Juvéderm® VOLUMA XC
Cheeks, chin and temples.
Vestavia Hills, Alabama · A patient guide
Dermal Fillers.
lips are just the beginning.
You want to look better.
You don’t want to
look weird.
The duck-beak lip. The puffer-fish cheek. You want to see yourself in the mirror—not the treatment.
I want to watch you talk. See your smile. Notice the little movements that make your face yours. Before we talk about adding anything, we need to understand what is already there.
Book Now See treatment & patient photosRead the full guide below. Download a copy without an email address.
Download PDFTHE FILLER EDITION / THE PRACTICAL QUESTIONS
What are we actually changing?
A lip that has lost its shape. A cheek that looks flatter. A fold you notice in every photograph. These can bring you into the same conversation, but they do not automatically call for the same treatment.
Filler adds material beneath the skin to change fullness or contour. Hyaluronic acid, or HA, is a sugar already found in the body; in a filler gel, it holds water and creates a filling effect. Different gels have different properties and approved uses. The product, the area and the way your face moves all matter.
That is a different job from softening a muscle’s pull with a neuromodulator. It is also different from Sculptra’s gradual collagen-stimulating approach. A familiar brand name is the beginning of a discussion, not a complete plan.
Volume, position, or the surface?
If lost fullness is the concern, carefully chosen filler may help. If tissue has descended and skin is loose, adding volume does not remove that skin or reproduce a surgical lift. If the concern is brown spots or surface texture, putting more volume underneath it may miss the point altogether.
This is why a “liquid facelift” and a facelift that repositions tissue are different procedures. The right comparison starts with what changed in your face. Sometimes more than one treatment has a role; sometimes leaving an area alone is the better answer.
Start with your own words: “I hate these jowls”, “My face looks deflated”, or “I want to change my lips.” Each deserves its own evaluation.
YOUR APPOINTMENT / YOUR CALENDAR
The first look is not the final look.
HA filler can create an immediate change in fullness, but swelling can make the early result look different from the settled result. Bruising, tenderness and redness can happen, too. Recovery varies by product, area and person; returning to everyday activities is not the same as being ready for close-up photographs.
Bring your event date into the conversation before treatment. Ask how much time to leave, when to assess the result and which activities or skin products to pause. Follow the instructions for your particular treatment rather than another person’s social-media routine.
Duration varies, too. The material, treatment location and your individual response affect how long a change lasts. A top-up should follow an assessment of what is still present and what you want to change, rather than a calendar that automatically calls for another syringe.
Already have filler?
Bring the product name, treatment areas and dates if you have them. Photographs and previous treatment records can help. If you are unhappy with a result, the next step may be assessment, waiting or discussing a correction rather than adding more.
Some HA filler can be treated with hyaluronidase, but “dissolvable” does not mean risk-free or instantly reversible. Other filler materials can be difficult or impossible to remove. The exact product and the reason for the problem need to be understood first.
BEFORE YOU DECIDE
A small treatment is still a medical procedure.
Common reactions include swelling, bruising, redness, tenderness and itching. Less common problems include infection, inflammatory reactions and nodules; some reactions can appear well after the appointment.
The most serious risk is filler entering a blood vessel and interrupting its blood supply. This can cause tissue damage, blindness or stroke. A careful consultation includes the risks of the specific area, the product being considered and how complications would be handled.
Unusual or increasing pain, skin becoming white, gray or blue, vision changes, or stroke symptoms during or after filler require urgent medical attention. Do not wait for a routine follow-up; vision or stroke symptoms are an emergency.
Questions worth bringing.
- What is causing the change I see, and is filler the right tool?
- Which product and area are you recommending, and is that use FDA-approved?
- What are the alternatives, including doing nothing?
- What should I expect while it settles, and when will we review it?
- What will the full plan cost, and whom do I contact if something concerns me?
You do not need to arrive knowing the answers. The consultation is where the plan becomes specific to you.
View before & after photographs ↓
SMILE LINES · VESTAVIA HILLS & BIRMINGHAM
Smile line filler.
Start with the fold.
Smile lines, also called nasolabial folds, run from the sides of the nose toward the corners of the mouth. Filler can soften selected folds, but the line you see is only part of the assessment. Dr. Petro looks at facial support, volume and movement before deciding where—or whether—to add anything.
A fold can be part of your natural anatomy, including in your twenties. Having one does not mean you need treatment. When loose or descended tissue is the main concern, adding more filler may not give you the change you want; a lifting discussion may be more useful.
The product, amount and total cost are confirmed in your plan. Filler is different from the muscle-relaxing treatment used for selected lip lines. Explore small-area tox options.
From FYPFaces · In the treatment room
See the work.
Dr. Petro during treatment.
Before above · after below.
Before left · after right.
Actual patient photographs from FYPFaces. Individual results vary. Tap a photograph to see it in full.
The faces of PETRO
Filler before & after
Look at both photographs. Bring your questions. Tap a comparison for a closer look.
Enlarge photographs ↗
Enlarge photographs ↗
Enlarge photographs ↗
Individual results vary. Lighting, expression and timing may differ between photographs.
Explore filler photographs in the gallery →From the PETRO photo collection
Every face.
Its own details.
Look at the shape, the balance, the little details. Bring your questions to Dr. Petro.
Patient photographs from Dr. Petro’s collection. Individual results vary. Tap an image to see the full collage.
Explore the photo gallery01 / My perspectiveTHE FILLER EDITION
You want to look better.
You don’t want to look weird.
You can say that to me. You can tell me exactly what you’re afraid of.
Bring the picture you love. Bring the picture you absolutely do not want to look like. Tell me what bothers you—and what you want me to leave alone.
I want to know what you like about your face, too. We don’t have to turn every feature into a project.
“I was a little nervous having anyone come near my lips after having a bad experience elsewhere, but she and her staff were so welcoming and personable.”
PETRO patient
02 / My perspectiveTHE FILLER EDITION
Lip filler can be so pretty,
delicate & feminine OR terrible.
Lips are to your face what shoes are to an outfit.
The point is how they belong to the whole face. I’m looking at your mouth when you smile, when you talk, and when you are just being you.
“I feel better about myself!”
PETRO patient
A matter of tasteTHE FILLER EDITION
A little perspective.
Overfilled lips are like a Dixie Cup of expired boxed wine.
Perfectly plumped lips are Cristal— effortlessly elegant, never overdone.
In my own wordsTHE FILLER EDITION
Most people just
want a touch.
Watch · 31 seconds
They just want it to look like it did, or they just don’t know what went wrong or what looks different.
It is a feeling.
And when you look in the mirror, you know it, and you feel better about yourself.
The lips, up closeTHE FILLER EDITION
The little things
you notice.
Tell me what you see when you look at your lips.
The shape. The balance. The way your lipstick sits. The little thing you keep noticing in photographs. I want to hear it.
If your question is about your mouth, start with lip filler for shape and balance and the concerns we discuss before choosing a treatment.
“I also have trusted her with my eyes and my favorite LIPS!!!”
PETRO patient
03 / My perspectiveTHE FILLER EDITION
When more filler
is not the fix.
I don’t look at your face and see a list of places to put filler.
I look at what is drawing your eye. What has changed? What feels out of place? And will adding something actually give you what you want?
You are allowed to want my opinion before you want a syringe. Sometimes the most useful thing I can do is tell you what I would leave alone.
Are jowls the thing you notice? Read I hate these jowls for a straight conversation about what filler can change and when a lift may be the better question.
“Dr. Petro has refrained from doing certain procedures I have inquired about bc she does not think I need them. If she were an MD looking only for monetary gain, she’d do "all the things." I appreciate her honesty and trust her with my face 100%.”
PETRO patient
04 / My perspectiveTHE FILLER EDITION
I want to watch
you talk.
Your face lives in motion.
I learn so much by watching you. Your smile. Your little smirk. The expressions you make when you’re telling me something.
Those aren’t interruptions to the appointment. They’re part of how I get to know your face.
The little smirk may be
the thing we keep.
“10/10 experience… I love that she talked to me during the procedure to see how my face moved. Can’t wait to come back!”
PETRO patient
Messages afterwardTHE FILLER EDITION
What it meant
to you.
“Thank you so much for your beautiful art work on my lips. They are far more symmetric in photos now.”
PETRO patient
“I TRULY appreciate you noticing and working so hard to make them better. It has bothered me for a long time.”
I want to understand the thing you’ve been living with. Even if it seems small to somebody else.
From my presentationTHE FILLER EDITION
I love lips.
I talk about them here. I talk about them on stage.
Femininity. Expression. How you feel about your face. Those are the parts of the conversation I keep coming back to.
In my presentation, I talk about considering lips in relation to the whole face. What works for one person may not suit another.
Your face is the starting point.
05 / My perspectiveTHE FILLER EDITION
An opinion before
a syringe.
If you already have filler you don’t like, you can tell me that, too.
Tell me what you hoped for. Show me what bothers you now. You don’t have to arrive knowing the name of the problem or asking for the right treatment.
I want us to agree on what we are trying to change before we decide what to do.
“Honest and efficient! Does not try to over sale you on anything. Best experience! Not to mention the ambiance is so chic and inviting!”
PETRO patient
“With Dr. Petro's help and advice, I look good, more importantly I look like ME!”
PETRO patient
06 / My perspectiveTHE FILLER EDITION
You can just
come meet me.
You don’t have to know the answer before you come.
Bring your questions. Tell me what you see. I’ll tell you what I see. We can have a conversation about your face before you decide whether you want to do anything.
That’s where I want this to start.
“Look at those beautiful lips 💋💄 designed by the one and only Dr. Melanie Petro. 💖 I love them 😘 Thank you !!!”
PETRO patient
Patient reviews describe individual experiences.
THE PRODUCTS / VESTAVIA HILLS & BIRMINGHAM
A name you know.
A plan for your face.
You may come in asking for a product by name. Bring that question. We’ll talk about the area you want to change and what belongs in your plan.
The Juvéderm family.
These hyaluronic acid fillers have different roles. The product name is one part of the conversation.
Juvéderm® VOLLURE XC
Facial lines and folds.
Juvéderm® Ultra XC
Lips and facial folds.
The Restylane family.
Restylane Kysse
Restylane Classic
Restylane Defyne
Restylane Refyne
Collagen & skin boosters.
Radiesse
Skinvive
In their words.
“They answered my questions and helped me to feel comfortable about my first injection experience.”
PETRO patient
“Dr Petro and her staff are absolutely amazing! Highly recommend”
PETRO patient
“She is like an artist with fillers; very conservative, steps back and looks , injects a small amount at a time until she is pleased. It is perfect.”
PETRO patient
“Such a relaxed atmosphere and everyone makes you feel welcome.”
PETRO patient
“Dr. Petro was great at providing all my options, explained the treatments and gave me alternatives based on my budget.”
PETRO patient
“Went in for my first time. The office is beautiful and inviting!”
PETRO patient
