When injected directly into a muscle it becomes relaxed, allowing wrinkles in the overlying skin become smooth and less obvious.
They are most commonly used in the face to relieve wrinkles. The face has 43 muscles and 7 nerves. Knowing which ones to inject, which to avoid, the appropriate angles of injection and the correct doses is the key to your happiness with the procedure. This requires experience, expertise and patience.
When expertly applied, the injections should only stay in the muscle. The effect is not permanent, allowing us to use them only when desired.
Botox is an FDA-approved treatment to reduce wrinkles and facial lines. It is the original formulation of purified botulinum-toxin, released to market in 1989.
While it started as a popular treatment for celebrities, it has now become the most commonly performed aesthetic treatment in the US, estimated to be used in over 7 million people. You most likely encounter numerous people on a daily basis who are activly using Botox and may not know it.
Dysport is also FDA-approved and based on the same botulism toxin (Botulinum toxin type A) as Botox Cosmetic, but with a slight variation. It was originally more commonly used abroad, in use in the UK since 1991, and then became FDA approved in 2009 and quickly became a competitor to Botox.
The main difference with Botox is price and how Dysport is applied. Dysport is usually less expensive, uses smaller amounts of toxin and spreads more broadly within the muscle. Because of this difference, the number of vials needed for treatment may varry from Botox.
There's no definitive data on whether Botox or Dysport acts more quickly to achieve maximum effect.
Our primary goal is maintaining natural healthy skin and the completly natural appearance that comes with it. We choose the correct dose and locations for application to achieve this healthy look and avoid a fake or plastic appearance.
For the most part, they are the same.
Differences are mainly in how much toxin is within a dose, how long the effects last and cost.
During your consultation, we will weigh these factors and your personal preferences and help you chose the one that's best for you.
To minimize pain, we pride ourselves on using the smallest needle possible, called a BD or Becton Dickinson needle. Even with this needle, there still may be a small pinch of pain. If pain remains an issue for you, we can also apply local numbing or ice before the injections.
The other important benefit of this needle is that it leaves behind no marks on the skin.
The injections themselves will only take a few minutes.
Otherwise, there is no downtime after the procedure. In fact, we often see people during a work break and then they immediately return back to work.
Minimal bruising is possible, but not common.
After your first treatment, results should last for 3-4 months.
As you receive treatments more consistently results may even last longer. Of course, results will vary.
If you are consistent with your injections (getting treatments every 3-4 months), they will soften after about 1 year.
NO!
If you stop, then everything will return to normal. If your wrinkles were softened as a result of the injections, the benefits will remain.
However, with your muscles contracting again, new wrinkles may form over time.
Why form the wrinkles to begin with? Getting treatments early avoids wrinkle formation in the first place and adds years to your appearance
The first FDA-approved fillers came onto the market in 1981, but it was in 2003 when the FDA approved the use of fibroblast-derived purified human collagen for injection. These have now become the safest and most used fillers on the market.
Juvederm® is a family of gel-based, hyaluronic acid injectable fillers which are some of our most popular fillers.
Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring part of the skin that contributes to skin firmness, structure, and volume and is abundant in young skin. It does this by holding onto water giving a more plump appearance and softening wrinkles.
With direct injection, Hyaluronic acid based fillers such as Juvederm can restore the amount of this normal substance back into our skin regaining our youthful appearance.
Radiesse is a multipurpose injectable, meaning it can be injected in many places not just the face. It is FDA-approved to treat wrinkles and skin folds on the face, contour the jawline, and correct volume loss on the hands.
However, it can also tighten and create younger looking skin in many other places in the face and body.
It differs from other fillers in that it is calcium-based, but has a similar effect of stimulating collagen and keeping skin plump and fresh by holding onto water. Its unique structure mimicks our skin's normal connective tissues attracting water and stimulating collagen production. Once the product eventually dissolves it leaves behind the newly stimulated collagen.
It's this long term collagen stimilating property that sets Radiesse apart from many other fillers.
One thing to remember about Radiesse is that it is non-dissolvable.
Unlike hyaluronic acid fillers, which can be dissolved by a dermatologist if you’re not happy. The results of this injectable cannot be adjusted until the gel naturally breaks down.
Breakdown can take 12-18 months.
Because of this, it's known as one of our longest lasting fillers and is more effective at targeting severe volume loss and wrinkles, but carries risks if you are unhappy with the results.
This is why it's important to have our experienced board-certified dermatologists consult with you and see which filler is right for your area of concern.
Restylane is another family of injectable hyaluronic acid based fillers. Similar to Juvederm®, it can be injected into a variety of areas to tackle common age-related skin concerns. Compared to Juvederm® it tends to attract less water and is often preferred for treatments in the area of the eye.
The RHA® Collection is an FDA-approved collection of 3 injectable hyaluronic acid fillers.
RHA stands for “Resilient Hyaluronic Acid,” which means that the hyaluronic acid formula is more resiliant and can withstand stretching, bending and compression forces.
This more "stretchy" filler is especially useful in areas where we see alot of dynamic movement such as the face, around the mouse and the forhead.
In fact, it's FDA cleared to treat dynamic wrinkles the way Botox is, but works in a very different way. Like other fillers, it does this by restoring lost volume rather then restricting facial movements the way Botox does.
Sculptra is different from the other fillers on this list, it should be thought of as a collagen stimulator rather then a filler. It is a proprietary formulation of poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) that is FDA-approved for wrinkle treatment.
It's unique in that it primarily stimulates the natural biological process of collagen production. It has been observed to give longer-lasting fullness than the other HA-based fillers.
This collagen production boost takes about 6-12 weeks to realize and gives a very natural look since it is your own body's collagen giving the plump appearance, rather then the filler material itself.
One thing to keep in mind, that unlike the HA based fillers, it is not easily reversable and results take longer to appear then other injectable fillers.
While fillers are traditionally injected with needles (which are still perfectly fine to use), a newer method of needle-less injection involves placement of a micro-cannula in the skin.
A micro-cannula is a thin hollow tube with a smooth, round tip at the end (instead of a needle) at the end.
Once placed, the filler material is then injected through the cannula.
Micro-cannula also have the benefit of using one single entry into the skin, instead of many skin entries that are used with regular needles.
This also lessens the risk of injected the material into the wrong place or complications that can occur when a blood vessel is injected.
All of this amounts to less risk of bruising/swelling and shorter recovery time.
Traditionally creams and proper skin-care can improve or solve these problems, but over time these methods simply can't keep up. This is where lasers come in.
Lasers use intense focused beams of light to target water, pigment or blood vessels within the skin. These light pulse heat and damage the unwanted elements in the skin while also stimulating collagen production. Taken together, the effect is to smooth out the skin, reducing or eliminating wrinkles as well as improve skin tone and texture with new healthy skin.
There are numerous lasers available on the market, each targeted to different elements in the skin. Depending on what's contributing to your skin's appearance, we will guide you and select the correct laser for the task.
Morpheus8 is a unique device that combines radiofrequency laser technology with microneedling.
It targets the deep layers of the skin with little to no damage to the outermost skin layer which results in a very even and uniform treatment effect.
While other lasers can be limited by skin type or treatment area, this device is a so called "color-blind" device that can be used on all skin types and colors and in any location.
It is most used for scars of all types, especailly acne scars and for general skin tightening.
In order to get the most collagen stimulatory effect, multiple treatments are usually desired to maximize benefit.
This laser is considered the gold standard for treating smoker's lines (wrinkles around the mouth), generalized wrinkles and acne scars, usually performed on the face and neck.
This unique laser combines two treatments into one. It both resurfaces the skin and rejuvenates it.
This laser does this using multiple microscopic pulsed beams to the skin. These beams are of various energy depending on your desired skin outcome.
As these microscopic areas heal, fresh new skin is revealed.
Downtime can be as little as 3 days, or as long as 10 days depending on how deep of a resurfacing is performed.
Vbeam is known for its great safety profile. It was originally designed to treat port-wine stains in infants and young children.
It is designed to remove vascular lesions, which are lesions that appear as red spots or lesions on the skin. If its red, the Vbeam can most likely remove it.
It can be used to remove lesions of nearly any size, small or large.
Treatment time is often very quick, performed in about 30 minutes. However, depending on the lesion being treated, multiple treatments may be required.
This laser treats brown spots, sun spots and red blood vessels on the skin which have formed from chronic sun exposure.
This laser requies minimal numbing to roughly 10 minutes of numbing.
Treatment takes about 30-40 minutes. Expect 3-5 days of downtime depending on the strength of treatment.
A chemical peel is a procedure where skin specific peel material is applied to the skin. This chemical is chosen and applied in a way which is safe for your skin.
This will cause your skin to peel with the goal of freshening your skin in several ways.
First they resurface the skin. By removing a layer of dead and damaged skin cells, a younger and newer layer of deep skin is revealed which helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
Peels also stimulate collagen production, our body's own natural material that gives skin a firm and youthful appearance.
Depending on the strength of the acid used, a few days or weeks of skin peeling can be expected.
This peel is virtually painless with robust epidermal peeling and no burning.
It is a non-acidic chemical peel that combines Arbutin and Vitamin A.
After the in-office peel is applied, a home care kit is also provided to help extend the peel and manage the peel.
It also includes a brightening cream containing Vitamin A and Arbutase to be used nightly.
Expect 1 week downtime with peeling lasting for 4-7days
This laser is considered the gold standard for treating smoker's lines (wrinkles around the mouth), generalized wrinkles and acne scars, usually performed on the face and neck.
This unique laser combines two treatments into one. It both resurfaces the skin and rejuvenates it.
This laser does this using multiple microscopic pulsed beams to the skin. These beams are of various energy depending on your desired skin outcome.
As these microscopic areas heal, fresh new skin is revealed.
Downtime can be as little as 3 days, or as long as 10 days depending on how deep of a resurfacing is performed.
Vbeam is known for its great safety profile. It was originally designed to treat port-wine stains in infants and young children.
It is designed to remove vascular lesions, which are lesions that appear as red spots or lesions on the skin. If its red, the Vbeam can most likely remove it.
It can be used to remove lesions of nearly any size, small or large.
Treatment time is often very quick, performed in about 30 minutes. However, depending on the lesion being treated, multiple treatments may be required.
This laser treats brown spots, sun spots and red blood vessels on the skin which have formed from chronic sun exposure.
This laser requies minimal numbing to roughly 10 minutes of numbing.
Treatment takes about 30-40 minutes. Expect 3-5 days of downtime depending on the strength of treatment.
We put solutions into our facials depending on your specific problems, such as pigmentation, dull skin, skin that's full of cysts and black heads.