So Long, Wrinkles
If the development of wrinkles and fine lines is changing your perception of your face, Botox and Dysport can minimize some of the newest age-related occurrences. At Self Care LA in Santa Monica, California, aesthetic injector Bharat Kothakota, MD, MPH, administers injectables with a careful hand and artistic eye. To find out if Botox or Dysport can help you reach your cosmetic goals, call Self Care LA or book an appointment online today.
Rejuvenate Your Skin
Botox is an FDA-approved treatment most commonly used to treat the forehead, crow's feet, and frown lines. At Self Care LA, we commonly use it to treat other areas, such as the wrinkles around the mouth (smokers’ lines), the wrinkles around the nose (bunny lines), and the dimpling of the chin and the neck bands. Incredibly popular treatments are the ‘brow lift’ and the ‘lip flip.’ Our highly trained medical professionals can walk you through this process. We also use Botox to treat your Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain. Not only can it reduce your headaches and grinding, but it also has the nice effect of slimming down your facial profile. In addition, Botox injections can also treat hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating).
Botox is an injectable toxin that is injected directly into the affected area. It is a botulinum toxin that is used to relax muscles. This treatment is designed to cause a transient nerve signal interruption between muscles. We have used neuromodulators for years to treat ‘dynamic’ wrinkles caused by repetitive muscle movements. Botox can smooth the fine lines and creases in the upper third of your face, like frown lines, crow’s feet, and furrows between your brow. At Self Care LA, our trained medical team will determine if you are a candidate for this treatment.
What can Botox do for me?
Botox is an excellent option for patients who want tangible anti-aging results without the invasiveness and downtime that come with surgery.
It is also a very flexible treatment that has many medical applications, such as in the treatment of TMJ and hyperhidrosis. Patients can maintain their results with touch-up injections every three to four months, which also makes this a relatively low-maintenance treatment.
Am I a candidate for Botox?
Botox is most commonly used to smooth out wrinkles on the upper face, such as horizontal forehead lines, glabellar lines (the “angry 11s” that appear between the eyebrows), crow’s feet, and bunny lines on the nose.
It can also be used on the lower face—for example, to smooth out a dimpled chin or to perform a “smile lift” on the outer corners of the mouth. Your aesthetic specialist will assess your skin and help you understand how Botox may be able to help you target key areas to meet your aesthetic goals. This treatment is safe for most people, but you should not have these injections if you have ever had an adverse reaction to neuromodulators.
About the Procedure
Once one of our medical providers assesses you to make sure you are a candidate for Botox, photos are taken (the Before), and a plan is formulated in terms of where to inject and how much to inject. If it is your first time, we err on the conservative side and inject less. We want you to understand how it feels, and can always inject more during future sessions. Next, we clean your face using SkinCeuticals products to minimize the risk of infection. The injection process itself is fairly quick, it usually takes only a few minutes. After injecting, we clean your face again and massage the injection sites down, so you can continue on with your day.
The Right Choice
Botox is typically used on the upper part of the face, while fillers are used in the lower half of the face. Botox relaxes the muscles, while filler increases the volume of the face, builds structure, adds definition, and can lessen some deeper wrinkles.
A Fast Recovery
Recovery time for Botox is relatively quick. It is best not to lie down for the first four hours after the procedure to allow the formula to settle and not migrate or pool in one side of your face. The majority of our Santa Monica Botox patients see the results within a week. It is recommended to wait at least two weeks to evaluate how the treatment works. For new clients, it’s encouraged to come back in two weeks so we can see how it looks and make adjustments accordingly.
Results
It is easy to maintain your results; on average, Botox lasts between four and six months.The key is to be consistent in order to minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It can still vary from patient to patient based on a multitude of factors, including age and metabolism.
Fast and Effective Consultation
When you arrive at our boutique med spa, we will ask you about your medical history and what your aesthetic goals are. We will create a personalized treatment plan for you and help you decide the best plan to achieve your desired look. During your initial consultation, we will answer any questions about the procedure(s), explain the differences in treatment for different areas of the face, and work with you on a treatment plan that helps you achieve your goals.
This is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures, with an estimated four million treatments performed each year.
The injections are performed with a fine needle, and most people find them very tolerable. A topical numbing cream can be applied to the treatment area beforehand for extra comfort.
No. The results typically last three to four months, and sometimes as long as six months, before a touch-up treatment is needed.
Botox is FDA-approved, so it is considered safe in the dosages we use for treating fine lines and wrinkles. There is a minimal risk profile associated with neuromodulators when patients are deemed appropriate candidates. Main side effects include temporary bruising at the injection site and possible eyelid drooping (ptosis) if injected too low on the forehead. Our experienced medical staff at Self Care LA can help determine if this is the right treatment for your needs.
Botox prices vary quite a bit between different providers and in different markets. At Self Care LA, we consider ourselves to be ‘market competitive’ with a price of $12/unit of Botox. For the experience of our medical providers and the quality of your outcome, it is a fair value.
On average, it takes about 20-24 units to effectively treat someone’s forehead; however, this can vary from patient to patient. Often for a new patient, we like to inject a half-dose so that the patient can understand what he treatment feels like. It is very easy to give someone more of the treatment; you can never take away ‘too much’ Botox. Once we know how a patient reacts to neuromodulators, we can easily change the injection pattern and increase the dosage to provide optimal results.
There are no studies that demonstrate the safety of this treatment in pregnant and breastfeeding patients. As a purely elective procedure, we suggest you wait until you are no longer pregnant or breastfeeding before we consider treating you with injectables.
One of the benefits of this treatment is that there is hardly any downtime! We use a very small needle, and our skilled medical team makes the process seamless and painless. When you leave, there may be some small bumps on your face that should be gone within the hour. While bruising is possible, it can be easily treated by icing. Following injections with Botox Santa Monica patients will need to avoid working out (sweating), using any makeup and from lying down for the next three to four hours. The next day you can get back to your normal activities!
It is safe to carefully wash your face and apply a gentle moisturizer immediately after treatment. It is a good idea to wait at least four hours before applying any makeup to minimize the risk of irritation at the injection sites.
Many people start the treatments in their mid to late 20s for wrinkle prevention. There is no right age to start treatments, however, and people of all ages can benefit from Botox’s aesthetic and medical applications.
Yes. These injectables can be incorporated into a treatment plan tailored to the individual’s needs and is commonly combined with treatments such as dermal fillers, light and laser, or other skin rejuvenation methods.
Literature suggests that about 80% of patients see results within the first week. From personal experience, people start seeing results within the first three to four days.
This is a fairly common misconception. Nothing suggests that stopping the treatment or taking a break from it will make you look older. You are merely allowing your ‘natural age’ to present itself, which may differ from when you first started using injectables.
While Botox by Allergan is probably the most recognizable botulinum toxin A product, there are alternatives on the market. We also carry and use Dysport (Galderma) quite regularly, while it is also Botulinum toxin A, it has a slightly different formulation. Dysport is also FDA-approved to treat the same fine lines and wrinkles. Outside of Botox by Allergan, we also see incredible results with Dysport.
Schedule your appointment at Self Care LA today!
Ready to offer your skin a second chance? Our aesthetic specialists have years of experience delivering stunning outcomes. Schedule your consultation in Santa Monica today. We can’t wait to treat you to the self-care you deserve.
1426 Montana Avenue, Suite 2, Santa Monica, CA 90403