After working for almost a decade in the aesthetic field, there are very few questions that I have not heard. However there are several concerns that I hear on an almost daily basis. Here are some of them:
Botox will freeze my face and leave me without expression.
Yes, Botox does work to relax the muscles that cause dynamic wrinkles, such as those nasty frown lines. And yes, we have all seen pictures of celebrities or have known people who have gone a little overboard with Botox and ended up with this kind of result. However, this does not have to be, and if you ask me, should not be the case. I see more and more people these days going for a more natural look. Most all of my patients have heard me say, “we can always add, but we can not take away.” Treating fewer areas and using a lower dosage can help to soften lines and make you look more relaxed without making you feel like a prisoner in your own face.
Fillers will make my face look fat.
Again with “too much of a good thing” this can happen. But the fact is that one of the primary causes of facial aging is volume loss. To a certain degree I think that a lot of us, myself included, don’t completely mind this. It is nice when you shed some of that “baby fat” and see your face look a bit more chiseled and your cheekbones more defined. So I can totally understand this fear. But when you start to see that shadowing under your eyes from losing fat in the tear trough and people are always asking if you are tired, or your cheeks start to lose volume and weigh down on your nasolabial folds, or your “smile lines” extend back to your ears, then that volume loss is not so cute. A little bit of filler placed in these trouble areas can help us to maintain some of this volume, but without overdoing it and losing our definition.
Fillers in my lips will make me look like a duck.
Full lips are definitely something that most people either love or hate. This is a case of beauty being in the eye of the beholder. However, with that being said, filler in the lips can still look quite natural. There is actually and aesthetically pleasing ratio where the volume should be 40% in the upper and 60% in the lower lip. If you respect this ratio, then you should not look “ducky.” Most women, older and younger, who I see are pleasantly surprised by the natural outcome after a small amount of filler in their lips.
Once I start getting Botox or Fillers, will I always need to get them?
No. It is not like we are stretching the skin with an implant. Therefore, once the product has worn off the skin should not be “stretched” or more wrinkled. Over a period of months to years, depending on the product, the effects of the Botox wear off or the filler is naturally broken down. People usually want to continue treatments because they do not like to see their lines returning, but they do not need to.
I think that the answer is to make sure that you are completely comfortable with your provider and that you have let them know exactly what your goals are. I am sure that many questions are still out there, but I hope this helps to ease some of the anxiety. If I can help more in any way, feel free to contact me at bridget@drarmandosoto.com
