How Does Voluma Lift and Contour Your Cheeks?

A full face has always been a sign of beauty and health sought by many women – after all, what great beauty isn’t known by her trademark cheekbones or the contour of her cheeks? As luck would have it, the full cheeks of youth do not withstand the test of time and, just like the rest of our skin, cheek volume eventually declines as we age. At O’Donnell Vein & Laser in Annapolis, MD we know the solution for uplifting your beauty is with Voluma treatments for the cheeks.

How Does Voluma Lift and Contour Your Cheeks?

Voluma is part of the Juvederm family of filler products and is specially designed to lift and contour the cheeks. But how does this filler work it’s magic? The trick is in the gel-like consistency of the filler, as well as the main active ingredient, which restores volume, plumps skin, and settles in specific areas of the face for an overall lift. A series of simple injections into the mid-face can lift and contour your cheeks to your ideal aesthetic preference.

Hyaluronic Acid Filler

The miraculous main ingredient in question is hyaluronic acid, a beauty trend hailed for its effectiveness and moisturizing properties. Maybe you’ve seen hyaluronic acid as the selling point for over-the-counter products; maybe you even use hyaluronic acid in your beauty routine to keep your skin moist and supple. Cosmetic experts rave about the benefits of hyaluronic acid as a skin-plumper for a couple of important reasons, including why moisture matters to the skin and the special role hyaluronic acid play for skin-support.

All About Moisture

Moisture is important to the skin simply because skin that is retaining water is healthier, suppler, and fuller than skin that has less hydration. Hyaluronic acid has long since been known as a naturally-occurring acid in the skin that can retain many times its own weight in water, making it a key feature of moisture retention in the body. Unfortunately, as we age our ability to produce hyaluronic acid declines, which makes our skin more likely to be dry and thin.

Hyaluronic Acid and Collagen

Hyaluronic acid also plays an important role in skin support. Specifically, hyaluronic acid is associated with collagen, a vital skin-supporting protein that also decreases in production as a result of aging. Scientific studies indicate that collagen lasts longer in the body when in the presence of hyaluronic acid, as collagen seems to feed off the acid; the more hyaluronic acid in your skin, the better your collagen production.

Which Part of the Cheek Is Injected?

Many patients assume that the mid-cheek itself is injected, but the truth is that this filler can be injected in many areas of the mid-face. For example, while one of the most common areas of injection is the hollows of the cheeks between the cheekbones and the jaw bone, which immediately restores volume and erases hollowness, the cheekbones and the jaw itself can be injected.

Injecting this filler in multiple areas of the face is the best way to utilize this filler’s unique texture and abilities. Injections at the cheekbone can benefit the hollows beneath eyes, as well as lift any skin laxity contributing to mid-face wrinkles; injections at the jawline can support the fullness of cheeks and redefine the jawline.

Where Else Can This Filler Be Used?

While this particular filler is used primarily to lift and contour the cheeks, there are other places on the face where this diverse treatment can be used. This filler can also be injected into areas of the face such as:

• Nasolabial lines
• Smile lines
• Chin lines
• Lost chin volume

Will You Need a Consultation?

Yes! Prior to any treatment at our clinic, you will be required to attend a consultation appointment. The consultation is an important step in determining your eligibility for treatment and will include a discussion about your treatment options, treatment expectations, and your aesthetic goals. We will collect your general medical history, particularly any cosmetic treatments you have had in the past.

How Much Filler Do You Need?

Generally speaking, each patient requires a different amount of filler to meet their unique needs. While some patients may require only one unit in each cheek, others may require two; you may also need more units if more than just the cheeks are being treated, such as if you are also receiving injections in the apples of your cheeks or your jaw bone. Some factors that determine how much filler you need include:

Age

Your age plays a large role in deciding how much filler is appropriate for you, largely because women of different ages have different skin needs. For example, younger patients already have a higher amount of naturally-occurring hyaluronic acid in the body, so they will require less additional acid from the injection to produce desired results. By the same token, older patients who have less hyaluronic acid present will require a greater amount to achieve the lift and fullness they desire.

Weight

Hand-in-hand with the fullness of your cheeks is your body weight. Those who have a higher body weight tend to be better off when it comes to facial fullness largely because the fat stored in the pads of the cheeks is greater, while those who have less body weight do not have the benefit of extra padding. If you have less natural cheek fullness, then you will likely require more filler to bridge the gap.

Genetics

Your genetics also determine how much fullness is in your Voluma Cheeks, as well as when your cheek fullness begins to decrease as a result of aging. This is because genetics decide how much fat you store in your cheeks, when your collagen and hyaluronic production declines, and how well your body responds to an influx of new hyaluronic acid.

Facial Structure

Your particular facial will also be a factor in how much filler you require. If you have higher cheekbones, the hollows of your cheeks have a greater likelihood of becoming more obvious as you age, which means you will require more filler to make up the difference.

What Can You Expect After Treatment?

Although this treatment has a very short recovery time, there are a few restrictions you can anticipate during the first 1 to 3 days after your treatment. These restrictions include:

• Do not exercise
• Avoid direct sun exposure
• No excess sweating or heat
• Sleep on your back with head elevated
• Do not rub or touch the face
• Avoid alcohol
• Do not take certain medications or supplements

We may also give you additional instructions, such as how to ice the face and how often, as well as how soon you can wash your face.

How Soon Can You See Results?

While you may notice an immediate improvement in the volume of your skin, most patients do not begin seeing noticeable results until about 2 weeks after treatment, which is around the time the injection has settled fully beneath the skin and has begun to interact with the body’s natural metabolism. Depending on how much filler was used, you may see results sooner.

How Long Does This Treatment Last in the Cheeks?

Juvederm has a reputation among dermal fillers for producing long-lasting results that can’t be rivaled by other fillers on the market. For this particular filler, the majority of patients can expect to enjoy results from this treatment for at least 18 to 24 months at a time. Your results may last for more or less time depending on your age, how much filler was used, and where the filler was placed.

What Are the Benefits of Voluma in the Cheeks?

There are many benefits for this cheek-lifting and cheek-contouring treatment that are attractive to prospective patients. In addition to being a compatible treatment with most patients, other benefits include:

Overall Face Lift

This Voluma treatment is your one-stop filler for an overall lift to the face. One of the toughest areas to treat by surgical methods is the fullness of the cheeks, which is what makes this filler so convenient for patients who are searching for reliable results without invasive surgery or prolonged recovery. Because this treatment increases the volume of your cheeks, your entire face will benefit from the restored skin laxity.

Natural-Looking Results

Many patients seek treatments that have results that do not look like obvious cosmetic work has been done, which is why the natural-looking results produced by this treatment are so popular among patients. The natural-looking results of this treatment can be attributed to the way the gel-like injection sits beneath the skin surface and the gradual improvement of your appearance over time.

Non-Invasive

The fact that this is a non-invasive treatment is a huge draw for patients. A non-invasive treatment means the treatment itself is fast and requires no lengthy downtime. Non-invasive treatments also generally have less risk of unintended side effects and are gentler on the body.

Safe and Effective

This treatment is the only FDA-cleared injectable filler for the cheeks, meaning it has withstood the challenge of clinical trials and has been found effective for the majority of patients who were involved in the trials. And because hyaluronic acid is naturally-occurring in the body, the injection itself is safe and biodegradable.

Long-Lasting

If you were excited to learn how long this filler lasts after treatment, then you should know the key to how long you can enjoy the results of this Voluma Filler is directly related to the hyaluronic acid present in the injection. Because this filler is formulated with hyaluronic acid as its main active ingredient, the long-lasting results of this treatment work in two ways.

The first is that hyaluronic acid instantly plumps the skin by providing immediate moisture and volume, which takes several months to be broken down by the body through metabolism. The second is that the hyaluronic acid feeds collagen proteins already present in your skin, which stimulates the production of more collagen for as long as the hyaluronic acid remains in your body. Combined, the long-lasting results can be credited to the way the filler works with your body’s natural regenerative abilities, rather than against them.

Are You a Good Candidate for Treatment?

All adults who are interested in restoring the volume in their cheeks are likely good candidates for this Voluma treatment. There are very few medical restrictions, such as pregnancy; as long as patients pass the required consultation, they are ready for treatment. You may be a good candidate if you want to:

• Lift and contour cheeks
• Redefine jawline
• Contour jaw
• Correct general skin laxity
• Appear more youthful

Uplift Your Beauty With Voluma in the Cheeks!

It’s time to recapture the full-faced beauty of your youth by using a dermal filler to lift and contour your cheeks. If you think the key to uplifting your beauty is with Voluma, please contact O’Donnell Vein & Laser in Annapolis, MD to schedule your consultation!