BOUTIQUE BOTOX
OK! Let’s face it. Most of us shudder at the thought of “getting old” – whether it’s facing the fact that our energy level is not what it used to be, or the fact that those dreaded wrinkles are constantly a literal walking advertisement of our age. Most of us are on a mission to preserve the youth we once took for granted. I mean really, who ever thought we would become “that old person”? With advancements in research and technology, we now have available to us many tools to fight Father Time, that dastardly Muther! From hormone replacement therapy, to using plasma rich protein to rejuvenate the skin, it seems the growing possibilities are endless.
That being said….let’s talk some BOTOX…the (safe) gateway drug to youthfulness.
I hope that got your attention.
Seriously, who likes wrinkles? I realize that wrinkles are actually our character lines and tell a story – but why not use them to be a mystery novel? When people hear the word Botox, reactions vary. Many will say they can’t live without it, others…not so much, I mean who wants to look like Keith Richards, then again, who wants to look stone-faced? What’s the happy medium? One of the toughest parts of my job as a nurse injector is properly educating our patients and instilling the confidence to try something new, especially if a consult happens to occur around the same time as the Grammy or Academy awards! To have the confidence to try something new that will still look like YOU…a refreshed, smoother version and natural-looking is key.
I started this little blog with Botox, as it has been the gold standard in wrinkle releasers (ok neuromodulators but who uses that word) since 2002 when it first became FDA approved for the use on those Angry 11 lines between the eyes. Since then, we have come a long way, baby. Not only have we expanded the areas practitioners are able to treat but, there has been some new competition on the market – same game, different name! Although newer products such as Dysport and Xeomin vary in their chemical properties, the mechanism of action is the basically the same. So we know we have options with product, but how many of you really knew that we now have multiple options on what these “refreshers” can do for us?
I decided to incorporate a new approach to non-surgical cosmetic procedures in our practice. I guess if I had to come up with a name for it I could call it Boutique Botox. The experience I give our patients is unique and exciting. We only have one face. I like to think that, similar to purchasing a big ticket item from Best Buy, people do their homework and educate themselves and research all of the options available. It all begins with the consultation process. So many times my patients have told me that they have never had someone explain to them in depth the “why behind the how” when it comes to any cosmetic injection. I have to say this amazes me. Seriously, if you do not know HOW the product works and WHY it is being injected where it is…how could you possibly understand what the outcome will be- Seriously folks there is more out there than just getting rid of a line! I often wonder, did you really just go in somewhere allow them to stick needles in your face and just go home hoping you would wake up with no wrinkles! If this is the case, please do not do it again.
You are in the driver’s seat of you anti-aging process–Let me be your trusted co-pilot!
Wrinkle reducers should come with a menu. It’s all about the muscles. To make it short and sweet, we have two basic muscle functions in the face, depressors (help make the tired mean face, and elevators (our happy approachable face). It is the happy yin/yang balance of manipulating these muscles that helps us achieve our aesthetic goals. Naturally.
