. Plus ONLY 1 syringe of Juvederm XC would not be enough for you lips. At less 2 syringes are needed. Thus you needed to pay in full for one.  

Juvederm is injected as a product it is not like say Botox where you are waiting for an effect on the muscles. It works period as a filler.  As for volume perhaps you need more?

When injected properly, Juvederm takes every time. From your before and afters I can see a change, and obviously immediately affect you do have swelling, which went down. One syringe of Juvederm is not enough for a huge change in the lips, but you do have what I would call an average, subtle amount of change from the Juvederm. If you wanted more volume, you needed more filler put in (or a different filler - personally I like Restylane more in the lips). As a side note, Juvederm now does contain lidocaine in the syringes so some people choose not to pre-block with a separate lidocaine block. Personally I still do for the exact reason you mention, but some people don't. And one more side note, Groupons are never a good option for any type of filler - people who are willing to make great deals are usually not people you want to see for injections or they wouldn't be offering their services for intensely discounted rates. Shop for experience, not cost, if you want the best outcome. "This answer has been solicited without seeing this patient and
cannot be held as true medical advice, but only opinion. Seek in-person
treatment with a trained medical professional for appropriate care."