The “liquid lift” – what do I think??

Dr. Irwin
April 21, 2014
I had a liquid lift -8000.00 of juvederm ultra - primarily to my midface. Within 3 weeks the entire structure broke down leaving dark bands below my eyes, furrows runningdown my face and deep folds running from my nose to my mouth . In fact i looked worse afterwards then before i did anything. Why would this happen? It appears that i was vastly over charged ..was I?

On the overcharge question, it’s really impossible for me to say without knowing where you live (some areas much more expensive) and how many syringes were used.

I really hear you on this.   In my opinion, putting more than 2-3 syringes in anyone’s face at one treatment session is not a good idea, despite all the recent marketing driven by …..guess who……the companies that make the products and the some of the doctors who “speak for” the companies at medical meetings.  Here’s why I think this:

  1. Facial structure is complicated, restoring facial structure is complicated and trying to restore it in one or even two sessions, doesn’t allow for much artistry.  Imagine Picasso trying to paint a masterpiece in one day!  Faces, in my opinion, require some study and delicacy of approach;
  2. All of the HA (Juvederm,Voluma, Restlyane, etc) fillers change, mold and settle a little over a period of 1-2 weeks after a treatment as they accomodate to the boney architecture of the face and even more importantly, the way the muscle move in your face.  Working more slowly over time, allows adjustment for that;
  3. Complication rates tend to rise, even if it’s just bruising, when more is done in one session;

In my opinion, working slowly and carefully over a number of sessions/months to get a “base” and a map of the face determined, gives a long term better result and generally avoilds major problem like the one you describe.   Please go back to the dermatologist and let him/her see this or get a second opinion from an expert in your area!

Hope this helps,   Dr. I

 

Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD

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Hi, I’m Dr. Irwin. I believe that consumers deserve a medically trained and unbiased skin care advocate.

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