What Are the Effects of Using Juvederm over a Long Time?

Great question that was beautifully answered by Dr. Rueckl.  I don't have much more to add except  to mirror his warning about permanent implants in lips.  Juvederm is a safe, natural looking option.  Stick with it!

Many of my patients who get repeated juvederm or fillers to the lips often opt for lip implants to avoid having to get repeated injections.  My preferred lip implant is reversible, in that it can be removed at a later time if you choose to do so.  Please consult with a board certified specialist who can assist you in achieving the results you desire.

I do not think that the body absorbs Juvederm faster as you keep using the product. What may happen is that the body responds a bit with increased collagen production which may require less filler product over time.

Hyaluronic acid lip injections with Juvederm or Restylane have been shown to stimulate new collagen formation through mechanical stretching of the dermis which causes activation of dermal fibroblasts. This accounts for its longer lasting effect after the hyaluronic acid has been absorbed by your skin. This can be cumulative so the results can begin to last longer with repeated injections. This is only one of the many reasons why fillers like Juvederm are a much better option than the permanent treatments.

 Juvederm, like any filler, may cause some internal scarring, of the lip, or any tissue from repeated injection trauma.  I have augmented lips using fillers like Restylane and Juvederm for over 20 years and every once in awhile, if the lips appear to have scar tissue building up from repeated injections...have patients let everything go for 6-9 months until the lips soften again.

  As for lip implants, IMHO again of using Gore Tex, Silastic , fat transfer and Alloderm for over 20 years...Alloderm is the gold standard for lip implants IMHO.  Soft, supple an natural...Alloderm is my implant of choice for augmenting the lips.  Lip Implants can IMHO, reliably offer a degree of lip augmentation unattainable through lip injections using fillers.  

  It's important to understand that there's no inherent magic in any filler or implant but rather the magic must reside in the MD's ability to understand and follow the proper aesthetics of facial beauty (and lip proportion) for the creation of a naturally, more attractive face and in this case lips.  

With many HA fillers, re-injecting before you return to baseline is a good idea. For instance, the Restylane studies show that if you do this, it does actually get the product to last longer. They suggest that you get an injection, then another in 6 months, then another in 6 more months, and by way of "stacking" the product, you can actually get a better result and long-lasting filler than if you injected 3 syringes originally. The same would be true for Juvederm because it's also an HA filler. Juvederm and Restylane are extremely safe long-term.

I never recommend permanent fillers or implants. I have taken out so many problem ones over the years, I probably couldn't even begin to count. It seems like a good idea, until you realize that as your body ages naturally, your face, lips, etc. do change shape, even slightly, and putting something permanent in there does not allow the body to do this. While it would seem like a good idea, what actually happens is the body contorts around the permanent filler and people end up looking slightly deformed. It's much better to be able to adjust fillers and such as the body ages so you can fill different areas and spaces at different times.