This month let’s talk volume loss. Often when looking at an older person, it appears almost as if the person’s skin is a size too big. The problem is volume loss along with skin that has lost much of its elasticity as time has passed.
Volume loss is mainly a factor of decreasing collagen. Collagen is a protein that is responsible for providing the skin’s structure. For some reason, the body sees fit to produce one additional percentage point less collagen every year after we have our 20th birthday. Over the course of 30 years, that means our bodies are producing basically one third less collagen. This shows itself in hollow cheeks, sagging areas around the mouth, thinning lips, and other volume-loss issues.
People think of wrinkles as the signs of aging, but volume loss is actually more telling.
That’s why Juvéderm®, one of the world’s most popular dermal fillers was invented — to replace volume lost to aging. What started as a single popular filler has now grown to a family of five fillers, each targeting a different area of the face. At Affirm, we offer all of the Juvéderm® fillers for our patients.
What is Juvéderm®?
If you’re here checking out our Affirm blog, you’re probably pretty savvy about the aesthetic world, and you’ve probably heard of hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance in the bodies of humans (and most other mammals) that is responsible for binding with water molecules under the skin to hydrate, plump, and firm the skin.
All the Juvéderm® fillers are hyaluronic acid based. This is why these fillers are categorized as “naturally derived” fillers. This is in contrast to other fillers such as Radiesse, which are made from synthetic materials. They are “synthetic” fillers.
What do the different Juvéderm® fillers address?
- Juvéderm® XC
If you’re writing the great American novel and want your character to use an aside in a conversation, parentheses are great. But when they show up framing your mouth, they are not welcome. Parentheses lines are the lines that form on each side of your mouth. And then you have the creases on the side of the nose that extend to the corners of the mouth, smile lines. Juvéderm® XC adds volume beneath the skin to push back up these lines and folds and smooth the skin.
- Juvéderm® Voluma XC
Doctors may call it “age-related midface volume loss;” you call it hollow, sagging cheeks. Over time as you lose the collagen to support your skin and as your underlying muscles weaken, your cheeks flatten. Juvéderm® Voluma XC is designed to add volume beneath the skin’s surface to lift and contour the cheek area. Plump cheeks are generally considered to be a tenet of a younger look.
- Juvéderm® Ultra XC
You may not think about your lips with facial aging, but our lips lose volume just like everywhere else. They become thinner as we get older. Plus, some women just have thin lips. Juvéderm® Ultra XC is designed to plump thin lips.
- Juvéderm® Volbella XC
This addition to the Juvéderm family is brand new, coming on the market in the summer of 2016. Whereas Ultra XC adds fullness and plumps thin lips, Volbella XC is tailored to add subtle volume to the lips and smooth the appearance of vertical lip lines.
- Juvéderm® Vollure XC
The newest Juvéderm® filler, approved in March 2017, Vollure® XC sounds like it duplicates the original Juvéderm® XC, which adds volume to nasolabial folds, parentheses lines, and marionette lines. But Vollure® is specifically formulated for moderate to deep creases and wrinkles in these areas. It adds more volume to address these deeper depressions.
Interested in pumping up the volume on areas of your face before your holiday get togethers? Call us at Affirm Health Center, (417) 823-3901, to schedule a Juvéderm session.
