Truth in Cosmetic Surgery

Reader Question:

All I see online is bad Botox stories.  Can this ever be done well? Why is it so popular?

Botulinum toxin injections temporarily paralyze muscles where they injected. While this sounds scary, it can be done to reduce certain facial movements that make people look concerned (the look of consternation,) and older (crow’s feet,etc). As is usually the case in plastic surgery, too much of an otherwise good thing can make people look weird. Just look at a few celebrities who look like they might have had too much like Teri Hatcher maybe?

As the market movement with Botulinum injections has been toward less and less experienced injectors and decreasing price points, the landscape has changed. People are paying for it based upon the quantity injected now more and more, so some injectors are injecting more and more into areas other than the standard Glabella (the spot to reduce the look of consternation). This leads to stone faced outcomes or zombie faces and these of course are prominently featured in the news outlets.

To answer your question, you need to define your goal. If that goal is to look natural, reduce the amount you have injected and target fewer areas. In most patients I like to inject the Glabella plus or minus the Crow’s feet. Also seek an experienced injector (like maybe a real Plastic Surgeon?) or at least try to avoid the “Dr Cheapies” who can’t be doing it right.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

Related:

Dr D’s Philosophy on Botulinum Toxin Injections

Originally posted 2009-10-26 07:30:54.