Archive for the ‘Botox & Injectable Fillers’ Category
What is the Best Age to Start Botox Treatments?
Tuesday, April 10th, 2012
Botox Treatments
What is the best age to start Botox treatment? That’s a question we often hear at Peer Group in Florham Park, New Jersey, where our practice is devoted to providing unparalleled quality cosmetic procedures, and our medical staff is comprised of board certified plastic surgeons. The short answer is, the earlier age that you begin using Botox, the easier it will be to avoid more intensive treatments in later years. If you begin treating lines and fine wrinkles when they first appear, they will not have a chance to become deep and pronounced. For some facial areas, if you begin Botox treatment at an early age – before age 30 – Botox alone will typically be able to prevent the formation of these facial lines. Many plastic surgeons recommend consulting with a professional while patients are in their 20s, to discuss skin condition and goals for long term skin care.
Once you start Botox treatments, it is important to stay on time with follow-up treatments. The effects of Botox typically last three to four months, but it’s important to get maintenance Botox injections before the effects wear off. If you schedule your appointments correctly, the muscles that cause wrinkles and lines that Botox treats will remain weak, and the effects of the treatments will last longer than if you allow the Botox to wear off and wrinkles to reappear. If you are planning a treatment so you’ll look your best for a social event or special occasion – a reunion, wedding, or important business meeting, for example – schedule your treatment to allow enough time for the Botox cosmetic to take full effect. Some bruising and swelling can occur with Botox injections or filler injections, so you’ll want to allow ample time for these side effects to dissipate, as well. It can take up to two weeks for the Botox treatment to have its full effect. Take this into account when planning your appointment. And while cosmetic specialists may debate about the best age for starting Botox treatments, all agree no matter what age you are, it’s never too late to look and feel your best.
Latisse and Botox – A Beautiful Couple
Tuesday, March 27th, 2012
Latisse and Botox
They make a beautiful couple – Latisse and Botox, the FDA-approved treatments for growing longer, thicker eyelashes, and for removing lines and wrinkles, work well in tandem. As a result, more women are choosing to undergo these cosmeceutical treatments simultaneously. We’re getting more inquiries about the Latisse-Botox combo here at Peer Group in northern New Jersey, and here’s what we tell patients: Botox injections are often used to remove wrinkles and lines around the eyes, and longer, fuller lashes can also give eyes a more youthful appearance. (In fact, Latisse has been called “Botox for the eyelashes.”) So it often makes sense to combine Latisse and Botox treatment. Here are the essentials of both treatments to keep in mind:
Latisse is topical solution, available by prescription and applied at home. Latisse has been proven effective in clinical trials in increasing the length, thickness, and darkness of eyelashes in women who’s lashes had lost their fullness through natural aging, a condition called “hypotrichosis” of the eyelashes. This skin care product is made by Allergen, the same company that developed and makes Botox, so it’s not surprising the two make such a great team. (Allergen also makes the cosmetic filler Juvederm.) It takes about six weeks of daily applications for Latisse to achieve its full effects. Meanwhile Botox cosmetic treatments, which have been proven effective at erasing facial lines, furrows and wrinkles, usually take less than a week following administration of Botox cosmetic by qualified medical specialist to achieve maximum impact. The effects of Botox can be dramatic in reducing and eliminating facial lines and wrinkles for three to four months.
One popular scheduling method to take advantage of both these therapies: Make an appointment for a Botox treatment and get a prescription for Latisse at the same time. By the time the Botox has reduced or eliminated wrinkles, your eyelashes will be showing signs of thickening and lengthening. And in six weeks, your lashes will be longer and facial lines and wrinkles reduced, simply, safely and effectively. As always, make sure to choose a board certified plastic surgeon experienced with Botox and Botox treatments to perform the procedure.
Botox for Men
Saturday, March 10th, 2012
Botox for Men
Botox, which revolutionized non-invasive cosmetic treatments for women, is now doing the same for men. Depending on the location of the practice, data shows that between 15 and 30 percent of patients undergoing Botox treatments are men. It’s now the most common non-surgical treatment performed on men. We see this Botox trend in more of our male patients here at Peer Group in Florham Park, New Jersey.
Men want Botox injections for many of the same reason women do – they want to appear younger and feel better and more confident about themselves. The majority of men also see Botox as a career investment. Working people are looking for every advantage they can get, and having a youthful appearance can help land and keep a job. The area most commonly treated with Botox cosmetic in men is the frown line between the eyes. These lines, if deep, can make a person appear angry even when their expression is neutral.
The amount of Botox administered to male patients must be adjusted for their physiology. Men sometimes require a much higher dose of Botox than women to achieve the same results because of their stronger and more bulky musculature. This is particularly true with Botox treatments in the frontal area of the face. However, too much Botox in the area of the eyebrows can give the brows an arched, immobile appearance, imparting a startled or slightly feminine expression. Too much Botox administered when treating crow’s feet can impart a wide-eyed look. That’s why it’s important to have the Botox injections performed by a board certified plastic surgeon who specializes in cosmetic procedures.
Medical uses of Botox are also becoming more popular with men. More men are also seeking Botox for hyperhydrosis (excessive sweating of the armpits, and palms of the hands and soles of the feet), migraine headaches and muscles spasms. So guys, if you think Botox treatments could benefit you, schedule a consultation with one of the plastic surgeons of the Peer Group today. These days, it’s a manly thing to do.
Eliminate Crow’s Feet and Smile Lines
Friday, June 3rd, 2011
Smile lines and crows feet are two signs of aging skin. Permanent skin creases from a lifetime of smiles, along with squinting in bright light and other contractures of muscles around the mouth and eyes, combine with skin damage from the sun, loss of skin elasticity, and depletion of collagen to cause these facial wrinkles. Several skin care procedures can significantly reduce crow’s feet and smile lines, without plastic surgery.
BOTOX Cosmetic injections are one popular and effective method of reducing smile lines and crows feet. Injected into the underlying muscles, Botox paralyzes the muscles that cause the wrinkles, loosening the contracture and smoothing the creases.
Skin resurfacing can also reduce wrinkles and permanent creases around the mouth and eyes. Injections of collagen, to supplement the body’s depleted stores of collagen, which contributes to the wrinkles, can also be effective, as can injections of hyaluronic fillers such as Restylane. Fat transfer, which works in similar fashion, is another commonly used procedure for reducing smile lines, crow’s feet, and other facial wrinkles. In this cosmetic procedure, small amounts of fat are harvested from your own body and injected into areas on the face that have lost volume due to aging.
At The Peer Group in northern New Jersey our board certified plastic surgeons perform a variety of plastic surgery procedures and oversee skin care treatments for reducing crow’s feet, smile lines and other lines and wrinkles on the face. But you can take the most important steps to deal with these cosmetic problems on your own. The most important keys to avoiding deep wrinkles in the first place: Minimize direct exposure to the sun. Use sunscreen whenever outdoors, not just at the beach, and wear a hat any time the sun is out. Try to avoid making facial expressions that lead to deep wrinkles. Don’t stop smiling, but wear sunglasses in sunlight to avoid squinting. Follow these rules and you can minimize the lines and wrinkles around your eyes and lips.
Types of Injectable Fillers
Monday, May 9th, 2011
Injectable fillers can be used for a variety of cosmetic procedures, like reducing wrinkles and plumping sunken features. In fact, these procedures are sometimes called liquid facelifts. Some fillers are referred to by brand name, some by their generic name, and sometimes their uses overlap, so it can be a challenge keeping track of all your options for cosmetic procedures. Here’s a quick guide to some of the best known injectables and their uses.
Beautiful youthful skin
Botox is the brand name of a product made from a neurotoxin, Clostridium botulinum. It smoothes skin by paralyzing tiny muscles whose contractions cause wrinkles. It is most commonly applied to reduce wrinkles in the forehead and around the eyes. Dysport is now available as a Botox alternative and has very similar properties and benefits.
Radiesse is a brand name for Calcium Hydoxylapatite (CaHA). It can reduce wrinkles and skin folds around the mouth and nose and also fill some scars. Particles of CaHA are suspended in a water solution, which is injected into the treatment area.
Restylane and Juvederm are the brand names of two popular Hyaluronic-acid based fillers. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring carbohydrate found in human tissue. Juvederm and Restylane injections are used to reduce nasolabial folds, frown lines, and crows feet. (Do you want to refer to their use to fill both aging lips and to give women fuller lips?)
Sculptra is the brand name for Synthetic Poly-L-lactic acid. A biocompatible acid culled from natural sources, it is used to plump skin by stimulating a patient’s own collagen rather than filling winkles. Skin folds, indented chin, hollow cheeks and sunken eyes are areas where it is commonly used.
Fat transfer is another injectable filler procedure. Fat is taken from one part of the body and used for filler, typically in the same locations that collagen fillers are injected. A variety of harvesting methods are used.
The filler deemed best for you by a cosmetic plastic surgeon is selected based on a variety of criteria, including time, costs, the individual’s condition, and the judgment and practices of the cosmetic surgeon. With the exception of fat transfer, which requires no FDA approval, all of these fillers are FDA approved for cosmetic use, and our clients in northern New Jersey have been very pleased with the results of Juvederm, Restylane, Botox and other injectable fillers. We’ll blog more about these products and treatments in the future.
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