What is Juvederm?
Juvederm is a family of hyaluronic acid dermal fillers made by Allergan Aesthetics. Hyaluronic acid is a sugar that occurs naturally in the skin and binds water; in Juvederm it is cross-linked into a smooth gel that holds its shape for months before the body absorbs it. It is one of the facial fillers Dr. Cat uses, alongside Restylane, Radiesse and Sculptra, and it is the product in every lip case on this page.
Juvederm fills lines and hollows that are there at rest. Lines that appear only with expression are made by muscle and are treated with Botox; our page on Botox or fillers explains which one your lines need. Because Juvederm is hyaluronic acid, it can be dissolved with an enzyme, hyaluronidase, if a result ever needs adjusting.
The Juvederm family: Voluma, Volbella, Vollure and Ultra XC
Each member of the range is a gel of a different thickness for a different area. In the manufacturer's range, Juvederm Voluma XC is the firmest, for the cheeks, where it lifts as well as fills; Juvederm Volbella XC is the softest, for the lips and the fine lines around them; Juvederm Vollure XC, between the two, is for the nasolabial folds and marionette lines; Juvederm Ultra XC and Ultra Plus XC are the original lip and fold products. XC means lidocaine is mixed into the gel for comfort. The product and the number of syringes are chosen at your consultation, from your tissue and the look you want.
Dr. Cat also uses Restylane, the other hyaluronic acid filler on the price list at the same $1,250 per syringe; the Restylane page compares the two. For gradual volume built from your own collagen over months, Sculptra, a poly-L-lactic acid collagen stimulator, is the other option.
How Dr. Cat injects Juvederm
Dr. Cat is a board-certified plastic surgeon who completed two surgical residencies, one in head and neck surgery, microvascular and facial reconstructive surgery, and advanced training in general plastic and reconstructive surgery, Harvard-educated and UCLA trained. She treats filler as a technical art with the same attention to detail as surgery, and the aim is a refreshed, refined version of your own face.
Facial analysis first
Every treatment starts with a detailed facial analysis: your anatomy, the corrections you want, any asymmetry, the proportions you want to improve, the aesthetic you prefer and any events coming up, because swelling has a timetable. Bring photographs of looks you like and looks you do not, so she understands what you hope to achieve.
The multi-layer, multi-directional technique
Dr. Cat developed a multi-layer, multi-directional technique: small amounts of Juvederm placed in more than one plane and from more than one direction, so the gel blends into the tissue and the result is smooth rather than the clumps a single line of filler leaves. A very thin needle carries small amounts at a time, and the same gentle technique keeps bruising and swelling minimal.
Comfort and sterility
You are numbed with a topical anesthetic so you feel no pain, and ice and a special probe reduce the possibility of pain further. Your face is cleansed with different solutions before a needle touches it, as it would be for surgery. A treatment usually takes 30 to 60 minutes, in Dr. Cat's office on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, a short drive from anywhere in Los Angeles.
Who injects at the practice
Filler at Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery is injected by a surgeon, never by a nurse injector or physician assistant. Dr. Cat injects the lips, the nasolabial folds and the neck lines herself. The cheeks, the hollows under the eyes, the jawline and chin and the temples are injected by our board-certified facial plastic surgeon, who has worked alongside her for more than a decade, at the same price per syringe.
Where Juvederm is used
The durations are the practice's published figures by area.
- Lips: fullness, shape and border definition; 6 to 12 months, the shortest, because the lips have a high blood flow.
- Cheeks: volume and lift over the cheekbone; 12 to 18 months.
- Under the eyes (the tear trough): the hollow that reads as tired; 12 to 18 months.
- Nasolabial folds and marionette lines: 9 to 15 months.
- Jawline and chin: definition along the jaw, a short chin, the prejowl hollow that hides an early jowl; 12 to 18 months.
- Temples: hollowing beside the brow, planned with the cheeks.
- Neck lines: the horizontal lines across the neck, with a thin product.
Filler is not the answer to everything on that list. Jowls and loose skin are tissue that has moved, and a facelift moves it back; a face that wants lasting volume in several areas is often better served by fat transfer to the face.
How long does Juvederm last?
Juvederm lasts 6 to 18 months, depending on the product, the area and your metabolism: lips 6 to 12 months; nasolabial folds and marionette lines 9 to 15 months; cheeks, jawline and under the eyes 12 to 18 months. The result is visible before you leave, and the final look shows at about two weeks, once swelling has settled.
Dr. Cat creates a personalized maintenance schedule for each patient so results stay consistent and natural, and many patients find a regular touch-up needs less filler than the first session. Our post on making dermal filler results last longer covers the aftercare that helps.
Juvederm for the lips and under the eyes
Juvederm lips: naturally fuller, never the duck look
Dr. Cat applies Juvederm in a specific way to make the lips look naturally fuller: your own shape, the border defined, the body filled in proportion, no overstuffed upper lip and no filler outside the lip line. The six cases on this page are all Juvederm lips by Dr. Cat: a natural look from 1 cc of Juvederm (FLR-4100), an unretouched before and after (FLR-3706), and a patient who asked for no duck look and left with a subtle pout (FLR-4101). For very thin lips she often starts with about 1 ml and builds later; see our post on filler for thin lips. Juvederm lips last 6 to 12 months. For a long upper lip, a lip lift is the surgical answer.
Juvederm under eyes: conservative by rule
The tear trough is the hollow between the lower lid and the cheek, and a small amount of a soft, thin product laid deep along it lifts the shadow that reads as tired, for 12 to 18 months. The rule at the practice, in Dr. Cat's words, is to be conservative so patients do not look puffy or overfilled. The caveat is puffiness itself: a bag of fat rather than a hollow needs a lower eyelid lift, not filler.
Juvederm recovery timeline
There is no downtime after Juvederm. Here is what the days after look like, and when the result is final.
- The consultationA free 15-minute discovery call, then your consultation and facial analysis with Dr. Cat, where the areas, the product and the number of syringes are agreed. For a week before treatment, no aspirin, anti-inflammatories, alcohol or herbal supplements.
- Treatment dayTopical numbing, ice and the probe, a sterile cleanse, then 30 to 60 minutes of injection with a very thin needle. Ice and massage only if directed.
- The first 24 hoursNo makeup or anything that could carry bacteria onto your face, and no strenuous activity or exercise.
- Days 3 to 7Swelling settles, 3 to 7 days depending on the area, and any bruise fades.
- Two weeksThe final look. If a small touch-up is needed it is planned at your follow-up visit.
- 6 to 18 monthsThe maintenance visit, on a schedule set by area; touch-ups usually need less filler than the first session.
Risks and safety
Juvederm is FDA-approved, and an injection is still a medical procedure with an anatomy under it.
What can go wrong
- Bruising and swelling, the common ones, 3 to 7 days
- Asymmetry between the two sides
- Lumps or clumps you can see or feel
- Migration, filler drifting beyond the area; the ridge above the lip line is the classic case
- Infection, uncommon with sterile preparation, and a cold-sore flare
- Vascular occlusion, rare and serious: gel blocking a blood vessel; untreated it can cost skin or, near the eye, sight
How the practice reduces these risks
- A surgeon injects, never a nurse injector, and Dr. Cat trained in head and neck surgery
- Small amounts, a very thin needle, in layers and from more than one direction, so the gel blends instead of pooling
- A conservative plan, with volume added at a follow-up rather than forced into one visit
- Sterile cleansing before every injection, and the week-before list
- Hyaluronidase on hand: Juvederm can be dissolved within hours; Radiesse and Sculptra cannot
- A follow-up visit and a team you can reach
Who is a good candidate for Juvederm?
The right candidate has a specific change in mind that volume can make, and wants to look like herself afterward.
You may be a good candidate if
- Your lips are thin, uneven, or have lost fullness or definition
- Your cheeks have flattened, the temples have hollowed, or the folds around the mouth have deepened
- The hollows under your eyes make you look tired, with no bag of fat beneath them
- You want definition along the jaw or projection at the chin without an implant
- You want a same-day, reversible result with no time off
- You are an adult in good health with no active skin infection in the area
Not yet, or a different plan, if
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding
- You have an active skin infection, a cold sore or a rash in the area
- You take a prescribed blood thinner without clearance from the prescribing doctor
- Your lines move with expression: that is muscle, and Botox is the treatment
- The problem is loose skin and jowls: a facelift is the answer
- You want a permanent change: a lip lift or fat transfer lasts, filler does not
Whoever injects you, the warning signs after a filler are the same.
Call us right away, day or night, if the skin over or near a treated area turns white, mottled or dusky, if pain is severe or out of proportion, or if your vision changes. These are the signs of a blocked vessel; hyaluronic acid filler can be dissolved at once, and the hours matter.
Call us as well for swelling that worsens after day three, spreading redness, a fever, a growing lump, or anything that worries you.
How much does Juvederm cost in Beverly Hills?
Juvederm is $1,250 per syringe with Dr. Cat, the price on our published non-surgical price list, and the same whichever of the practice's two surgeons injects. It is priced per full syringe, and the number of syringes moves the total: a lip enhancement is often one syringe, as in the 1 cc case on this page, the cheeks or the jawline usually more. The number per area is set at your consultation, so you know the total in advance.
Botox and filler fees are per unit and per syringe: if movement lines are treated at the same visit, Botox is $25 per unit and Dysport $8.50 per unit; our comparison of Botox and Dysport explains the unit maths. The product is the same everywhere; what you pay for is the analysis, the technique and the surgeon holding the needle.
Consultation fee, insurance and financing
Your appointment is reserved with a $500 deposit credited to your treatment; new patients are evaluated and treated at the same visit, and the $500 stays as a credit if treatment is not right for you. The $500 surgical consultation fee and its credit toward surgery are a separate arrangement. To pay over time, the practice partners with Cherry, its primary financing partner, and also accepts CareCredit and Alphaeon Credit; see financing and payment plans. Juvederm is cosmetic and not covered by insurance; Dr. Cat's office does not bill insurance.
Your consultation with Dr. Cat
It starts with a free 15-minute discovery call with our Patient Concierge, who books your consultation. The consultation and facial analysis are with Dr. Cat herself, in person on Rodeo Drive or, for out-of-town patients, by private video consultation through OnPatient, the HIPAA-secure patient portal. She asks what bothers you, examines the areas, looks at the photographs you brought, and tells you which areas Juvederm will improve, which product, how many syringes, and where a different treatment would serve you better. You leave with a plan and a price by the syringe.
