[Dr. Bellvue Column 62.] Why Juvelook Is the Flower of Anti-Aging Procedures

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Why Juvelook has become the flower of anti-aging procedures

Collagen~! It contributes to maintaining the structure of our dermal layer and is a substance closely related to skin elasticity and overall health. It plays an important role in preventing various signs of aging such as skin sagging, wrinkles, and dryness, and has recently been drawing attention as a key ingredient in anti-aging procedures. As the aging population grows and the proportion of middle-aged and older generations continues to increase, collagen procedures are becoming more and more popular, and various collagen boosters (collagen injections) are competing in the market. Among them, Juvelook seems to have established itself as a representative collagen booster that almost everyone has heard of at least once.

The aging process of the face and loss of volume: the facial contours become uneven, the under-eye area sinks in, and wrinkles settle in.

What is a collagen booster?

A collagen booster is, in simple terms, a substance that boosts collagen production in the skin. Since it is directly injected into the skin, it is above all highly biocompatible and also biodegradable, meaning it naturally breaks down and is eliminated. There are several collagen boosters. Among them, let me introduce Juvelook, the hottest product these days. Of course, there are also products such as Sculptra, Radiesse, Olidia, and UltraCol 200, but if I mention too many, it may get confusing. You can understand the other products in a similar way to Juvelook. It would be good to check the differences in detail in another post.

What is Juvelook?

Shall we start with the ingredient? The base ingredient of Juvelook collagen injections is PLA (polylactic acid). PLA is a biocompatible and biodegradable material produced from natural grains such as corn and sugarcane. It is used in many industrial fields, but in aesthetic medicine it is especially used in the anti-aging field. When injected into the skin, it promotes collagen production, thereby improving skin volume and elasticity. The original product in this category is Sculptra, which many people have heard of. Sculptra received FDA approval in 2004 and is still widely used as a collagen booster. Juvelook, which has a similar effect, was introduced relatively recently, received U.S. FDA and European CE certification, and has been growing rapidly in popularity. So, shall we compare these two collagen injections?

PDLLA vs. PLLA: what is the difference?

Let’s take a closer look at the ingredient differences between Sculptra and Juvelook. The ingredient in Sculptra is PLLA (poly-L-lactic acid), while Juvelook is PDLLA (poly-D,L-lactic acid), synthesized by combining PLLA and PDLA (poly-D-lactic acid) in a 1:1 ratio. PLLA and PDLA are optical isomers; to put it simply, they are related like your left and right palms: they can face each other, but they cannot be stacked on top of each other.

Look at the chemical structures to see the difference between PDLLA and PLLA. The main ingredient in Juvelook is PDLLA, produced by polymerizing PLLA and PDLA in a 1:1 ratio.

From the figure above, you can see that whether it is PDLA on the far right or PLLA on the left, the origin is the same. They are all ingredients based on PLA (polylactic acid), and there is no major difference worth noting in their properties. However, PLLA is known to biodegrade more slowly than PDLA.

In terms of duration, PLLA is the clear winner~!

In other words, PLLA Sculptra breaks down more slowly than PDLLA Juvelook or PDLA, so its effect can last relatively longer. That is why Sculptra is said to last 18–24 months or more, while Juvelook is said to last around 18 months.

As mentioned above, Juvelook’s main ingredient is PDLLA, produced by combining PLLA and PDLA in a 1:1 ratio. So what is its attractive advantage? Compared with PLLA, PDLLA has better bioreactivity and breaks down more smoothly. Better bioreactivity is also an advantage. Still, you may wonder whether a shorter duration means the product is inferior. In terms of duration, it is somewhat lacking, but in terms of side effects such as nodules, it is considered safer. Compared with Sculptra, Juvelook is slightly less durable, but it is a product that can be used more safely and without major issues.

In terms of safety, PDLLA is the clear winner~!

When you’re unsure whether to get Juvelook or filler?

It is necessary to understand volumizing procedures that add volume to the face in a bit more detail. Facial volume, which may have been sufficiently full or even excessive when you were young, gradually decreases over time for everyone. As this happens, the midface shows more prominent hollows in the front cheek, under-eye area, and nasolabial folds, and volume loss can also be seen in the forehead, side of the cheeks, and marionette lines. Then the face suddenly looks much older.

The skin changes over 43 years of the legendary beauty Audrey Hepburn

To reverse this aging, people also undergo fat grafting or filler injections. In the 1980s and 1990s, before collagen injections existed as they do now, unlicensed practitioners in the private sector reportedly injected soybean oil into people’s faces. The side effects were severe, but perhaps they thought side effects were better than aging like a deflated balloon. I’m not sure whether it was because they didn’t know any better, because of psychological issues, or because of an addiction to plastic surgery. In any case, these days it seems that almost no one undergoes such inappropriate procedures carelessly. At present, there are several volumizing procedures worth recommending. If you analyze each one by looking at its pros and cons, the answer naturally becomes clear.

Pros and cons of fat grafting and filler procedures

▶ Facial fat grafting is a relatively safe method in which your own fat is extracted from areas such as the thighs or abdomen and transplanted to the face. The advantage of fat grafting is that relatively large-volume procedures are possible, and the fat that survives can last semi-permanently. However, there are drawbacks as well. Liposuction or grafting does not allow for highly delicate correction. Also, depending on the survival rate, some areas may be overcorrected while others may be undercorrected. In addition, swelling and bruising can occur for a while, and the relatively long recovery period can also be burdensome.

An Ozempic face is a phenomenon in which rapid weight loss from taking diet medication suddenly makes the face look much older.

▶ Filler, the flower of aesthetic procedures, is made of hyaluronic acid (HA) in more than 90% of cases. This hyaluronic acid is a substance naturally present in the human body that is responsible for moisturizing within the dermis, and it is also widely used in cosmetics. It is effective and safe. The procedure is much simpler than surgery and allows for relatively detailed treatment, but caution is needed because of the possibility of serious side effects such as necrosis and blindness. However, delayed allergic reactions and other side effects from fillers are also reported fairly often, so people’s opinions can be divided. Still, if it suits you well, I think there is no procedure that provides such dramatic change and satisfaction as filler.

Juvelook procedure scene at Bellvue Clinic

Advantages and disadvantages of Juvelook

So, how does Juvelook compare with the procedures mentioned above in terms of pros and cons? First of all, the biggest advantage of Juvelook is that the procedure itself works by neocollagenesis, meaning it promotes the body’s own collagen production to create volume. It is not based on injecting a foreign substance to make the skin unnaturally plump. The injected material is biodegraded and eliminated, while the collagen produced by the dermis remains. Because volume is formed this way, it has a special advantage in that the long-term result is very natural.

For example, if a hyaluronic acid filler is overcorrected, the face can sometimes look swollen or unnatural. If the result is unsatisfying, people sometimes even get an injection to dissolve it. Then the volume may drop too much, and they may end up feeling more deflated than before the filler. With collagen injections, this kind of dissatisfaction does not occur, and in fact, such a situation cannot really happen. It is also free from severe filler-related complications such as necrosis and blindness. In fact, it is hard to find cases of blindness or necrosis after Sculptra or Juvelook procedures.

In summary,

Juvelook promotes the body’s own collagen production

to naturally build volume,

and it also has the advantage of not having

long downtime or dangerous side effects such as

blindness or necrosis.

Juvelook procedure scene at Bellvue Clinic

Are there any disadvantages?

Unfortunately, if we point out a drawback of Juvelook procedures, it would be the possibility that collagen is overproduced in a certain area, leading to nodules. This is a problem that Sculptra also has. Although it is rare in practice, if nodules do occur, they are not easy to remove, and in many cases you have to wait for them to improve naturally over time. That is why extra caution is needed in areas with thin skin, since any nodule would be more visible there.

Still, as mentioned above, Juvelook has excellent biocompatibility and is considered to have fewer nodules and be safer than Sculptra. If the practitioner performs the procedure with sufficient care and proper aftercare is provided, it can be sufficiently prevented. It helps not to inject too much into any one specific area, but rather to distribute it evenly, and after the procedure it is useful to ensure the product spreads well through ultrasound care, radiofrequency care, or warming massage.

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Who is a good candidate for Juvelook?

First, Juvelook is a good option to recommend for people whose overall facial volume has clearly decreased. If someone diets too aggressively, even younger people can end up with a skeletal-looking face. (See the Ozempic face photo above.) Also, these days, it is trendy not only to manage severe skin aging, but to take care of things in advance at a relatively young age. This can also be defined as maintaining current youth for as long as possible, or as well-aging. The reason is simple: once aging occurs, it is more difficult to return to the way you looked before. Managing your youth well and keeping it for a long time is easier, cheaper, more efficient, and better in terms of satisfaction.

Areas where filler is more effective

When is filler more recommended? For people who want to improve volume in a specific area only. For example, if you want to enhance aegyo-sal, add plump volume to the lips, or correct the bridge of the nose or a recessed chin, filler is naturally the best choice. Filler is good for detailed work such as molding and shaping, and for areas where immediate volume needs to be visible. Areas like aegyo-sal, the forehead, nose, lips, and chin, which look more three-dimensional and attractive when they stand out, can be considered good areas for filler. It is a procedure where a small amount of filler that can shape well does exactly what it is supposed to do.

Shrinkage and loss of facial fat pads with aging

What if it is not that one specific area that has sunken in, but rather the overall facial volume needs improvement? For people who need volume improvement in several areas at once, such as the front cheeks, side cheeks, nasolabial folds, and marionette lines, a collagen injection procedure like Juvelook is more suitable. There is also the issue of needing a larger volume, and above all, a subtle, natural improvement in volume is important. Large volume, naturalness? This is exactly where the disadvantages and risks of filler become more noticeable. Juvelook, which achieves overall and natural volumizing through the body’s own collagen production, fits these conditions better, so I strongly recommend it.

That’s all for today.

Thank you for reading.

This has been Dr. Bellvue~!

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