The secret to this nervous patient’s success…

I met this lovely lady about seven months ago for initial consultation. She told me about how she’d been an avid runner for years, and had never really struggled with self confidence. But recently, she’d begun to notice changes in her face that were bothering her. She loved to go on date nights with her husband, but her joy was a bit squashed by her self consciousness. 

The areas that bothered her most were her frown lines (aka 11’s), under her eyes, and the folds around her mouth (aka nasolabial folds). We spoke extensively about her options for treatment, focusing on addressing her problem areas in ways that would get her the best results the fastest. She was pretty apprehensive. She didn’t want to look too different, she didn’t want a lot of downtime, and she didn’t want to feel like she’d wasted her money. 

I recommended we begin with treatments that would give her a quick boost in self confidence, with very little risk of looking weird: a small dose of botulinum toxin (aka Botox, Xeomin, Dysport) in her frown lines and a chemical peel. In two weeks, her skin was glowing, her frown lines were reduced, and she felt good about the decision she’d made. 

The next time we met, I suggested we do a series of undereye platelet rich plasma (aka PRP or PRF) injections. These would help her under eye area look less dark, and the skin less crinkly. In her consultation I’d described to her how the eye area would look extremely puffy for a few hours, but that it would go down by the end of the evening. We went ahead with treatment, and as I handed her the mirror to see the initial result, she gasped in horror. My stomach dropped. The last thing I want is for any patient to feel unprepared for the initial result or down time. I encouraged her that it would go down soon, and not to panic. “My husband is going to freak,” she said. Secretly I was feeling a little panicked, but I tried to be supportive and she headed home.

The next time she came in for the second round of PRP, I asked how her husband had responded. “He said, ‘that’s exactly what you said it would look like!’” she said. I was so relieved! We laughed together about how it’s one thing for someone to say you’ll be puffy and another thing to see it. But I felt encouraged that I had indeed prepared her for the initial result in our consultation. 

We proceeded with the series of three under eye PRP injections, and she began to see improvement in the under eye color and texture. Finally, we were ready to begin treating her facial contour with hyaluronic acid dermal filler. This is the one most people are really worried about. We’ve all seen how distorted some people look following treatment, and none of my patients want that. People are often also worried about swelling and bruising, and just not sure what to expect. 

For this reason, we started slow and proceeded accordingly. We performed four sessions with small amounts of dermal filler placed at each. She did have some bruising and swelling, of course, but it was manageable and limited to one area each time. At our last visit, I asked her what advice she would give to anyone considering undergoing this kind of treatment, and that’s when she gave me the secret to her success: go slow and do one thing at a time. 

She said she had indeed felt nervous for each treatment, but going slow and doing small treatments at a time helped her feel like she could handle the process. Looking at her before and after pictures, she was amazed at how subtle and natural but profound her transformation was. She described to me that she’d regained her old sense of self confidence and was feeling great on date nights again. 

Here is some more details about each of the treatments listed above…

Botox and Chemical Peels

Botulinum toxins like Botox, Xeomin, Dysport, Jeuveau and Daxxify all do the same thing. They dissolve the protein on muscles that allows muscle contraction–all they do is stop muscles from moving. They also happen to make your skin look better because there are tiny muscles on hair follicles and oil glands that improve the appearance when relaxed. The results of Botox last between two and five months, not because the medicine stopped working, but because your muscles regrew new proteins. This is why Botox is so safe. Even if you don’t like the result, it will wear off in a few months at most. 

Chemical peels work really nicely alone or in conjunction with Botox to brighten the skin, smooth it out, lift pigment, and reduce acne. I believe one chemical peel a year is part of a normal healthy skin care routine. But this isn’t the burning-your-skin-off peel like Samantha from Sex & the City. I perform the VI Peel, a medium depth chemical peel that leaves your skin surface intact until the dead skin begins to peel gently around day 3. This way, you can go about your daily life with minimal to no interruption. If you are worried about peeling, you can schedule your peel so you have the most impact on the weekend when you’re just Netflix and chilling anyway. 

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)

PRP harnesses the healing power of your blood to regenerate lost or weakened tissue. It can be used in several ways throughout the body, but in this case we injected it into the under eye area to regenerate thinned and darkened skin. I draw your blood, spin it in a centrifuge to concentrate the healing and growth factors, and then place it in the under eye area. I find that a series of 3 treatments effectively lightens the color and thickens the tissue for most people. We see reduced fine lines and crinkly texture in the area. What I love about this treatment is there is no way to look weird or over done. There are almost no risks, other than puffiness and bruising which are short lived. Plus, it delays the aging process so you can go longer without having other more invasive procedures with more potential complications. If your under eyes bother you, this treatment is a great option. 

Filler

Filler is a hyaluronic acid gel that we place in or under the skin to mimic lost skin structure, fat or bone. You already have hyaluronic acid in your skin, so reactions are very rare. People begin to look weird with filler if too much is placed, or if areas of the face are restored without consideration of balance with other areas in the face. Bottom line–looking weird is preventable. The most important risk of filler is that if it is placed into a blood vessel it will stop blood flow. The treatment for this is dissolving the filler, and I have an ample supply of dissolving medicine in my office at all times. This is why I use an ultrasound before and after every filler treatment to ensure the blood vessels are flowing normally. 

Consultation

Consultation is the key to getting the results you want and feeling comfortable along the way. I offer free consultations, because I want my clients to know I have their best interests in mind. If we are not a good fit, I don’t want you to feel obligated to undergo treatment because of your $50 deposit. All clients have my cell number when they leave the office, so they can reach out to me with questions or concerns. I want your experience to be as relaxed and positive as possible. Book your free consult today.

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