Local Plastic Surgeon Among First in Region to Offer New Lip Treatment

LONGMEADOW — Aesthetic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, P.C., a community-centered cosmetic-surgery and non-invasive practice serving Western Mass. and Northern Conn., announced that the practice is among the first to offer Juvéderm Volbella XC within the Pioneer Valley.

“Volbella is an injectable lip treatment that improves volume lost above the upper lip,” said board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Glen Brooks. “It has also demonstrated significant success filling in fine lines around the mouth and eyes.”

Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June, the treatment is being administered by very few providers at this time. As a ‘diamond-level’ provider of Allergan products, the manufacturer of Volbella, Brooks’ practice was selected to provide the treatment upon release this October. Diamond-level practices represent the top 3{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of all Allergan providers in the U.S.

“By recognizing us at the diamond level, Allergan is communicating a clear and transparent way for consumers to find the most experienced providers,” said Physician Assistant Leah Kenney, who is certified to administer the treatment. “For the best results, patients should be looking for those credentials. Not only is Dr. Brooks board-certified, we are both trainers for Allergan products as well, which further demonstrates the skill and finesse we have here at Aesthetic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.”

Released to market in October, Volbella smooths lines that can appear around the lips, known as perioral rhytids, by adding fullness to the lips and softening the appearance of lines.

“What makes Volbella different is that it was formulated with a proprietary filler from Allergan that blends different molecular weights of hyaluronic acid,” said Physician Assistant Julia Boucher, who is also certified to administer the treatment. “Volbella has been engineered to address specific patient concerns such as lip fullness and fine lines around the mouth.”

The safety and effectiveness of Volbella has been demonstrated in several clinical trials, including the pivotal U.S. study where 168 subjects were treated with Volbella. A five-point scale was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the product for smoothing lines around the mouth. Approximately two-thirds of subjects treated with Volbella showed improvement in lip fullness and perioral lines throughout the first year. The safety of Volbella was observed to be similar to that of the control.