What Caused Rapid Loss of Juvederm Filler in my Lips?

Hi Yana,
I agree with Dr. Salemy. As with other aspects of your health, certainly smoking can adversely affect the longevity of the product. If you have to return within a month for more product, you may ask your physician if you can be charged for the wholesale cost of the product only. The less you move and use your lips, the longer the product will usually last. Be well.
Dr. P

Hi Yana, when patients have Juvederm injected into the lips there is often swelling that can last for up to a week or even longer. Once the swelling goes down the lips seem to lose volume and patients may think that the Juvederm has been rapidly absorbed but in reality it was just the swelling subsiding. Since your lip volume went down shortly after you had the injections, I suspect that this is what has happened in your case. Did your doctor take before and after photos? You might want to compare the two. If your were happy with how your lips looked when they were fuller, you may want to have more Juvederm injected into your lips to achieve this look.

With lip injections I find that most patients have some degree of swelling, of which most will go down within a few days but some can linger up to 1 month.  When a filler such as Juvederm or Restylane seems to disappear in 1 month or less it is actually the swelling that is disappearing.  I tell my patients to think of the swelling as a bonus, its like getting extra filler for free, but unfortunately it only lasts a short time.  I also tell them to think of it as a preview of what more product might look like.  If you liked your lips better with some swelling, then the amount of product that was used on your lips was just not enough for what you want to see as the final product.  You should have some more put in and yes, you will be charged for it.  Fillers are charged by the syringe, so the more you want to have, the more it will cost.

Juvederm augmentation for lips is an excellent procedure. It typically lasts from three to six months depending upon the individual. However, some patients who uses their lips alot and especially with smokers the cosmetic effect may be shortened. There is some evidence that with repeated augmentations that the cosmetic results may last longer. I hope this information helps.

Juvederm in the lips can last up to 6 months because the lips a mobile structure. It is not common for it to last just one month but your body might metabolize this product differently then the average person who gets filler. Smoking can have negative effect with filler especially around the lips or mouth because you are always moving them which can decease the longevity of the product. The answer to your last question will have to answered with the doctor that you went to. I would say yes you would get charge for the product.

Although Juvederm effects are promoted as lasting up to 18 months - this claim is not necessarily pertaining to the lip and mouth areas wherein product degrades much more readily. This study is also based on the fact of having touch ups at very specific times. Besides the repeated action that comes with smoking, excessive UV exposure may also degrade the product much quicker. You may also want to try Restylane with your next treatment to compare the two products. We have several patients and staff members that saw increased duration of results with Restylane than Juvederm when used in the mouth/lips.
With regards to further expense, this is a question for your injector. Keep in mind that you are not only paying for the product but a service as well. Although you were unable to maintain your benefits like most, this should not devalue the service that was provided. However, it wouldn't hurt to pose the question. Establishing a trusting, long-time relationship with your practitioner will benefit the both of you.

Yana,
Even though we are told that Juvederm can last up to a year, the reality is this varies from patient to patient. Some folks metabolize the product much quicker than others, so what has happened with your lips does sometimes happen.
Two other factors that sometimes cause this more rapid loss of volume after injection include the depth of injection (how deep the product was placed) as well as the amount. If the Juvederm was injected too deep, it has a tendency to sometimes be absorbed more quickly than we would like. In addition, if there was not enough product used, it will look ok for a bit, but once all the swelling goes down, there will be a need to do a repeat injection. For this reason, I will often times have patients come back at a week or so after the procedure to see if we need to do any more.
In terms of cost, this varies from one provider to the next, but many will charge by the syringe, so don't be surprised if you are asked to pay for another procedure.

Thank you for asking that question. The longevity of fillers depends on many things like how fast you metabolize, the amount of filler used, the type of filler and how mobile that area is. So if you teach or do a lot of talking, smoke or have a job where you need to exaggerate mouth movements, then the fillers won't last as long as one year. To be honest, it almost never lasts that long.

I agree that most of what you are seeing disappearing is the swelling after injection .For some  pepla it takes longer for the swelling to settle . How long the filler lasts is also highly variable and sometimes it takes a few treatments to build a foundation and for the result to be more apparent for longer.

The loss of volume you noticed about a month after lip fillers is normal, and is more likely associated with reduction of lingering swelling that is common when lips are treated. Do not worry about this, and in fact, be comfortable going back for small touch ups until you achieve the look you want AFTER the month of swelling reduces. Careful addition of more is always better than too much!