Non-Surgical Options

The Problem:

You have some little wrinkles that you don’t want to become big wrinkles and it’s too early to consider surgery.

Services we provide:

As we age, our skin becomes more affected by the effects of aging and the environment. Temperature and humidity, along with UV light from the sun can begin to weather our skin.

Botox

Have you ever folded the corner of a page as a bookmark? Think of your skin as that fold. Our muscles are constantly “folding” our skin, producing lines that become more pronounced as we age. Now, think about that page corner. Suppose you weren’t able to fold it because it became stiff. That’s what Botox does – it prevents the muscles from contracting and creating a fold. In a sense it “stiffens” the fold. Botox is a poison that paralyzes the muscles for about 4 – 6 months. It can prevent the formation of wrinkles by paralyzing the muscles that cause them. These wrinkles are known as “wrinkles in motion”. For those who already have the fine lines, Botox can prevent the deepening of those lines, again by preventing the folding from forming.

Fillers

Now let’s say you have deeper wrinkles and Botox just isn’t working for you. The next step to consider would be the use of fillers. These substances are used to “plump” up a fold and help even it up to the level of the surrounding skin.

Fillers are used throughout the face:

Fill the hollows under the eyelids,
Add volume to the deflated cheeks
To plump up the lips and reshape them
To fill the nasolabial folds above our lips
To fill the marionette lines under the outer corners of our lips
Fillers generally last from 4 – 6 months or longer, depending on where they are used.

Fat Injections

A step up from fillers, fat injections are longer lasting fillers which may last years. Fat is harvested from your abdomen, spun down in a centrifuge, and injected into the same areas where fillers are used. The big upside is that the fat is from you and chance of allergies is nearly zero. They can last for up to 5 years, depending on the location into where they are injected.

Fractionated Laser:

Fraxel laser was the first laser used to resurface skin with minimal down-time. With fractionated laser, columns of laser light are used to “drill down” into the skin. This damages the fibrin and the collagen layer. The skin will react to this damage by producing more fibrin and collagen, making the skin more elastic and fuller. This is a very good treatment for fine surface lines and skin age spots. We have three lasers with various applications. The first is used to lightly treat the skin and reduce the darkening effects of melasma. The second is used to treat deeper wrinkles and blemishes. The third is a CO2 laser used to treat significant wrinkles over the skin.

When you come in for treatment, your face will be numbed for about 30 minutes. Each treatment takes around 15 – 45 minutes, depending on the area treated. Recovery is painless. The usual experience is that of itching and peeling skin which occurs at around 3 days. Brand new skin appears at around one month.

How long is recovery?

Recovery varies based on the procedure performed.

Timeline to recovery and duration of effects:

Botox – 3-5 days until effect. Lasts around 4-6 months
Fillers – 2-3 days until swelling and redness from injection subsides. Lasts 4-12 months, depending on area treated and filler type used.
Fat injection – 2-3 days until swelling and redness from injection subsides. Lasts around 5 years following injection.
Fraxel laser –
- Shedding of outer skin – Beginning 3-4 days after procedure.
- Redness of skin – up to 10-14 days
- Swelling resolved – 1 month
Face should look much better by one month

Is this procedure covered by insurance?

Botox, fillers, and lasers are not covered by insurance and is considered cosmetic. The patient will be responsible for payment.

New technologies are constantly being developed. We strive to make them available to you to get you the best look possible!