How Long Does Restylane Last

Revitalize Your Appearance with Restylane Treatment

Restylane is a hyaluronic acid (HA) filler used for the correction of fine lines, folds, and shaping of the face. Restylane injections typically provide good outcomes for anywhere between three to six months with the average length of time being four months for patients new to Restylane treatment.

Experience and research support that Restylane injections may last longer with consistent use of fillers (every 4-6 months). This is related to the body’s response to make collagen in the treated areas – a good thing! Medicis (the manufacturer of Restylane) has now provided research to support that benefits may last as long as eighteen months but only when used consistently. Technique and areas being treated will also have a role in the longevity of the Restylane injections.

Perlane is a cosmetic dermal filler for correcting deeper folds, adding facial volume, and providing facial shaping. Perlane is from the manufacturer of Restylane, Medicis. Although Perlane is similar to Restylane in that it is a hyaluronic acid filler, it has larger particles than Restylane. This means Perlane injections allow for more volume and increased longevity.

Generally, the effects of Perlane injections will last from six to nine months.

For those patients that utilize more than one syringe or combine Perlane and Restylane, they will most likely experience longer-lasting benefits and/or more dramatic outcomes.

Duration of Botox How long does Botox last?

The duration of your Botox injections depends on the amount of product injected, the individual, and the practitioner. Most of our patients see the benefits of Botox for approximately 3-4 months. If you are experiencing effects that last less than 3 months, you should discuss this with your Botox injector to determine if the proper dosing and appropriate technique were used.

Forehead Botox

For example, a typical glabella (between the eyes) injection uses 20 units of Botox and lasts for 3-1/2 to 4 months. If you are not getting this duration, you may be a patient that metabolizes the drug more quickly than most, you may not be getting proper injection technique from your practitioner or you may need more units injected.

Extending Your Botox Results

To get your Botox to last longer, consider this. Patients that use Botox consistently every 3-4 months in the first year end up extending the time between treatments by an average of 2-4 weeks. The reason is that Botox can weaken the muscles with repeated use, causing the drug to work longer when used consistently.

3-4 Month Botox Duration

Has your lipstick started to wander? Instead of staying put on your lips, do you find it creeps into those pesky vertical lines above and below the lips? If so, you’re not alone. Many women are bothered by these lines, which are often referred to as smoker’s lines. Not a smoker? Most people that have them don’t. They simply form over time and typically occur through a combination of muscle contraction and volume loss (fat and collagen) around the mouth.

This is how smoker’s lines form. The muscle that encircles the mouth is called the orbicularis oris. It’s shaped like the letter “O” and when it contracts, it pulls the lips into a pucker. We make this expression with a lot of different activities besides smoking—drinking from straws and water bottles, kissing, talking or eating. The thought used to be that repeated contractions alone were responsible for smoker’s lines, but we now know that’s only part of the story. The skin around the mouth thins as we age, and we also lose some of the natural volume or “padding” in this area, which all contribute to their formation. So, you’re ready to give up puckering, right? Don’t do that just yet!

There are several simple and effective solutions for smoker’s lines: laser resurfacing is one of the most effective, Botox (Dysport), and dermal fillers can all improve the condition! Laser resurfacing can eliminate finely etched lines and improve the texture of the skin. Botox (Dysport) is used to relax the muscle and dermal fillers replace lost volume and stimulate collagen production.

Botox (Dysport) is one of the most common methods for treating smoker’s lines. The reason is that it’s quick and easy and you get some softening of the lines within a couple of days. The challenge with using Botox or Dysport for smoker’s lines is that you cannot use too much. If your practitioner places too many units of Botox or Dysport into the upper lip, you will lose the ability to animate (purse the lips, talk or even eat) effectively. So, there is a point at which softening the lip lines does not make sense because of the side effect it creates. At Celibre, we stick to a conservative dose that softens the lines effectively but does not last the full ¾ months that Botox normally lasts. Dermal fillers (and biostimulators like Sculptra) are also used to soften the smoker’s lines. There are a few different techniques used to help improve smoker’s lines with dermal fillers and injecting directly into the lines is one. We can also inject across the upper lip to add volume and finally, we can inject the border of the lip and skin above the lip to soften the lines.

Laser resurfacing is an excellent option for improving smoker’s lines and arguably offers the most improvement of the three we discuss here. With that said, only a deep full field (100% coverage) laser resurfacing with CO2 or Erbium lasers will work to improve smoker’s lines. Trying to treat them with a superficial resurfacing or a fractional resurfacing will lead to disappointment. When we resurface the upper lip for smoker’s lines, proper numbing is absolutely required for proper depth of resurfacing and a good outcome. When we reference a deep resurfacing, this means we are resurfacing through the epidermis and into the reticular dermis.

The depth is often between 600 – 800 microns or .6 – .8 of a millimeter. At this depth, the skin looks raw and pinpoint bleeding is observed as the resurfacing is completed. Recovery from this type of procedure is approximately 2 weeks.

Surgery is also an option to improve smoker’s lines. Many patients these days are getting a surgical lip lift. While a surgical lip lift will not remove smoker’s lines directly, it is a way to tighten the skin underneath the nose and at the upper lip.

When we advise patients on how to address the issue of getting rid of smoker’s lines, we often talk about the timeframe for treatment. If patients need improvement immediately for a wedding this coming weekend, we are going to suggest Dysport (Botox) and some dermal filler like Restylane. On the other hand, if the patient has more time and can set aside two weeks for recovery, then we advise them to consider laser resurfacing.

Regardless of your situation, we’ve got an option to improve your smoker’s lines so call us today.

The answer is simple: men like you benefit from Botox in exactly the same way as women do.  Botox works just as effectively for men as it does for women, and we often treat men and women in the same facial areas. The major difference between men and women using Botox is that women are much more likely to tell their friends about it! It’s still more socially acceptable for women to have Botox than men, but we’re finding that that’s quickly changing!

A man’s face ages in much the same way as a woman’s. Over time, repeated contractions of the muscles of the forehead and between and around the eyes can create deep lines, wrinkles, and creases that contribute to an aged appearance. And while society may view and accept male aging as a mark of wisdom and distinction, many men feel differently. They worry about looking older just like women and want options to fight it. Botox relaxes muscle contractions, smoothing skin and returning a more rested and youthful appearance.

We also find that many men have much stronger facial muscles than women, as men tend to have more muscle mass naturally. Higher doses of Botox might be necessary, but we still use Botox in the same places: between the eyes (glabella), around the eyes (crow’s feet), and the forehead. Usually, we find that the longevity of Botox is about the same for both.

So, yes, men can and do benefit from Botox. More and more of them are becoming faithful Botox users and discovering the simple yet effective way Botox helps renew and refresh their appearance in a natural yet dramatic way.

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Botox for men before and after photos

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As we age, most of us experience a heavy droopiness in the brow area and eyelids. It may appear as if the eyebrows are lower on the face. The upper eyelids become heavier and more hooded, and a sleepy or tired look is looking back at you in the mirror. In many cases, a surgical brow lift or blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) is ideal and offers long-term, if not, permanent results.

For many that do not want to consider surgery, a good option is a Botox brow lift. Although Botox does not address the issue of sagging or loose skin, it is extremely beneficial in relaxing key facial muscles that pull the face down and in. Relaxing these facial muscles with Botox has a lifting appearance on the upper eyelid and brow.

When using Botox Cosmetic, facial muscles are generally divided into two categories. The first group is brow elevators and the second is brow depressors. By targeting the brow depressors (those muscles pulling down on the brow) with Botox, the muscles become relaxed enough to provide a beautiful, natural lifting of the brow. This is achieved by proper dosing and meticulous technique in the muscles between the brows and the strong muscle surrounding the eyes. This Botox brow lift results in a nice natural arching of the brows, smoothing of the “crow’s feet”, and a more refreshed appearance for the eyes.

Most patients are concerned with a “done” or unnatural look when considering Botox treatments. However, our goal is for you to look in the mirror and recognize a more youthful you.

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A little-known fact (at least in the minds of consumers) is that injectable treatments such as Botox, Restylane, and others require a prescription in the state of California. Because of this fact, a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant is supposed to examine the patient before a prescription can be written and before the injections are to proceed. While we understand and accept that this examination is largely a formality, we do require every patient at our facility to go through it because we believe in strictly adhering to the laws and regulations set forward by the medical and nursing boards of California.

Each state dictates its own legislation through its State Medical Board and/or Board of Registered Nursing to determine the scope of practice for those performing injection procedures such as Botox, Restylane, and Perlane. Currently, California has determined that the administration of Botox Cosmetic must be carried out by an RN, PA, NP, or MD. If the physician is not the one performing the first procedure, it is mandated that a “Good Faith Exam” must be performed by the physician overseeing the practice or by an individual with an advanced practice degree before the first injection may take place. Most medical practices that we polled do not perform this exam for several reasons. The first is that it is viewed as an unnecessary formality and the second is that the medical office is not owned by or employs an advanced degree practitioner and as such does not have the correct personnel to perform the exam. In these cases, the practitioner (most often a nurse) is breaking the law by administering a prescription drug without the proper examination.

The good-faith exam is a brief meeting wherein the physician (or an advanced practice practitioner such as a Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant) assesses the patient, makes note of their medical history and explains the procedure prior to the first treatment at that particular facility. Thereafter, no further exams are required and those properly licensed medical professionals may then administer future treatments. Although this requirement may seem uneventful and more of an inconvenience for not only patients but practitioners as well, we believe that it is a very necessary step in ensuring that current California laws and regulations are respected and carried out as mandated. For those practitioners that knowingly disregard current state requirements or plead ignorance, we question where else in their practice they are cutting corners. As a patient, know your practitioner, their record, and whether or not they are in compliance with California medical regulations.

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Botox Costs Explained: Budget-Friendly Options

If you’re looking for a Botox injector, we want to remind you that what you spend for your Botox goes way beyond just buying the product itself. The “cost” of Botox also includes the knowledge, skill, experience, and technique of the injector which is critically important to having Botox that makes you look great versus “bad Botox”.

This patient graciously allowed us to use her story and photos to illustrate this often overlooked, but crucial point:

Botox Before and After Photos

Botox and Fillers: Treating Static Lines Effectively

She is a 60-year-old woman who went to her first Botox appointment with the complaint of “lines between her eyes”. Often referred to as “the elevens”, these often appear with age from repeated contraction of the muscles between the eyebrows that pull them down and in, creasing the skin in a “permanent frown”. The patient found the price acceptable, so she consented to treatment, but her injector failed to provide her with the whole story or apply the correct dosage and technique to address her problem.

As you can see, her lines were present at rest. We call these “static” lines; they are there whether the muscles are contracting or not, and Botox alone cannot fix them. Because it relaxes muscles, Botox works best on “dynamic” lines or lines created with muscle contraction. Static lines require Botox (to prevent them from getting worse), but they also need filler to plump the skin and help them blend in and disappear.

Next, notice how her Botox injection lowered her right eyebrow and eyelid, leaving her lopsided. This can happen if someone doesn’t inject it correctly and/or in the right place, considering their unique anatomy. We also noticed that the dose she received wasn’t appropriate for the inner part of her brows as she still had movement, which exacerbated the lines she wanted to eliminate.

Bargain Botox Regret? Get Quality Results!

All in all, she may have paid less at this office for her Botox, but she didn’t get a bargain. Her elevens were still there, and to make matters worse, she had uneven brows. She was unhappy and disappointed, to say the least! Thankfully, she found her way to our office and we were able to help her. By injecting additional Botox into her inner brow area and treating her static lines with a small amount of Restylane, we were able to give her the look she originally desired.

Sometimes the saying “you get what you pay for” is very true. Celibre Medical often is not the least expensive of your choices when it comes to pricing your cosmetic injections. But we don’t apologize for that, because you get exceptional value with us. Our injectors are top-notch; the expertise and education they provide are included in the cost of your injections. And that is a very valuable commodity in our business.

Aging can be a tough business. Our bodies change in innumerable ways as we get older. And some of the changes that are the most difficult to hide are the ones in our outward appearance. Droopy eyelids, lines, wrinkles, and thinner lips are a few of the more common changes that show up on our faces as we age. Although these big ones often steal away our attention, there are other places on the face that change with time, and one of the most overlooked is the area around the mouth.

Specifically, the chin area. Here, there is a small muscle called the mentalis that over time can trigger rippling or indention of the skin on the chin by repeatedly contracting. Often referred to as “pebble chin”, Botox is a great tool to help reverse this change and recreate the smooth, softer-looking chin of your youth.

If the shape of your chin has changed too, then Botox and Dysport can be used in combination with fillers such as Restylane or Juvederm to fill in areas that have lost volume over time. Typically, we start to see “pockets” or concavity on both sides of the chin just below the corners of the mouth. This can give the area around the mouth an aged and hollow appearance. By adding a touch of volume here in combination with Botox in the mentalis muscle, you can regain a softer, fuller, and more youthful contour in your lower face.

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The Safety of Botox Injections During Pregnancy

The short answer is no. But that’s because of liability and insurance reasons; no one is really sure whether having Botox during pregnancy is truly safe or not. At Celibre Medical, we do not provide Botox injections (or dermal filler injections or laser treatments) for pregnant or breastfeeding patients.

Since the potential risk and side effects are not clear, we counsel our expecting and/or nursing mom’s to simply wait on having any treatment until we feel it is absolutely safe to do so. We understand that this may not be the policy at other practices, and we may lose business as a result, but we feel that we can serve our patients best by strictly adhering to the highest standards of care in our industry. It’s simply the right thing to do!

There’s a lot more to Botox than meets the eye. We say this because the eyes are typically what most people think of when they think of Botox injections. The truth is that Botox can be used in many different places on the face to smooth lines, shape, and lift. At Celibre Medical, our injectors are trained in the most advanced, artful ways to inject Botox. This allows us the ability to provide you with outstanding injection results that not only make you look younger but also more naturally beautiful.

First things first though. Botox is not botulism. It is a highly purified protein that is FDA-approved for cosmetic injections. It is derived from Clostridium botulinum bacterium, but it is created in a strictly controlled, laboratory setting which assures you’re receiving a safe and effective product when purchased directly from the U.S. manufacturer, Allergan.

Botox works by relaxing the specific muscle that it’s injected into. It binds to receptors on the muscles that are normally stimulated by the signal molecule acetylcholine. When bound to Botox, these receptors essentially become blocked and the muscle stays relaxed, unable to contract. Of course, as our bodies regenerate, this effect wears off as new, unblocked receptors form on the muscle. When this happens, you’ll slowly start to see muscle contractions return. In full effect, Botox makes the skin over the treated muscles appear smooth and lines caused by their contractions that pull on the skin simply disappear.

Botox can shape the face by selectively relaxing certain muscles that are causing unwanted changes. By shifting the “balance of power” so to speak, Botox allows us to make other muscles work more efficiently at lifting and can help temporarily reverse signs of age.

Here is a brief description of the facial areas that can be treated with Botox and what it can do for each:

Frown Lines

The little frown lines between the eyebrows are the bread and butter of Botox. Also known as “the elevens”, we get them from repeated contractions of a group of three separate muscles (the eyebrow depressors) in the area above and between the eyes. They all contract together, pulling the inner eyebrows down and in, creating a scowl or “frowning” appearance. Carefully injecting each of these three muscles melts away that sour, unhappy appearance and beautifully smooths the skin between the eyes.

Remember how we talked about that “balance” in the section above? When the frown lines are relaxed, the forehead muscle can lift the inner part of the eyebrows up…this is one of the ways that Botox can be used to reshape the brows and open up the eyes.

Botox for frown lines around the mouth

Crow’s Feet

A telltale sign of age, crow’s feet are the lines that extend from the outer edge of the eye. They are caused by the contraction of the purse-string-like muscle that encircles the eye called the orbicularis oculi. This muscle allows us to blink or squeeze our eyelids shut, and it also contracts when we smile, which is what most people dislike! This is the second FDA-approved use for Botox Cosmetic. When carefully injected into the outer portion of this muscle, it will relax, softening the lines or making them disappear altogether with contraction. But don’t think that’s it—Botox is regularly used in many different areas to shape the face and soften lines. Even though these may be “off-label” (another term for not FDA-approved), they are widely requested and performed. As a result, when done by a knowledgeable, experienced injector, they’re considered very safe and effective.

Chemical Browlift

Ever wondered if there was a way to get a brow lift without surgery? Well, there is! If you remember the orbicularis oculi muscle as described above, it encircles the eye and pulls the outer edge of the eyebrow down. This can make you look tired and make your eyelids feel heavy. Just a small amount of Botox injected into the muscle at the tail/outer edge of the brow relaxes this pull and can literally lift the brow up. Especially when combined with treatment of the elevens, this simple, easy procedure can be as effective as surgery for some people! Injections here can also help arch and shape your brow back to what it used to be years ago, or give you a new, sophisticated look if you’ve never liked the shape of your eyebrows.

Forehead

Are you looking permanently surprised?  If you’ve started noticing deeper horizontal lines across your forehead, then Botox may be the answer for you. Your forehead muscle is called the frontalis. Everyone has a bit differently shaped frontalis, so careful evaluation by your injector is necessary if you want treatment for forehead lines. Now, a really important piece of information here: your frontalis is the only muscle that lifts your eyebrows up. So, what happens if you get too much or the wrong dose of Botox here? You can end up with uneven eyebrows, flat brows, or worse yet, lowered brows like a Cro-Magnon!  So, be very careful who you chose to inject you here. A good rule of thumb is to also treat (a bit heavier) the eyebrow depressors (remember the “balance of power”?) otherwise, you could end up looking worse-off than you started.

Bunny Lines

Say what? We know it sounds funny, but some people crinkle or wrinkle at the sides of their noses when they smile or talk. Over time, these little lines can permanently stay, which doesn’t look good. There is a small muscle called the nasalis on either side of the nasal bridge or nasal radix. When it contracts, it pulls on the skin covering the nose in this area, creating bunny lines. Just a small amount of Botox Cosmetic delivered in the right place here can make a big difference, but your injector needs to have an eye for these lines and make sure it’s placed in just the right spot to work well!

Smoker’s Lines

Have you noticed little vertical lines above your upper lip that act as a sponge for your lipstick? Maybe you don’t smoke, but you drink with straws or purse your lips often? All these activities cause pesky smoker’s lines, and no matter why you have them, we’re sure you’d rather not look at them in the mirror every day! Botox can help. The muscle that encircles the mouth works a lot like the one that encircles the eye: like a purse string. Its name is the orbicularis oris. The difference here is that we need this muscle to speak properly and make natural facial expressions. Very small amounts of Botox, carefully injected into the strongest parts can make those lines soften and/or disappear while still maintaining natural function. Here’s another bonus: when the upper part of this circular muscle is relaxed, it causes the upper lip to roll slightly towards the nose (lip eversion). The translation is that your upper lip will look fuller and bigger making that lipstick or gloss look even better! We’ll often use a dermal filler such as Restylane or Juvederm in conjunction with this treatment to give you the very most natural, soft, and full lips possible.

Mouth Frown

We’ve talked about frown lines, but what about a mouth frown? Go ahead, make a frown. Do you feel those muscles pulling the corners of your mouth down on either side of your chin? Those are your DAOs or depressor anguli oris muscles. In some people, these muscles are overly active, creating a permanent mouth frown or downward angle at the corners of the mouth. This creates an unhappy and old woman (or man) look that can also lead to skin creases in this area too. Fillers are usually the first choice to treat this, but although they help the creases, they don’t improve the “look” of the mouth frown. Fillers can also bunch up and create a heavy look around the mouth in this area, so they are not always the best answer. An astute injector understands this. By looking at your unique facial expressions and watching you talk, he or she can help you decide if Botox is a better choice. Again, the careful injection can create a straight mouth or a slightly upturned one (don’t worry, you’ll be as happy as you look!) See our before and after pictures here on this technique to better understand how it helps.

Pebble Chin

This one is like it sounds—a bumpy chin. What’s the reason for this? You guess it…an overactive muscle in your chin area. It’s called the mentalis muscle. Again, this one isn’t a problem for everyone, but for some, this muscle stays in a state of permanent contraction which makes the skin look uneven and bumpy like an orange peel. Botox Cosmetic in the mentalis muscle causes it to relax, softening and smoothing out the skin on the chin.

We’ve covered a lot of ground here. We hope we’ve given you some good information about just how versatile and useful Botox Cosmetic injections can be when it comes to helping you achieve smoother skin and more youthful features. The procedures we’ve discussed as “off-label” are considered advanced techniques that require further training and advanced knowledge of facial anatomy to get right. Don’t think that because someone “does Botox” they understand the nuance and skill necessary to perform all these injections. Make sure your injector has advanced training and experience with Botox. Ask questions and be an advocate for yourself.

Here at Celibre Medical Corporation, our injectors undergo rigorous training. We attend regular conferences, and workshops and stay up on the cosmetic research journals to make sure we are up-to-date on all the latest and most advanced uses of Botox Cosmetic. Our goal isn’t to use them indiscriminately on everyone. We take pride in providing you with a very specific, individualized treatment plan that best suits you. Our aim is to help you look naturally younger, more refreshed, and beautiful with Botox, not fake, expressionless, or strange. When used appropriately, Botox can be a powerful secret weapon in the fight against age. Make sure your injector is on the same page as you and has advanced “weapons” training. To learn more about Celibre Injections, please visit celibre.com/wrinkles. More Botox Injections before and after photos

Lori Ishii Haney

RN, MEP-C, CMLSO

“How much is your Botox?” is a question that we hear at Celibre Medical every day. Seems like a simple, straightforward question, right? Well, not really. You see the price or cost of Botox injections goes way beyond how much the actual product itself costs. Sure, that’s an important part of it, but you also must consider the value of the service, the time spent with each patient as well as the skill and expertise of the person holding the syringe. How do you put a number on all these things?

For these reasons, you can find a very wide range of pricing for Botox in the Los Angeles area. We’ve seen prices as low as $7 per unit (with the catch that you bring a friend, come in during certain hours, or purchase a minimum number of units) all the way up to $21 per unit at a practice located in Beverly Hills. On average, you will find the price of a unit of Botox in the LA area is around $11 to $13 per unit.

The old adage of “you get what you pay for” certainly tends to hold true if you’re buying your Botox on the lower end of the spectrum. We hear from many people who’ve gotten “rock bottom” Botox prices that they didn’t get the results that they wanted or results that lasted very long. Worse yet, some tell us that the appointment was so quick, that they felt like herded cattle.

So, there really is a lot that goes into figuring out the “price” of Botox. Here are a few more factors that you should consider:

• Dilution: Let us first clarify for you that all Botox must be diluted. It comes as a dried residue in the vial that must be mixed or “reconstituted” with saline for injection. Now, the vial contains 100 units. Allergan, the manufacturer of Botox, recommends that the vial be reconstituted with a certain amount of saline to ensure that the correct number of units can be drawn up reliably in a syringe and placed at each injection point. Some practices may use more than the recommended amount of saline to dilute the vial, but still, use the recommended volumes at each injection point. This practice results in an “under-dosing” that may not give the desired results (if any) or results that don’t last very long because there are fewer units being injected than there should be. Don’t get confused by the lingo here; just ask your injector if they are using the manufacturer’s recommended dilution. An answer of “no” could mean that you aren’t exactly getting what you think you’re paying for.

• Treatment areas versus actual units: Just like most other drugs, Botox needs to be “dosed”. The dose of Botox that you need depends on your gender, the strength of your muscles, and your specific anatomy. When practices charge for Botox by “treatment area”, they typically have a standard dose that they give to everyone, regardless of their individual needs. This is how they can make money on their Botox. While you may pay more when you purchase the specific number of Botox units that you need, you are probably getting the dose that will give you the best results.

• Botox treatment plan and execution: Botox is a drug that requires a treatment plan. Just like any other drug, you need to be educated on how it works, what to expect after you take it and how it will help you. You also need to know the risks and possible side effects of using Botox. All of these things require a conversation that takes time. As a patient, you need the time to ask questions and your injector needs time to answer them. Once you understand your treatment plan, you can give informed consent to proceed. You should know the” ins and outs “of your specific plan like how many units you’re getting, where your injections will be placed and the “do’s and don’ts” following your injections.

• Expertise: You are also paying for the experience, knowledge, and skill of the practitioner injecting you. What kind of training does he or she have? How long have they been injecting? How many injections has he or she done over the past week, month or year? Skills do get rusty and techniques to evolve and change. Finding an injector that is at the top of its game is worth the extra added cost in many cases.

Don’t simply shop “by the numbers” when it comes to Botox injections. Do your homework, ask questions and be an advocate for yourself. While Botox is a cosmetic treatment, it is a powerful drug that needs to be used responsibly and appropriately to give you the best results.

* Botox Before and After Photo

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Have you noticed that your face is aging, but you just can’t put your finger on what’s changing? Maybe you’re a woman in your 40’s or 50’s and you’ve had dermal fillers in your laugh lines and/or nasolabial folds, but you still don’t see the youthful look that you want to. It’s possible that even though the lines around the nose and mouth are diminished, your injector is overlooking a major feature that often ages a woman’s face as she gets older: hollow cheeks.

Restylane before and after pictures

When dermal filler injections first became popular, injection techniques focused on filling individual lines, creases, and wrinkles. Today, we’ve moved away from that mentality. Although we often still correct individual lines, we tend to view age-related changes as more of a global facial issue.

In today’s aesthetic industry, we often evaluate the face in thirds: the upper third (eyes, temples, forehead), the middle third (cheeks), and the lower third (mouth, chin, and jaw). For middle-aged women, the middle third of the face is the area that is the most severely affected. Changes to and depletion of the underlying bone, muscle, and fat lead to a flattening of the cheek, making it look hollow. Youthful cheeks are round and full, as are the cheekbones. Dermal filler injections – products such as Restylane, Restylane Lyft, and Juvederm – are used to re-volumize the cheeks.  Cheek augmentation involves the placement of dermal fillers in areas of the cheek to restore softness, fullness, and a more youthful shape.

Facial shaping with dermal fillers can be a complex process. Injectors must have a fundamental understanding of facial anatomy, as well as the ability to assess and analyze each patient’s individual features.  Finally, extensive knowledge is paramount to determining which dermal filler products will provide the best aesthetic outcome and long-lasting improvement.

If you’re not seeing the improvement you’d like from your dermal filler injections, it may be that your injector doesn’t have the knowledge or understanding of more recent advances in facial aging.  There is so much more than just injecting the products and this is one of the reasons that the cost of dermal filler injections can vary. The skill and knowledge level of your injector is the major factor when it comes to looking unnatural or looking amazing.

Read About All Celibre Medical’s Facial Shaping Techniques

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Are your hands looking more and more like Mom’s? As we age, it’s a common occurrence for most of us. At Celibre Medical, many patients ask us why this happens and what we can do to help. Hand rejuvenation can require one or more procedures and what we suggest for you depends on why your hands look older.

The two most common signs of aging hands are discoloration (brown spots or sun spots) and volume loss. Either problem alone can make your hands look decades older, but when they occur together, most people feel like just hiding their hands altogether!

The discoloration or age spots that develop on the backs of your hands typically is the result of years of cumulative sun exposure. Think for just a moment about how often your hands are in the sun. Do you drive often during the day? Do you remember to sunscreen your hands at the pool or the beach? It’s easy to see how repeated exposure to UV light can make the skin on your hands look much older than anywhere else on your body! As we age, the loss of collagen and elastin leads to thinner skin, which shows more pigmentation and allows brown spots to form more easily.

Age Spot Removal Before and After Pictures

Q-switched YAG lasers are used for age spot removal on the hands. Because these lasers are highly absorbed by brown spots, they work great to get rid of your spots and are an invaluable tool in the hand rejuvenation process.

Another common complaint about aging hands is volume loss. Just like your face, the shape of your hands changes with time. Full, soft and rounded features disappear. In your hands, this makes your veins stand out and causes grooves and dips between the tendons of your fingers. All these changes may be more pronounced if you lose weight or are a thinner person naturally, so your weight can also affect how aged your hands appear to be.

We’ve already discussed how the skin thins, but that’s only part of the reason for volume changes in your hands. The true culprit is the loss of the fatty, supportive layer beneath the skin. If you’ve read some of our other pages on volume loss, then you know that as we get older, our subcutaneous fat goes away in some places and accumulates in others—and unfortunately, we don’t get to tell it where we’d like it to go!  The same is true for your hands.

What can help this? Dermal filler injections. By replacing lost volume, injections of these products into your hands can restore fullness and literally turn back time! The products and injection techniques for this procedure have evolved since they were first introduced. We use only the latest, most up-to-date, and most effective protocol for filler injections in the hands. The results are immediate! They also tend to improve over a couple of weeks and most of our patients tell us that their results last for at least six to nine months!

Together or separately, q-switched laser treatments and dermal filler injections are used to restore a youthful appearance to your hands. Both procedures require no downtime, so anyone is a candidate. Here at Celibre Medical, we tailor a treatment plan to your specific needs. Together, we will get your hands looking as young as you feel!

Your Hands Show Your Age

Most of us are familiar with the saying, “You can tell a woman’s age by her hands.” This is mostly attributed to the fact that women take great measures to care for their faces but often ignore their hands. Many consumers also do not know the options that exist for hand rejuvenation.

Why do My Hands Look Old?

So what makes the hands show their age? Loss of fatty tissue and collagen as we age causes the hands to reveal the bones and veins. Years of sun exposure reveal a roughened texture and brown spots (sun spots, solar lengtigines, seborrheic keratosis) become more numerous.

It is not unusual for these conditions to appear rapidly, and we often hear women say, “Why is this all happening now?” Years of bad skin care habits, genetics, and aging all catch up with us at some point. Hand rejuvenation is the process of reversing the common signs of aging hands.

Removing Brown Spots

We achieve excellent results using Q-Switched laser technology to remove brown spots from the hands. These powerful lasers work by removing brown pigmentation, and at the same time, they develop heat that promotes collagen stimulation and mild skin tightening. There is no downtime, and the treatments take only a few minutes. This same laser technology also works well for face, chest, and leg spots.

Adding Volume

For the loss of volume in the hands, we use dermal fillers such as Restylane and Radiesse to minimize the “ropey” looked caused by thinning skin. Treating voids between veins and ligaments on the back of the hands is a job well suited for dermal fillers.

Fillers have an immediate impact, making hands look younger by creating a plump and youthful appearance. These injection benefits are immediate and continue to improve over a two-week period after injections. Results typically last for a minimum of six months.

Sclerotherapy Injections

In addition to removing brown spots and adding volume, we have one other tool in our kit for creating more youthful hands. Sclerotherapy injections with Asclera can close some of the more visible blood vessels on the back of the hand without affecting proper circulation. This procedure is used in combination with Radiesse injections to hide bulging, ropey veins.

Multiple Hand Rejuvenation Solutions

Regardless of whether you have brown spots, visible veins, or thin, frail-looking hands, we can help rejuvenate them with lasers and injections.