Even though people come to us wanting to take action to slow the signs of aging in their skin, there's often a moment when first-timers pause to tell us, "I don't want to look fake."
Who can blame them, when there are so many famously frozen faces out there giving Botox and dermal fillers a bad name? As much as I may want to live like a Real Housewife of Any City, I don't necessarily want to look like one of them.
And yet, as I freely tell my clients, I have 4 mL of filler in my face, distributed between my cheeks and lips. If I have to tell them that, my point is made — because it really isn't obvious. Whatever treatment I wind up giving them, our mutual goal is to make it look natural, so that people notice how good they look but can't put their finger on why.
Botox, But Make It Move
If you indulge in a little Real Housewives viewing, you are no doubt familiar with how disconcerting it is to see someone bawl her eyes out while not changing her expression one millimeter.
Another telltale sign of Botox injection is what we call "Spock Brow." It's when too much has been injected in the center of the forehead and none at the sides, creating a Leonard Nimoy effect.
Now that I've scared you all over again, I'm here to assure you that Botox does not need to look like this!
Botox is there to limit the muscle movement that causes your skin to crease, without immobilizing your face completely. When we administer it in the right place, with the right amount, you can still be your typically expressive self.
Dermal Fillers: Dos and Don'ts
When done right, dermal fillers are an answer to the natural loss of volume that faces go through as we age. Lips get thinner, fat pads in our cheeks go down, and our laugh lines become more prominent. With some correctly placed filler, those areas are subtly plumped up once more, making you look rested and refreshed.
Reality TV is also the best place to see where people go overboard with their fillers, from the Housewives' inflated cheeks to the Kardashian-Jenners' unreal lips.
Another celebrity, Courteney Cox, recently shared how her Hollywood environs made her feel pressured to get fillers, and then get more, until her own face looked unrecognizable to her. She told NewBeauty that she had her fillers dissolved altogether.
This absolutely doesn't need to be your story. When you choose a professional with a keen design aesthetic, training, and restraint, we wield our tools like artists, not mad scientists. We strive to make our vision to match yours at all times.
Rejuvenating Alternatives
It may turn out that you don't even need to have any injection to get the results you want. One of the reasons we decided to make Face Forward Medical Aesthetics a full-service medical spa is that we wanted to offer clients multiple ways to improve their appearance.
For example, if your aim is to reduce the fine lines under your eye, fillers and Botox might not be right for you, and may even make you look unnatural. Together, we may decide that microneedling would be a better solution, as it stimulates the skin's natural collagen production process.
You could also go in the direction of Courteney Cox's friend, Jennifer Aniston, who is aging gracefully with a little help. She has told reporters that she gets laser skin resurfacing treatments for her skin. The Halo Hybrid Fractional Laser by Sciton is a great way to correct some of the effects of aging and sun, including fine lines, sun spots, uneven skin texture, and enlarged pores.
Shh… it’s our secret
Free advertising is great, but we don't want anyone to leave here looking like they've "had work done." If you want to whisper your secret to your friends and tell them to stop by for a visit, that's another story.
Do you have other fears about injectables not mentioned above? Let us know in the comment section below.
