What are these NYC physicians raving about? It’s a new dermal filler called Juvéderm Voluma XC, Voluma for short, and it seems poised to take the cosmetic procedure business by storm. Brought to you by Allergan, the makers of Botox, Voluma is the first and only injectable filler to receive FDA approval for volumizing the mid-face and cheeks.
![]() | ![]() | | These “Before” and “After” photos of one of Dr. Shafer’s patients show the results of Voluma two days after it was administered. The top row shows the overall improvement. The middle row displays the changes in the roundness and lifting of the cheek, and the bottom row illustrates the modification in the hollowness of the eye and tear trough. No injections were placed in the tear trough. Enhancement of the under-eye area is a secondary benefit. This patient had two syringes. | ![]() |
This malleable gel has been tried and tested long before the FDA gave it its blessing, however, as it has already been approved and used in no less than 72 countries over the past 5 years.
“The process of aging is the process of volume loss,” explains Dr. Karcher. Over time, the combination of fat and bone absorption results in sagging skin and a hollowing of the cheeks — and it is this age-related loss of volume which Voluma was specifically designed to redress. So, what exactly is Voluma and why are cosmetic doctors so excited about it?
Like Juvederm and Restylane, Voluma is a hyaluronic acid, or HA, a naturally-occurring skin molecule. Unlike the other HA fillers, however, Voluma has very low hydrophilic properties, meaning that it has a very low rate of water-absorption. While a product with a high rate of water absorption is great as a wrinkle filler, it is not always ideal as a volumizer due to the fact that there is little control over the end result.
Therefore, because Voluma will not expand after injection, it takes the guesswork out of how much to use, allowing for controlled, precise results. “What you see is what you get with Voluma,” says Dr. Shafer. If a patient is unhappy with the effects, though, the procedure is reversible, as are all HA fillers, with the injection of a dissolving enzyme.
Another advantage to Voluma is its superior lifting capability. The gel doesn’t spread out once it has been injected. It stays cohesive, resulting in a nice lift to the cheeks and jowls. Voluma changes “the way fillers are used from previously only inflating tissues to now lifting the face with a naturally appearing result," maintains Dr. Shafer. |
