JUVÉDERM is a family of hyaluronic acid dermal fillers, each formulation carrying its own FDA-approved area: cheeks, chin, temples, jawline, lips, under-eye hollows and facial folds. Coastal Dermatology + Aesthetics places them at its San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria offices. Every JUVÉDERM indication that specifies an age limits treatment to adults 21 and older.
What filler actually does
Hyaluronic acid is something your skin already makes, and less of it every year. A filler is a gel of it, placed where your face has lost its shape, and it works the moment it goes in. You look in the mirror in the chair, not in four months.
The thing worth understanding before you book: JUVÉDERM is not one product. It is a family, and the members are built differently on purpose. Some are firm enough to rebuild a cheekbone. Some are soft enough to go under an eye without showing an edge. Using the firm one where the soft one belongs is how people end up looking lumpy or overfilled, and it is a choice made by whoever is holding the syringe.
It is also reversible, which almost nothing else in aesthetics is. Hyaluronic acid fillers can be dissolved with an enzyme if you do not like the result or if anything needs correcting. That safety net is a real reason to start here rather than with something permanent.
What filler is good at
- Rebuilding cheeks that have flattened, which lifts everything below them
- Softening the folds from nose to mouth without stuffing the fold itself
- Adding definition to a jawline or projection to a chin, without surgery
- Lips: more volume, better shape, or just the hydration back
- Filling under-eye hollows that make you look exhausted
- Being undone if you change your mind
Distinct JUVÉDERM formulations, each with its own FDA-approved area and its own consistency. Choosing between them is a decision about tissue depth and movement, not a brand preference. SKINVIVE is a seventh product and does something different again. [1]
How treatment works
We look at the whole face
Where you point is often not where the problem is. A heavy fold beside the mouth is usually a cheek that has emptied above it, and filling the fold directly makes the face heavier rather than fresher. The plan starts from proportion, not from the line that bothers you.
The injections
Thirty to sixty minutes, most of which is assessment and marking. The gels contain lidocaine, and numbing cream goes on first for delicate areas. You will be handed a mirror as we go.
It settles
You see the result immediately, then it settles over about two weeks as swelling goes and the gel integrates. We review you rather than finishing everything in one sitting, because a face that has been built gradually looks like a face.
Every JUVÉDERM indication that specifies an age limits treatment to adults 21 and over. [1]
What do the different JUVÉDERM® fillers do?
H3: JUVÉDERM® VOLUMA® XC
The structural one. Placed deep in the cheek to rebuild volume that has gone, and also approved for chin augmentation and temple hollowing. It is the firmest of the group, which is why it goes where the face has lost its underlying shape rather than where it has lost a line. [1]
H3: JUVÉDERM® VOLUX® XC
For the jawline. A firm gel placed along the jaw to sharpen definition and improve its shape, which is the treatment people are asking for when they say they want a stronger profile without surgery. [1]
H3: JUVÉDERM® VOLLURE® XC
For moderate to severe wrinkles and folds, most often the nasolabial folds running from nose to mouth. Softer than the structural gels, because a fold moves every time you speak. [1]
H3: JUVÉDERM® VOLBELLA® XC
The delicate one. Approved for lip augmentation, for the fine vertical lines around the mouth, and for under-eye hollows: all the places where a firmer gel would announce itself. If you want your lips to look like lips rather than like lip filler, this is usually the conversation. [1]
H3: JUVÉDERM® Ultra XC and Ultra Plus XC
Ultra XC is used mainly for adding volume to thin lips. Ultra Plus XC is the heavier of the two, for moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds. [1]
SKINVIVE® by JUVÉDERM®
SKINVIVE does something different from a filler. It is a series of tiny hyaluronic acid microdroplets placed just beneath the surface to improve the smoothness of your cheeks, working on skin quality rather than on shape or volume. It was the first injectable of its kind approved in the United States. [1]
It answers a specific complaint: your face still has its structure, but your cheeks look dull, rough or crepey in photographs and no cream has touched it. Results last up to six months. [1] It sits comfortably alongside filler and neuromodulator treatment, and it is worth asking about even if you have already decided you do not want filler.
Areas we treat
Cheeks
Rebuilds the midface volume whose absence pulls the rest of your face down.
Lips
Adds volume, or restores shape and hydration, in proportion to the rest of your face.
Around the mouth
Softens the fine vertical lines that catch lipstick.
Chin
Improves projection and balances a profile.
Jawline
Sharpens definition along the jaw.
Nasolabial folds
Softens the moderate to severe folds from nose to mouth.
Under the eyes
Fills hollows that make you look tired no matter how much you sleep.
Real results
Before & after
These are our own patients, photographed at our offices and published with their consent. Individual results vary. There are more in the practice’s private gallery, and we will show you cases close to yours at your consultation.
Individual results vary. Photos shown are unretouched patients of Coastal Dermatology + Aesthetics, published with consent.
Hyaluronic acid fillers can be dissolved with an enzyme if a result needs correcting or you change your mind. Almost nothing else in aesthetics offers that.
Dr. Kilcline and her staff are amazing to work with. The center is a lot of fun and everyone is always so friendly!
The Coastal difference
Filler is a medical procedure, and the risks are anatomical
The complications that matter with filler are not cosmetic. They are vascular, they are rare, and they happen when a gel goes somewhere it should not near a facial artery. That is a question of anatomy, of recognizing a problem early, and of having the means to act immediately. All three of those live inside a board-certified dermatology practice.
It also means we will tell you when filler is the wrong answer. Lines carved by muscle movement need a neuromodulator, not volume. Diffuse thinning across the whole midface often does better with a collagen stimulator than with gel placed in one spot. And a face that genuinely needs lifting rather than filling needs a different conversation altogether, which you should have before you spend, not after.
Is it right for you?
Filler is probably a good fit if:
- Your face looks flatter or more tired than it used to and you cannot point at one line
- You want a sharper jaw, a stronger chin or fuller lips without surgery
- You want to see the result the same day
- You accept that it is temporary and will need topping up
- You want a plan built around your proportions rather than a fixed number of syringes
We will steer you somewhere else if:
- You have an infection or active inflammation in the area
- You have one of the severe allergies named in the product labeling
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding, where elective treatment is deferred
- What you are describing is better answered by surgery, a neuromodulator or skin treatment
What to expect afterward
Swelling and tenderness for a few days, and bruising is common, particularly around the lips and eyes. Lips swell more than anything else and more than people expect, so do not book them three days before a wedding. You may feel firmness or slight unevenness while everything settles.
For the first few days, do
- Use ice for swelling
- Sleep with your head slightly raised
- Give it two weeks before you judge the result
For the first few days, don’t
- Massage or press the area unless we have told you to
- Book a hard workout, a sauna or a long flight
- Panic about asymmetry in week one
Call us right away about severe or increasing pain, skin that turns white or dusky, or any change in your vision. These are rare and they are urgent, and they are the reason this belongs in a medical setting.
Concerns treated
Pick a concern to see how we approach it.
What treatment costs
Filler is priced per syringe, and how many you need depends on how much volume has gone and where. One syringe is roughly a teaspoon, which is less than most people picture, and a face that has been emptying for a decade is rarely a one-syringe conversation.
You will be told how many syringes and what it costs before anything is opened. We would rather stage it across two visits than sell you a result you did not agree to.
Treatment time
30 to 60 minutes
Downtime
Minimal; swelling and bruising are possible
Results appear
Immediately, then settle over days to weeks
Results last
Varies by product and area
JUVÉDERM frequently asked questions
How long to wait before judging your result. Swelling is at its worst on day two or three and is gone well before the gel has finished settling.
Offered at
Ready to see the difference? Request your consultation
Fill out the form below, book online in Santa Maria (opens online scheduler), or give us a call. Cosmetic and aesthetic appointments need no referral. For medical dermatology, we are accepting new patients by referral from your primary care physician; send the referral across and then use the same form.
Cosmetic consultations are $125, paid at booking and credited toward the cost of treatment.
Sources and medical review
1. JUVÉDERM® Collection of Fillers, Indications and Important Safety Information, Allergan Aesthetics. Product-specific approved indications: VOLUMA XC for cheek augmentation, chin augmentation and temple hollowing in adults over 21; VOLUX XC for jawline definition in adults over 21; VOLBELLA XC for lip augmentation, perioral rhytids and infraorbital hollowing in adults over 21; VOLLURE XC and Ultra Plus XC for moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds; Ultra XC for lip augmentation. SKINVIVE® by JUVÉDERM® is a hyaluronic acid microdroplet injectable indicated for improvement of skin smoothness of the cheeks in adults over 21, with results lasting up to six months. https://hcp.juvederm.com/ · Regulatory / Prescribing Information
2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Dermal Fillers (Soft Tissue Fillers).” Approved uses, risks and potential complications of injectable dermal fillers. https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/aesthetic-cosmetic-devices/dermal-fillers-soft-tissue-fillers · Regulatory
Content on this page is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Dermal filler injection carries rare but serious risks including vascular occlusion and vision changes. JUVÉDERM® and SKINVIVE® are trademarks of Allergan Aesthetics. Individual results may vary. Cosmetic consultations are $125, paid at booking and credited toward the cost of treatment.