JuvedermTag
Skincare Blog
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Tag: Juvederm
How Can You Get the Most Natural Results from Facial Fillers?
Can dermal fillers look natural? Our Arizona-based team at Ironwood Dermatology is aware that many patients prefer their filler results to look as subtle and natural as possible rather than overdone. The goal is to enhance the face and emphasize your natural beauty without ending up with a pillow face or “duck lips” appearance. “Pillow face” is a term that’s used to describe that unnatural look with overly pronounced lips and cheeks that you can get from overusing fillers.
Of course, most of us would prefer to avoid that look—but is it possible to get fillers that are so subtle others notice the change but aren’t sure why? The answer is yes. It’s entirely possible to achieve natural-looking results from injectables if you want to get a youthful, rejuvenated look. There’s no need to be afraid of ending up with results that look overly “fake” from fillers, especially when you work with highly trained and experienced injectors—such as the Ironwood Dermatology team—who know that fillers are customizable so they can be as subtle or as detectable as you would like them to be.
Here are a few more tips for avoiding duck lips:
Take a “Less is More” Approach
Getting great results from fillers won’t necessarily be about using lots of the product. Injecting the right amount of filler is critical, which is where choosing an experienced provider comes in. The anatomical placement of the filler and the type of filler used are both important aspects that should be considered.
Get a Treatment Plan
You will need a detailed, well-thought-out plan to ensure that your fillers look natural. Work closely with your injector to explain your goals and understand the possibilities. The results should enhance the balance of the face and provide support when they’re done correctly.
Use the Right Ratios
When it comes to adding volume—especially lip injections—there are specific ratios that will provide the most natural look. There should be a 1:1 ratio between the outer corners of the top and bottom lip. The lower lip should always be larger than the upper lip, and the skin should have some variation since a perfectly smooth, shiny appearance would not look natural.
Talk to our Arizona-based team at Ironwood Dermatology for more details about what fillers can do and how to get ideal results from the treatment. Call us at 520.618.1630 or submit a contact form to schedule a consultation.
Lip Injections Explained: What is VOLBELLA® XC?
Lip augmentation is a cosmetic treatment designed to enhance the shape or size of the lips by adding volume. The demand for the most common lip augmentation option—hyaluronic acid-based dermal fillers like JUVEDERM®—has continued to rise steadily worldwide as consumers have become aware of their choices for achieving fuller, plumper lips with lip injections. The Tucson-area’s Ironwood Dermatology team explains that Juvederm VOLBELLA® XC is one popular option from the Juvederm line due to its subtle, natural-looking results.
Statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons have shown that soft tissue fillers—which are popular volume-adding strategies for filling out skin that has lost collagen and fat over time—were the second most popular form of cosmetic minimally invasive procedure performed in the United States in 2018.
In recent years, a number of innovative products have been introduced to the lip injections market, making the treatment more convenient and accessible than ever for women and men seeking a specific look. While there are various forms of dermal fillers that can be injected into the lips and around the mouth, JUVEDERM® is one of the most recognized and commonly requested.
All of the options in the JUVEDERM® collection of fillers have the same hyaluronic acid base, but are formulated differently depending on the area they are designed to treat. VOLBELLA® XC is a soft and supple HA variation. This cosmetic “tweakment” offers a soft, light touch for smoothing delicate areas and fine lines on the face and lips. The malleable gel is ideal for temporarily adding subtle definition to the upper and lower lips with natural-looking outcomes.
The “XC” added to the end of the name means that it contains lidocaine for a more comfortable injection experience.
To get a better understanding of how VOLBELLA® XC works to plump up naturally thin or age-depleted lips, it’s helpful to start by examining its main ingredient. In simple terms, hyaluronic acid is a transparent, gel-like, lubricating molecule found naturally in almost every cell of the body. It is most densely concentrated in the skin, cartilage, and joints. VOLBELLA® XC (and other injectables in the JUVEDERM® family) contain a synthetic form of hyaluronic acid, which draws in moisture, hydrating the areas where is injected to further restore lost volume over time.
To find out more about lip injections like VOLBELLA® XC, contact Tucson’s Ironwood Dermatology online or call 520.618.1630.
JUVEDERM® Tips: How to Make Lip Injections Look Natural
While much has been said about how time transforms the skin, one of the more overlooked aspects of this process is how it affects the lips. Getting older generally means experiencing some not-so-pleasant developments, such the depletion of moisture, fat, collagen, elastin, and other elements that make the skin supple and springy well into our 20s. Because of this, the lips can become thin and dry as time goes on. To make matters worse, fine lines around the lips can become increasingly pronounced, drawing even more attention to the area. Lip fillers such as JUVEDERM Volbella® can restore that youthful, hydrated appearance and soften lines around the lips, while maintaining a natural, subtle appearance.
Lip fillers at Ironwood Dermatology are customized to fit your individual needs and desired result. Is a luscious, plump pout something you’re after? Along with high, defined cheekbones and contoured jawlines, the trend of fuller lips has dominated Instagram for a long time. Topical skin products and makeup can help make the mouth appear somewhat fuller, but if you want to significantly restore volume or improve the physical structure of your lips, you want lip injections, such as Tucson and Oro Valley-based Ironwood Dermatology’s dermal filler treatments.
Dreaded “duck lips,” “sausage lips,” or other undesirable outcomes of lip-injection sessions (we’ve all seen photos) have a lot to do with the provider. In the hands of a skilled, experienced injector, injections are handled with great care and with an eye for results. This means you can add volume or definition without going overboard. Lip augmentation is a very common procedure, but for the best outcomes and to reduce risk, women and men looking to add volume should avoid untrained or uncertified injectors who may overdo the injections.
Also, be sure to choose fillers from trusted manufacturers that have put countless research hours into developing their products. For example, Volbella®, a member of the JUVEDERM® family, is useful for sharpening and contouring the lips. As opposed to some other lip fillers, Volbella® isn’t designed to add dramatic fullness, but rather imparts slight volume for subtle embellishments, correction of asymmetry, and smoothing out fine lipstick lines. This filler is often used on the outline of the lips (vermillion border) to produce a more natural look. It has a very light, silky, and natural feel, and, like other JUVEDERM® products, is made of hyaluronic acid.
Learn more about JUVEDERM® lip injections at Ironwood Dermatology in the Tucson and Oro Valley area. Call 520.618.1630 or submit a contact form to request an appointment.
Lip Injections: Something to Smile About in Tucson and Oro Valley, AZ
There’s no reason to not be excited about your lips—even if they aren’t as luscious as you’d like. That’s because with lip injections at Tucson and Oro Valley’s Ironwood Dermatology, a thin smile can become a full one in a matter of minutes.
Our experienced injectors use VOLBELLA® XC and JUVEDERM® XC to add volume for lip plumping and shaping. Made by Allergan and part of the trusted JUVEDERM® family, these dermal fillers are designed to diminish signs of aging on and around the mouth. They can also be used to enhance lips that have never been especially full thanks to the hand genetics dealt you.
These hyaluronic acid-based gels are specifically formulated to give a more youthful hydrated look by adding volume, definition, and improved symmetry.
Allergan uses a carefully developed manufacturing process to make their filler by cross-linking hyaluronic acid molecules. This results in a gel that is stable and reliable, but that also is smooth for ease of injection and positioning in the skin. Once in the lips, the hyaluronic acid molecules get to work binding to water, which improves the hydrated appearance of the lip. The gel can gives thin lips a much-desired subtle boost in size—but not to the point that they look out of proportion or fake. In fact, VOLBELLA® XC is a particularly subtle filler, making it ideal for fine work, details, and natural-looking enhancements.
Results from a lip injection session can last for about six to 12 months, for up to a year of confident smiles. Though the filler has only temporary effects, it can be injected repeatedly as needed to make thin lips nothing more than a memory.
VOLBELLA® XC can also be used to address lip lines, which appear around the mouth and give the area a more aged appearance. Instead of creating a look of fullness here, the filler serves to smooth out the wrinkles that form as collagen and hyaluronic acid break down over time.
Talk to the Ironwood Dermatology team in Tucson and Oro Valley to learn more about lip injections, VOLBELLA® XC, and other available dermal fillers by sending a message online or calling 520.618.1630.
The VOLUMA XC® Difference
Allergan makes many products that dermatologists use every day to improve the look of patients’ faces. One of the most popular lines from this manufacturer is Juvederm®, which is a family of hyaluronic acid-based dermal fillers. Fillers are typically associated with smoothing out static wrinkles on the face, but the volume-adding clear gel can accomplish so much more. Case in point: VOLUMA® XC at Tucson’s Ironwood Dermatology.
A special process that links different “weights” of molecules together gives VOLUMA® XC some unique qualities. It is both smooth and hardy, able to flow easily into the skin when injected, but also robust enough to provide the structure and support so crucial to the midface.
Patients who benefit from VOLUMA® XC are those who have lost volume in the “apples” of their cheeks. So named because of their rosy roundness, the apples are signs of youthful health—and are especially apparent when someone smiles.
Unfortunately, the natural effects of aging on the skin can be particularly apparent on the apples. As volume decreases over time—a process made worse by regular exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun—the roundness can flatten into a gaunt look. As volume loss continues, it can progress into an aged, even skeletal look common to older people who have hollow cheeks.
To further the undesirable cosmetic changes, dwindling volume also leads to skin laxity. Tissue that slides downward without proper support from healthy amounts of collagen and facial fat creates jowls.
VOLUMA® XC counters all of these changes by restoring that vital volume. The gel is injected directly into the skin to replenish the apples. Using just the right amount, an injector creates a natural-looking symmetry that can make the apples “re-appear”—which also lifts away the slight look of volume-loss-related jowling.
Of all the available Juvederm® fillers, VOLUMA® XC lasts the longest. Studies have shown that its effects can last for up to two years—especially when injected by experienced providers who know how to maximize results.
Patients interested in smoothing out nasolabial folds or other creases are encouraged to learn more about other options available in the Juvederm® family. Signs of aging are not typically limited to just one area, so chances are good that diminished volume in the cheeks may accompany facial creases, thin lips, and other signs of retreating collagen.
Learn more about VOLUMA® XC at Tucson-based Ironwood Dermatology by sending a message online or calling 520.618.1630.
BOTOX® vs. Dermal Fillers: How Long Do They Last?
There are many factors that set BOTOX® and dermal fillers apart—including how they work and what they treat—but a question patients frequently ask at Ironwood Dermatology is “How long will it last?”
Keeping in mind that BOTOX® Cosmetic is for inhibiting muscle activity and that dermal fillers come in a wide variety of volume-adding formulas, it can be wise to track which effects last the shortest and longest, especially for patients who want to maintain a more youthful-looking face for the long term. Scheduling maintenance visits is easier when you have a good idea of how long your forehead will appear smooth or jawline should have extra definition.
First, BOTOX®. Tucson-area women and men regularly choose this treatment for their forehead and frown lines, as well as their crow’s feet. After a brief session with one of our injectors, you can expect three to four months of smooth skin, worry-free. After that time, the targeted muscles will start moving again, leading to visible furrows and wrinkles whenever you frown or make similar facial expressions.
Dermal fillers, on the other hand, tend to be longer lasting. Juvederm®, for example, has several gel fillers that go the distance, including Volbella (which enhances lips and smooths out vertical lip lines for up to a year), Vollure (which reduces the appearance of nasolabial folds and more for up to 18 months), and Voluma (which adds volume to the midface and lasts up to two years).
With this in mind, you may have several BOTOX® sessions between visits for dermal filler injections.
A member of the Ironwood Dermatology team can work with you to ensure your schedule is as seamless as possible, which means you can enjoy an overall youthful-looking face with no interruption to the smooth look in just one area.
To learn more about dermal fillers, BOTOX®, and more, contact the Tucson-based Ironwood Dermatology online or call 520.618.1630.
Discover 2017’s Top Five Cosmetic Treatments
When it comes to nonsurgical cosmetic treatments, from microdermabrasion to BOTOX®, Tucson’s Ironwood Dermatology team noted with interest the recently released results of an annual report compiled by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Published at the start of March 2018, the report details statistics from 2017, taken from medical databases and doctor surveys. Among the many items of interest is the overarching fact that nonsurgical cosmetic treatments on the whole are growing in popularity. The entire field grew by 2 percent from 2016 to 2017, with more than 15.7 million treatments performed on men and women across the United States.
That also represents a 186-percent jump from the year 2000.
Topping the list is—as usual—BOTOX® and its fellow injectables based on botulinum toxin type A, which collectively made up almost half of the total treatments performed. With 7.2 million treatments reported, this option is unquestionably the most frequently chosen cosmetic option in the country—surgeries included.
Next on the list, with more than 2.6 million applications, is soft tissue fillers, which includes the entire Juvederm® line. There are formulas for reducing the appearance of nasolabial folds, for adding youthful roundness to the apple of the cheeks, and for subtly boosting lip contours.
Chemical peels came in third with 1.3 million applied. Though they all accomplish the same thing—removing the outermost layers of dead skin for a brighter, fresher look—they come in a variety of compounds with different strengths. This treatment also makes the skin more receptive to revitalizing serums.
Fourth is laser hair removal, a versatile treatment that can be applied virtually head to toe. Statistics show that just more than a million laser hair removals were performed in 2017, proving that bare skin made smooth without the hassle of razors or waxing remains a popular choice.
Rounding out the top five is microdermabrasion, which essentially buffs or polishes away dead skin cells in the outermost layer. Though the mechanics are different, the results are similar to a chemical peel.
Learn more about any of these treatments by reading about them on the main Ironwood Dermatology website, contacting the practice online, or calling 520.618.1630 to arrange a consultation.
