I had Juvederm on my cheeks. One side is swollen and painful. Is this normal?

Having swelling, soreness and bruising is not impossible. These are all " Normal" side effects after injections into the cheeks.  Give the product 2 weeks to settle and the swelling and bruising to subside.  If for any reason you are concerned you should go back to the doctor who injected you for an assessment.

I am sorry to hear that you are having a problem.  You did not mention when you were treated and that is an important piece of information.  On the basis of your symptoms I do feel that you should be evaluated promptly by a physician with expertise in injectable fillers.  If for whatever reason your injecting physician is not able to see you I would seek another opinion. 

With any cosmetic procedure there is a possibility of complications and nothing is ever considered "impossible". I advice you to have an in-office follow up with the physician that preformed your Juvederm injection. If this physician does not want to have a follow-up with you and you feel like something is wrong then seek out a second opinion from a highly qualified board certified physician to address your concerns. Good luck to you

There are no impossibilities with treatment. Experienced and expert physician injectors will understand the risks, and will see a patient if there is a justifiable concern. Contact your physician's office if there is continued concern. If that office will not care for you, seek an experienced and expert injector who would be willing to see you.

While some swelling and discomfort can be normal after Juvederm injections, extreme pain is not.  With cosmetic injections, there's always a chance of infection unless every step is taken to avoid it.Not being able to see how it looks and without knowing how much time has elapsed after the injections, it is difficult to say whether or not you should be concerned. Your doctor should evaluate you as soon as possible if the condition persists.        

Nothing is ever impossible, and most skilled injectors with fillers will tell all their patients that if there is a question, concern or anything that needs an explanation, we are always available to discuss and evaluate things with the people we inject. I would strongly recommend you see the doctor again -- show up if they will not schedule an appointment -- or seek care somewhere else. Pain needs to be addressed, and this needs to be seen as soon as you can get in to see a skilled provider. If the person who injected you will not see you, then that person probably should not be injecting. Get seen.

What you're describing sounds like a bruise from the injection and not infection.  Bruises or hematomas are collections of blood under the skin and are the most common cause for pain and swelling at the site of filler injection within the first 48 hours after treatment.  It is true that it is extremely unlikely or "impossible" ( as your doctor put it) for a bacterial infection to cause your symptoms this quickly, with the exception of a viral herpes infection can develop quickly after a skin procedure, but does not present as a painful enlarging swelling under the skin.  If you're doctor was referring to the bacterial infection as being impossible, then that would make a lot of sense and it sounds like you're doctor is an experience injector.  I would recommend a cool pack to the area, and patience and call your doctor if still concerned.  It usually takes two weeks for a filler bruise to completely resolve.

Pain and swelling are not always even or symmetrical. 1.5ccs per side means you had a total of 3cc's or 3 syringes used, which is quite a bit, so more swelling and bruising would be common with this much. Additionally, Juvederm is hydrophillic meaning it pulls water to itself right after injection. This makes it so it doesn't look like it did right after injection - it looks swollen and puffy. That is very common. Based on your descriptions I'm doubting there's an infection; however, whenever patients have concerns they should be able to be seen by the injector. "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."