Is JUVÉDERM® Safe?

While it’s always important to consult with your doctor before you decide to undergo any cosmetic treatments, you can be quite confident that JUVÉDERM® is indeed safe, as an FDA-approved gel filler that’s been tested in clinical trials and given the green light for safe and effective use.

This type of hyaluronic (HA) filler is considered generally ‘biocompatible,’ which means that allergy skin testing is not required before treatment, but it’s always best to be cautious. If you have any type of allergies or skin sensitivities, your doctor will certainly take extra care to assess your skin and question you about your medical history. For instance, if you have an allergy to lidocaine, you’re not a candidate for JUVÉDERM, since the injectable gel contains lidocaine as a comfort-inducer, minimizing pain during treatment. If you have other severe allergies, your doctor may decide against using JUVÉDERM as your skin’s solution.

If you’re currently pregnant, breast-feeding, under age 18, on an aspirin or ibuprofen regimen (that can promote extra bleeding,) or undergoing any immunosuppressive therapy, your doctor may also wish to avoid any potential risks, since your health and safety always come first.

Other than these or other pre-existing risks that would likely eliminate you from consideration for any cosmetic treatment types, JUVÉDERM delivers natural results right where you want them, with your only remaining concern being the mild to moderate side effects that can be easily tolerated, including redness, swelling, tenderness, firmness, swelling, itching, and pain – usually for fewer than 7 days. And a simple ice pack might solve your swelling dilemma the next day. Everyone is different. Some patients are comfortable enough immediately after treatment to go right back into their daily routine, since the swelling in the treated area is so minimal, the redness barely visible.

Of course, some patients are more sensitive than others to tenderness and itching, and some bruise more easily, so your JUVÉDERM consultation will involve plenty of questions about your pain tolerance level and how your skin reacts to any types of treatments, including redness you may experience after facials and recovery from any cuts or other everyday injuries.

Some skin types and hues may see some slight discoloration, but again, your experienced physician will always carefully assess your skin and discuss your skin treatment history with you before treatment, as well as care directions for after treatment.

Once you’re cleared for JUVÉDERM treatments, it’s important to keep post-procedure safety and smarts in mind. During the 24 hours after you get JUVÉDERM injectable HA gel, you should avoid extended exposure to the sun or to heat, consumption of alcoholic beverages, and strenuous exercise, all of which can cause temporary swelling, redness and itching in your treatment areas. You also want to follow your doctor’s orders carefully regarding keeping the treatment area clean and germ-free, to avoid the risk of any infection. And naturally, it’s smart to wait a while before undergoing any additional appearance-enhancing procedures such as laser treatments or chemical peels. Pursuing additional treatments too soon can pose a risk of inflammation at the injection sites, and possibly infection.

Persons of Color often wonder if JUVÉDERM is right for them, especially if they may have viewed some online message boards with posts warning about scarring risks after injectable treatments. But JUVÉDERM is the first FDA approved HA filler with demonstrated safety and effectiveness in persons of color.

So the basic answer is this: if your doctor assesses your skin and medical history fully, finds you to be a great candidate for JUVÉDERM HA dermal filler, and you follow all the rules for post-treatment activity and self-care, then you can consider JUVÉDERM to be a safe and effective method for restoring that plump, fresh, youthful look to your face.