Botox Injections

Raise your hand if you wait until the last minute to take care of tasks. Yep, we are guilty too. With the internet, overnight shipping and instant gratification at every corner, the idea of planning ahead really has lost its appeal.

There are still a few things in life that we need to plan ahead of time.  Prepping for a surgery, for example, can take months including the recovery time.  So what about this coming Valentine’s Day? Do you still have time for a quick treatment or two?  It is probably too late to schedule surgery now and be recovered in time for the romantic holiday, but facial injections or laser treatments are still a great idea. Here are your options:

Botox/Dysport: Relax the wrinkles between your eyebrows, on your forehead and around those pesky crow’s feet. On average your results will take 4-5 days to appear and will last 3-4 months. But don’t wait until the last minute, come see us by February 7^th.

Juvederm, Restylane: Erase those smile lines and give a sexy plump to your lips at least 2 weeks before the big day. Your final result will be evident within 5-7 days of treatment and will last 6-9 months. We can stretch this one to February 2^nd.

Skin Rejuvenation: Even out skin tone; erase light acne scars and brown spots; improve your skin’s texture and reduce the appearance of fine lines with a laser treatment. Our laser treatments (in order to get great results) do require a bit of downtime (3-4 days), but if you’re willing to commit you’re going to be very happy with your results. See us by February 2^nd to be ready for your valentine.

Dr. Franckle sees patients on Tuesday afternoons and all day Thursdays.

Only a couple days left before Valentine’s Day – be ready with an appointment!

We would venture to bet that anyone who suffers from migraines is willing to explore just about any treatment to obtain relief from the pain.  The symptoms of migraine (pain, photosensitivity, and nausea) are keeping 30 million Americans miserable for up to a day or even more.  Medication is still considered the only effective solution to conquer these debilitating symptoms, but a plastic surgery procedure has recently been publicized as a revolutionary way to treat migraines.  How?   Supporters are claiming that the glabellar muscles (muscles between the eyebrows) and related nerves which are surgically removed during a browlift are removing a trigger point which can cause migraines.

It has followed that the non-surgical procedures using the botulinum toxins such as Botox Cosmetic, Dysport, and Xeomin, have also made similar claims in being effective in the treatment of migraines.  These popular treatments work to block those same nerves resulting in paralysis of the glabellar muscles.  It was only a matter of time before some doctors starting connecting the two.

All of these claims came about by circumstance; patients receiving a browlift or botulinum toxin treatment that had previously suffered from migraines were claiming that their migraines were cured.  These patients turned to their doctors for answers as to why this happened.  Thus, the connection was made. So far, however, these claims have not stood the test of extensive medical analysis.

So where is allthis buzz coming from? NewBeauty.com performed their own study with 49 migraine sufferers.  The patients underwent a Botox Cosmetic treatment followed by a brow lift procedure and found that 57% had their headache symptoms completely eliminated.

That study may have encouraging numbers but this is not in-depth research!  It would be wonderful if botulinum toxin treatment is eventually proven to be an effective treatment for migraine sufferers.   It is a simple, safe, non-surgical treatment and would likely be well-tolerated by migraine patients.  Until then, it is considered experimental and will not likely be covered by insurance.   My opinion is to watch and wait.  This is currently under investigation by many reputable scientific groups.  Until then, we may just have to call the patients in NewBeauty’s study lucky.

NewBeauty.com Article: http://www.newbeauty.com/dailybeauty/entry.aspx?id=2468

It has been an emotional trigger to many across the country, especially parents; a video first seen on Good Morning America of a mother, Kerry, treating her 8 year old daughter, Britney, with Botox Cosmetic to reduce wrinkles she has on her face. Something that Kerry claims many pageant mothers are doing.  

Botox Cosmetic has been approved to treat glabella lines in adults since 2002. Botox is not FDA approved for use in children for cosmetic purposes.  Botox is also a drug that cannot be dispensed without a prescription and cannot be used in the state of California without physician supervision.   

Laws aside, what is causing the most outrage is the question of child abuse. Like any other product on the market there are certain risks associated with Botox and that is something that needs to be considered by a patient before moving forward with the treatment.  A child would not understand the risks and side effects of this treatment, even if time were spent explaining them.  The public worries that as a child, Britney is putting all her trust in her mother and her mother should be making informed, responsible decisions for her. Kerry defends her actions, saying it is want Britney wants and she understands not everyone will agree with her. To the SFGate, Kerry explains,

“I’m sure people reading this will think I am being irresponsible…” And that is exactly what people are saying.  She continues saying, “but I ensure you that I test the Botox and fillers I buy online on myself first.” That brings us to our next concern, purchasing Botox online. When you purchase anything online, let alone medically used substances, you cannot be sure you are getting exactly what you are promised. There are hundreds of articles explaining the dangers of purchasing Botox online. That is a concern for the child some are overlooking. 

See the Good Morning America video here: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/mom-year-daughter-botox-young-young/story?id=13580804

Read the SFGate article here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfmoms/detail?entry_id=85855

For one week only -

  20% off your ENTIRE treatment of Botox and Injectable Fillers,

  in honor of the mother’s in our lives.

  Appointments are needed and they are going fast

  call now! 856.772.6500

Injectable fillers have become a popular treatment because they are minimally invasive. A quick, relatively painless treatment every 6-12 months can keep you looking youthful without a major surgery.  Because of the growing acceptance and popularity of these products, my patients have become more aware of  the options.  However, due to the many commercials and advertisements, there is always confusion as to which filler to choose.  Below I review a little about these fillers and how they are used in my practice to achieve correction of facial aging.

Laugh lines

Hyaluronic Filler: Juvederm Ultra OR CaHA Filler: Radiesse

Many women have complaints about lines running from their nose to the corners of their mouth.  The “parentheses” if you will.  For this area, we have two great options.

Juvederm Ultra is a longer lasting hyaluronic acid product. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is naturally found in our skin.  It functions to give skin its plump springy texture.  As your body ages you begin to lose HA causing volume loss and facial wrinkles. Juvederm Ultra will immediately reduce the appearance of those dreaded laugh lines.

Radiesse works in a slightly different way.  It will immediately correct creases by restoring volume to wrinkles, but it will also create a longer lasting effect by stimulating the body to create collagen.  It does this by using calcium microspheres to stimulate fibroblasts to make more collagen. Radiesse has been clinically proven to last a year or more.

Lips

Hyaluronic Filler: Restylane

The last place women want to lose volume is in their lips. Restylane, another hyaluronic acid, can fill in your lips and provide the missing plump you are looking for.  I tend to prefer this product in the lips over the others since it tends to stay smooth and resist clumping.

Cheeks

Poly-L-lactic acid Filler: Sculptra

Nothing shows your age as much as volume loss in your cheeks. With a large area, such as the cheeks, an injectable that builds collagen is going to be the best choice.

What makes Sculptra different is the way it works. Instead of replacing lost HA as we discussed before to give an instant result, Sculptra works on the underlying structure of your skin for a long lasting one.  Sculptra works to reinforce your collagen structure gradually restoring a look of fullness. Although Sculptra will not show immediate results, an average of three visits within 2-3 months can last two years or more.