As we’ve treated hundreds of happy patients with Botox at our medical spa in Asheville over the years, our expert team at Mountain Radiance receives lots of questions on this popular treatment—three questions we are often asked are answered for you below.
1) Is there any way to make Botox last longer?
Yes and no. How long Botox lasts for a specific area of the face is highly variable. However, with regular treatment of the facial muscles over years, the muscles become atrophic and then the effect can last much longer. Many of the TV and movie personalities whom you see that have very smooth skin have this not because they used a lot of Botox, but because they’ve been getting it for a very long time. The beneficial effects of Botox get better with continued use over years. This is an important concept.
I have some patients who do not get regular botox who still insist that they “get 6 months out of one Botox treatment”. I think some people are more tolerant of the effect wearing off than other people are.
To a limited extent, more Botox in an area will give a longer lasting result but only up to the point that more would make you look unnatural. For instance, the strong muscle between the eyebrows that cause the “angry lines”, what we call the glabella or glabellar complex can sometimes be treated with as little as 12 units of Botox however this will wear off much more quickly than the usual dose of 20 – 25 units.
Other than these hints and techniques, there is no way yet to make Botox last, for instance, a year.
Is it rude to ask your injector for a touch up?
It is not at all rude to ask your injector for a “touch up”. You should wait 2 to 3 weeks following the injection procedure to see what the effect will look like. It’s impossible to know the first time I treat a patient exactly how much they may need. I always say “it’s like painting with invisible finger paint and it takes 2 – 3 weeks for us to see what we’ve got”. It is completely appropriate to discuss with your injector if you have a result you don’t love or need a bit more in a certain area. In fact, we encourage our patients to call us if they have anything that needs “fixing” and though rare, it can happen.
How can I know if an injector is going to give me good results?
There are three things you look for in a Botox or filler injector: experience, experience, experience.
Oh, and reviews. 🙂 It takes a long time to become expert at administering Botox because you need to treat a lot of people and then see what the result was afterwards. Botox cannot be “cook booked” in the sense of looking at a facial muscle diagram and it’s the same in each muscle for each patient!
When we look at a patient, we have them animate the face, creating the wrinkles we’re going to treat. Based on the strength of the muscle groups, the location of the wrinkles, the severity of the muscles, and patient budget and preferences I make an individualized plan for each patient. This has a high degree of success in our hands.
If you have additional questions regarding Botox or would like to come in for a free consultation, please contact our office at (828) 627-2711.
