With aging, our faces develop wrinkles, creases and lines of the forehead, cheeks and around the mouth (nasolabial folds and marionette lines) and eyes. These become more numerous and substantial with time. In addition, many people lose volume in their face, particularly in their cheeks, which can be quite significant.
Dynamic wrinkles, that is, those that are affected by muscle activity and tone, can usually be improved with Botox®. These would include the crow’s feet at the corner of the eyes, transverse forehead lines and frown lines in the mid-forehead.
For creases and folds, such as around the mouth and of the cheeks, dermal fillers such as Juvederm®, Restylane®, and Radiesse® provide volume to ablate or reduce their depth. They can also be used to provide additional volume to the cheeks as well as elsewhere on the face. Juvederm® and Restylane® can be employed to create more youthful, voluptuous lips.
Now there is a new filler option to consider for facial rejuvenation, one that has significant advantages over the dermal fillers already available. It is known as Juvederm Voluma™ XC.
Though this dermal filler was just approved for usage in the United States by the FDA, it has been available in Canada and Europe for many years. Its specific indications are for age related volume loss in the mid cheek area as well as mid-cheek lifting though off label uses may offer substantial benefits elsewhere. It can provide long lasting volume replacement to fill in cheek hollowing and create more prominent and youthful appearing cheek bones.
Like the Juvederm formulations already available, Juvederm Voluma™ XC is a hyaluronic acid but it is altered in a very precise way to make it stronger, more resistant to deformation and longer lasting, up to 2 years as compared to around 6 months to a year. Though it costs more than Juvederm® and Restylane®, it may last more than two times longer and can provide dramatic improvements in facial rejuvenation.
For more information on Juvederm Voluma™ XC or any of the other facial fillers, Botox® or any plastic surgical procedure that I do, please contact my office at 480-451-3000.
Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona