As the owner of a Draper medical spa, I’m always excited when a new aesthetic treatment becomes available. Today, I want to introduce you to Renuva – a remarkable new injectable that’s changing how we approach volume restoration without surgery.
If you’ve experienced age-related volume loss, have indentations from previous procedures, or simply want to restore fullness to areas that have deflated over time, Renuva might be exactly what you’ve been looking for. This isn’t your typical dermal filler – it’s something much more groundbreaking.
What Is Renuva?
Renuva is an injectable treatment made from an allograft adipose tissue matrix – essentially a blend of fat-derived proteins, growth factors, and collagen. When injected into areas with volume loss, Renuva stimulates your body to create new fat cells, leading to natural volume restoration over time.
Unlike traditional hyaluronic acid fillers that eventually break down and need to be replaced, or fat transfer procedures that require liposuction to harvest your own fat, Renuva offers a unique middle ground. It’s an off-the-shelf solution that triggers your body to grow its own fat exactly where you want it.
Once injected, Renuva creates a honeycomb-like “adipose matrix” that acts as a scaffold for your own body fat to form through a process called remodeling. It’s gradually replaced over the next three months by your own fat cells, reversing volume loss naturally.
How Does Renuva Work?
The science behind Renuva is fascinating and represents a shift toward regenerative aesthetic treatments. Let me break down exactly what happens when you receive Renuva injections.
The Adipose Matrix Technology
At its core, Renuva uses an adipose allograft matrix derived from donated fat tissue that’s rich in growth factors. These growth factors signal your body to create new fat cells in the treated area. The donated tissue is thoroughly screened and processed according to FDA guidelines to ensure safety.
When I inject Renuva into treatment areas, it doesn’t simply “fill” the space like traditional fillers. Instead, it creates a structural scaffold that your body recognizes and uses as a framework to build new, living fat tissue.
The Remodeling Process
Over the course of 3-6 months after treatment, something remarkable happens:
Month 1: The Renuva adipose matrix integrates with your surrounding tissues. Your body begins recognizing it as a structure where fat belongs and starts sending signals to regenerate fat cells.
Months 2-3: New blood vessels form in the area (a process called angiogenesis), bringing nutrients and oxygen to support new fat cell growth. Your own fat cells begin filling in the honeycomb structure.
Months 3-6: The Renuva matrix is gradually eliminated by your body, leaving behind only your own newly formed fat cells exactly where they’re needed. The volume you see is now your own living tissue. This is why Renuva results look and feel completely natural.
What Areas Can Renuva Treat?
Renuva is highly versatile and can be used in multiple areas of the face and body to restore volume or smooth out irregularities. At our Draper medical spa, I use Renuva to address concerns in numerous areas.
Facial Volume Restoration
Renuva facial treatments can restore youthful contours and address age-related fat loss in:
- Temples: Hollowing temples make you look tired and aged
- Cheeks: Restore the fullness that gives faces their youthful appearance
- Nasolabial folds: Soften those deep lines from nose to mouth
- Jawline: Improve definition and smooth jowling
- Under-eye area (tear troughs): Fill hollows that create dark circles
- Chin: Add projection or fill irregularities
Hands
Hand rejuvenation with Renuva addresses one of the most visible signs of aging. As we age, we lose fat in our hands, making veins, tendons, and bones more prominent. Renuva injections restore that youthful plumpness to the backs of hands.
Body Contouring and Corrections
Renuva is incredibly effective for body applications, including:
- Cellulite dimples: Filling in those stubborn indentations
- Liposuction irregularities: Smoothing uneven results from previous procedures
- Post-surgical depressions: Correcting indentations after any surgery
- Breast asymmetry: Balancing uneven breast tissue
- Breast implant rippling: Smoothing visible implant edges
- Hip dips: Creating smoother hip contours
- Décolletage lines: Softening chest wrinkles
- Buttock volume: Adding subtle fullness
- Scar depressions: Raising indented scars to skin level
The versatility of Renuva makes it an excellent solution for numerous aesthetic concerns that previously required surgery or weren’t treatable at all.
Renuva vs. Traditional Fillers
At La Belle Vie, I’m often asked how Renuva compares to traditional dermal fillers like Juvederm or Restylane. While both are injectables, they work very differently.
How Traditional Fillers Work
Hyaluronic acid fillers are gel-like substances injected into skin or tissue to add immediate volume. They work great and provide instant results, but they’re temporary – typically lasting 6-18 months before your body breaks them down.
How Renuva Is Different
Renuva doesn’t fill space – it regenerates your own fat tissue. Here are the key differences:
Longevity:
- Traditional fillers: 6-18 months
- Renuva: Results can last years, potentially up to a decade, because the fat cells that form are your own living tissue
Results timeline:
- Traditional fillers: Immediate results
- Renuva: Gradual improvement over 3-6 months as your body builds new fat
What you’re getting:
- Traditional fillers: Temporary gel injected into tissue
- Renuva: Your own regenerated fat cells
Natural movement:
- Traditional fillers: Can sometimes look stiff or migrate
- Renuva: Moves naturally because it’s actual fat tissue in the correct anatomical layer
Treatment approach:
- Traditional fillers: Inject to full correction immediately
- Renuva: Conservative layering over multiple sessions for natural-looking results
Renuva vs. Fat Transfer
Another common comparison is between Renuva and traditional fat transfer (also called fat grafting). Both ultimately give you your own fat, but the process is quite different.
Traditional Fat Transfer
Fat transfer requires liposuction to harvest fat from one area of your body (typically abdomen or thighs), processing that fat, and then injecting it into areas needing volume. It’s surgical, requires anesthesia, and involves recovery time from both the harvest and injection sites.
Renuva’s Advantages
Renuva provides similar results without the need for:
- Liposuction procedure
- Anesthesia
- Multiple surgical sites
- Significant downtime
- Having enough harvestable fat on your body
Results are similar to autologous fat transfer, without the need for liposuction. This makes Renuva ideal for patients who want the permanence of fat but prefer a less invasive approach.
The Renuva Treatment Experience
Understanding what to expect during Renuva treatment helps ease any concerns you might have about the procedure.
Your Consultation
During your consultation at our Draper medical spa, I’ll:
- Assess your areas of concern and volume loss
- Discuss your aesthetic goals
- Examine your skin quality and tissue
- Determine if Renuva is appropriate for your needs
- Create a personalized treatment plan
- Explain expected results and timeline
Not everyone is a candidate for Renuva. It works best for mild to moderate volume loss and specific contour irregularities. If you need significant volume restoration, we might discuss alternative or combination approaches.
Treatment Day
Renuva injections are an in-office procedure that typically takes 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the number of areas being treated.
Here’s what happens:
Step 1: Numbing The treatment areas are numbed with local anesthetic to ensure your comfort.
Step 2: Injection Using precise injection techniques, I administer Renuva into the deeper layers of tissue where fat naturally exists. I typically use cannulas (blunt-tipped needles) for increased comfort and safety.
Step 3: Assessment I assess the treated areas to ensure proper placement and volume.
Most clients describe minimal discomfort during the procedure – similar to getting traditional dermal fillers. However, the numbing makes the experience more comfortable.
Immediate Aftermath
You’ll see some immediate volume in treated areas, but this isn’t your final result. Some of that initial fullness is from the Renuva matrix itself and some swelling, which will subside as your body begins the remodeling process.
Recovery and Results Timeline
One of the great advantages of Renuva is the minimal downtime, but understanding the results timeline helps you have realistic expectations.
Recovery Period
First 24-48 hours:
- Mild swelling, redness, or tenderness at injection sites
- Possible light bruising
- Avoid vigorous exercise for 24 hours
- Can return to most normal activities immediately
First week:
- Swelling subsides significantly
- Any bruising fades
- Initial volume may decrease as swelling resolves
- This is completely normal and expected
Weeks 2-4:
- Treated areas may look less full than initially
- Your body is beginning the regeneration process
- Be patient – the magic is happening beneath the surface
Results Development
While you’ll see some immediate results, it takes up to three months to see final results.
Months 1-3:
- Your body progressively builds new fat cells
- Volume gradually increases
- Results look increasingly natural
- Skin texture improves
Months 3-6:
- Final results become apparent
- The Renuva matrix has been replaced by your own fat
- Volume stabilizes at final level
- Results continue looking natural and youthful
The regenerated fat can be permanent, lasting for years, potentially up to a decade, as long as the fat cells remain viable. Your new fat cells respond to weight changes just like your other fat cells – they’ll shrink with weight loss and expand with weight gain.
How Many Treatments Do You Need?
The number of Renuva treatments you’ll need depends on the area being treated and the amount of volume loss. Small areas like the face or hands may require just one treatment, with noticeable improvements within a few weeks. Larger areas or more significant volume loss may require 2 to 3 sessions spaced a few months apart to achieve optimal results.
At La Belle Vie, I typically take a conservative approach with Renuva:
First treatment: I inject a baseline amount to see how your body responds and begins building fat.
Follow-up at 3 months: We assess your results together and determine if additional treatment is needed to achieve your goals.
Additional sessions if needed: Spaced 3-6 months apart until we achieve optimal results.
This gradual approach ensures natural-looking results and allows us to fine-tune your outcome.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Renuva?
Renuva injections work well for specific situations and patient types. You might be an ideal candidate if you:
- Have mild to moderate volume loss from aging
- Want long-lasting results without repeated treatments
- Prefer regenerative treatments over synthetic fillers
- Have realistic expectations about gradual results
- Are willing to wait 3-6 months for full results
- Don’t want or qualify for fat transfer surgery
- Are in good general health
Renuva may not be appropriate if you:
- Need immediate results for an upcoming event
- Have severe volume loss requiring more significant intervention
- Want treatment in areas without natural fat (like lips)
- Have active infections in treatment areas
- Have unrealistic expectations about outcomes
Safety and Side Effects
Safety is always a priority at our Draper medical spa. The adipose allograft matrix used in Renuva is sourced from the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation, ensuring high standards of safety and quality. The donated tissue is rigorously screened and processed according to FDA guidelines.
Common Side Effects
As with other injectable procedures, there’s potential for swelling, tenderness, redness, bruising, pain, or irritation at the injection site during the initial recovery period. Any of these symptoms should resolve on their own after a few days.
Most people experience:
- Temporary swelling (1-7 days)
- Mild bruising (3-10 days)
- Tenderness at injection sites (few days)
- Temporary firmness or lumps as tissue remodels
Rare Complications
Serious complications are uncommon but can include:
- Infection
- Asymmetry
- Excessive volume
- Nodules or firmness that persists
If volume is undesirable or if there are firm areas during the process of fat growth, a diluted steroid can be injected into the area to stop the function of the growth factors and the proliferative phase of fat growth.
What Renuva Cannot Do
It’s important to understand that Renuva isn’t reversible like hyaluronic acid fillers (which can be dissolved with an enzyme). However, unwanted volume can be addressed with steroids or, if necessary, liposuction. This is why I take a conservative approach, building volume gradually rather than overcorrecting initially.
Why Choose Renuva at La Belle Vie?
What sets Renuva treatment at La Belle Vie apart:
- Experienced injector trained in advanced techniques
- Conservative, artistic approach to natural-looking results
- Comprehensive consultations to ensure you’re a good candidate
- Personalized treatment plans tailored to your unique needs
- Realistic expectations and honest communication
- Ongoing support throughout your treatment journey
Interested in Renuva? Reach Out Today
Ready to learn more about how Renuva injectable treatment can restore volume and rejuvenate your appearance naturally? Contact La Belle Vie Medical Care and Aesthetics in Draper, Utah today to schedule your consultation. We’ll assess your concerns, determine if Renuva is right for you, and create a personalized plan to help you achieve natural, long-lasting results!
- Renuva: The Injectable That Naturally Replaces Lost Volume - December 17, 2025
- Two Fantastic Options for Breast Enhancement Without Surgery in Draper, Utah - December 15, 2025
- The Ultimate Acne Scar Repair Treatment - December 15, 2025