FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
The following are general recommendations, specifically for our clinic, they don’t constitute any guidelines. Some recommendations can vary from one practitioner to another.
- Remove your make up before the appointment. This decreases the risk of infections
- Avoid taking anti-inflammatories the days prior to the treatment since they can increase the risk of bleeding or bruising
- If you have any chronic condition wait until it’s stable before you get your aesthetic treatment
- Avoid drinking alcohol the day before the treatment since it can increase your bleeding risk
- If you are not in good health: you have a cold, or you are getting antibiotics for an acute infection; wait until you are better and finish your treatment to book your appointment
- If you are coming for dermal fillers, taking arnica pills a few days before the treatment (around 5 days), will help to decrease the risk of bleeding or inflammation. You can buy that online or over the counter at the pharmacy
- If you are coming for fillers in the lips or microneedling, please let us know as soon as you arrive to the clinic. We will put a numbing cream in your lips or face that takes about 20 minutes to work
- Let us know if you suffer from herpes labialis (cold sores) or zoster in the face (shingles). If that is the case, we will give you prevention treatment to avoid a flare up triggered by the injections
- Let the doctor know about your past medical history to the best of your knowledge. That will help us to adjust your treatments, if necessary, predict possible complications and determine your candidacy for certain treatments
- Don’t touch, massage or rub your face for 4 hours
- Remain in standing/sitting position for 4 hours (don’t lie down)
- Avoid hot saunas, Jacuzzis or strenuous exercise for 24 hours after the treatment
- Avoid sun exposure the day of the treatment
- Avoid alcohol after the treatment
- You might experience: mild headache, migraine on the day of the treatment or even flu like symptoms (rare).
- If you have any of the above symptoms you can take Tylenol or advil
- Sensation of heaviness of the forehead
- A few weeks after, you can have dry mouth (if injected in the lower face or neck)
- The medication is in full effect around 2 weeks after the injection
- You are injected in the lower face you will experience difficulties drinking through a straw or whistling
- Don’t book any treatment right before a special event (like party, social gathering, work meeting, etc.) you might bruise for a few days. Ideally book your treatment at least 2 weeks before the event
- Pregnant women (confirmed or suspected)
- Women breastfeeding
- Known allergy to eggs or milk (this is not lactose intolerance but a true allergy to milk: skin rash and/or major respiratory distress). If you are allergic to this food, let us know and we use and alternative from another brand depending on the type of allergy
- People with severe asthma or COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) should not get it injected in the lower face or neck
- Previous allergy to neuromodulators (it’s very rare)
- Patients known for bleeding disorders like hemophilia
- Active cancer treatment
- Neuromuscular disorders causing weakness like myasthenia gravis, or muscle weakness from other causes like a stroke or multiple sclerosis
- Keloid or hypertrophic scarring
- Uncontrolled thyroid conditions like hypo or hyperthyroidism
- Excessive aging changes: like excessive sagging, severely deep wrinkles. In those contexts, you might need surgery because neuromodulators might help but are less
- Pregnant women (confirmed or suspected)
- Women breastfeeding
- Allergy to local anesthetics (like lidocaine, xylocaine, benzocaine, tetracaine), which are commonly used to freeze you in other contexts like when you visit the dentist, or you have stitches done
- Allergy to wasp stings (possibility of cross reaction with the medication used to dissolve hyaluronic acid in case of emergencies)
- Previous allergy to fillers or hyaluronic acid (the latter is rare)
- If you have had aesthetic or reconstructive surgeries in the face like rhinoplasty, face lift, maxillofacial surgeries, please let us know. It’s not an absolute contraindication but we should be aware before injecting
- Uncontrolled or severe diabetes (type 1 and type 2)
- Patients known for bleeding disorders like hemophilia
- Patients taking blood thinners
- Active cancer treatment
- Autoimmune disorders like lupus
- Chronic prednisone intake
- Patients on immunosuppressants
- Active systemic infections (like pneumonia or urinary infections) or local infections in the face
- Keloid or hypertrophic scarring
- Expectations to look like a specific movie star, vedette, cartoon or fictional character
- Cardiovascular conditions like atrial fibrillation, major coronary disease, or strokes
- Excessive aging changes: like excessive sagging, severely deep wrinkles. In those contexts, you might need surgery because fillers might help but are less effective (subtle results only)
- Mild redness of the skin is normal after the treatment
- Bruising might appear right after or a few days after
- Final results take about 2 weeks
- If you have pain out of proportion (example you cannot touch the area or you cannot sleep because of pain), if you notice paleness or gray color in some areas of the skin, blisters in the skin; it’s not normal please contact us as soon as possible
- Don’t touch, massage or rub your face for at least 4 hours right after the treatment
- Don’t sleep on your face on the day and the night of the treatment
- Don’t apply any cream or skin product including make up for 24 hours after the treatment. This increases the risk of infection
- Don’t book any treatment right before a special event (like party, social gathering, work meeting, etc.) you might be swollen and you might bruise for a few weeks. Ideally book your treatment at least 4 weeks before the gathering
- Remain in standing/sitting position for 4 hours (don’t lie down)
- Avoid hot saunas, Jacuzzis or strenuous exercise for 48 hours after the treatment
- Avoid sun exposure the day of the treatment
- Avoid alcohol after the treatment
- Please come for your follow up appointment (between 10 days and 2 weeks after treatment)
- It’s variable depending on how rapidly you body metabolize the injected products and the type of product injected
- In general neuromodulators should be repeated within 3 to 6 months and fillers between 4 to 6 months
- Maintenance is very important. If you get a treatment once in your life or every few years, you lose the preventive effects of neuromodulator and dermal filler treatments
- Also, we are building a result over time; meaning you achieve a better looking, if we treat your face and skin on a regular basis
- You must be 18 years old or older to be candidate for any treatment; however, prevention is the most important intervention to slow down aging changes; therefore, the use of neuromodulators in young patients can be a preventive treatment for expression lines that over time will become wrinkles
- Dermal fillers should be started as soon as volume loss is visible, which sometimes can happen at young age in some areas like the tear through and in other face areas depending on ethnicity and life style
- Patients with active cancer, in active or recent chemotherapy
- Coagulation disorders like hemophilia
- Patients with iron deficiency or who suffer from anemia
- Patients taking blood thinners
- Pregnant women
- Patients taking iron supplementation
- Patient on chronic prednisone
- Patients with autoimmune disorders
- Patients on chronic immunosuppressive therapy
- Patients who have androgenic alopecia that is starting, if hair follicles are still present in the scalp, or patients with telogen effluvium (period of heavy hair loss and hair thinning) are excellent candidates for this treatment
- This treatment won’t work if you are already fully bald (no hair follicles present in the scalp)
- You should visit a primary care physician before starting the treatment to make sure you don’t have any obvious cause for hair loss like hypothyroidism, iron deficiency, polycystic ovary, etc.
- One session is not enough to see a result, you might need 4 to 6 treatments one month apart from each other to notice a result. After that, you might need maintenance once every 6 months
- The microneedling treatment is more effective when combined with a skin rejuvenation treatment
- Don’t apply any cream or skin product including make up for 48 hours after the treatment. This increases the risk of infection
- Only apply the post-care cream recommended after the treatment
- Use a physical SPF the day after and avoid sun exposure
- Avoid strenuous exercise or sweaty activities (sauna, jacuzzi) or excessive heat for 72 hours after the procedure
- Avoid any other skin treatment on the skin like chemical peels, cleaning, or laser treatments for 4 weeks after the treatment
- Don’t book any treatment right before a special event (like party, social gathering, work meeting, etc.) you might have redness of the skin or mild swelling for a few days. Ideally book your treatment at least 7 days before the gathering
Yes, the needles used for Morpheus8 are insulated; therefore, it can be used in fair and dark skin types.
You might experience mild discomfort during the treatment. Yet the treated areas will be numbed before the treatment.
You can experience redness and mild skin sensitivity for a few days. Sun protection is very important after the treatment.
No, phototype 5 (dark brown skin) and phototype 6 (black skin) are not candidates for IPL.
Sensation of heat in the treated area is expected during the treatment. That sensation disappears shortly after the treatment. For many treatments like rosacea, skin resurfacing and face telangiectasia you see improvement right after the treatment. However, for other treatments like brown pigmentation the lesions look the same or mildly worse initially and then they start to fade away. For any IPL treatment sun protection and post treatment skin care are critical. In addition, maintenance treatment is necessary once or twice a year.
In case of extensive lesions, for example in multiple areas of the legs or multiple lesions in both legs; the treatment needs to be spread out in different sessions to improve the efficacy, the tolerance to the treatment and to decrease side effects.
- In general, this is a very safe treatment. If your skin gets hyperpigmented with minor injuries, especially in the face, which sometimes happens in individuals with dark skin type, let us know before receiving this treatment to take all the necessary precautions.
- If you develop keloid scars after a wound, please let us know before having this treatment to take all the necessary precautions.
- No, you might require at least 3 sessions before noticing a result
No, Sculptra® is not recommended in patients known for hypertrophic or keloid scarring. Likewise, it might be unnecessary for individuals younger than 30 years old (unless they have out of proportion aging changes or medical conditions that cause loss of soft tissues in the face, for instance HIV). Similarly, if a patient is expecting immediate results, this is not the most suitable choice. In addition, very old patients might not respond as well as middle-aged individuals (40 to 65 years old) since collagen production and quality diminishes with age. Nevertheless, old age is not a contraindication for Sculptra®. Furthermore, if someone cannot do the post-treatment massage shouldn’t take Sculptra®.
Off note, the results of Sculptra® are irreversible, which means the is no medication that can be injected to dissolve the final aesthetic outcomes of Sculptra®.
Any patient looking to refresh his or her appearance and looking for more natural, progressive, and long-lasting results. Sculptra® is an investment! yet a very good one because the results are refreshing and last for up to 24 months (longer in some cases). Men in general like a lot the Sculptra® results because they are very natural.
Usually, patients require 2 to 3 treatment sessions, 4 to 6 weeks apart from each other and 1 to 2 vials of Sculptra® per session. Roughly, the number of vials required in total is equal to the decades of life of the person (example a 40-year-old person would require 4 vials in total; that is to say, 2 sessions of 2 vials). The maximum total of vials that someone could receive injected in the face is 6 but the majority of the patient require less than this. The results are not immediately visible; they are progressive and start to appear 3 months after the injections lasting for up to 2 years.
After receiving Sculptra® injections, patients MUST massage the injected areas 5 times a day for 5 minutes each time during 5 days (known as the 5x5x5 rule). This massage protocol is very important and necessary to prevent nodule formation and to achieve optimal results. If a patient is unable to follow this recommendation, because for example lack of time, should reconsider Sculptra® as a treatment and opt for a different option.
Radiesse® is not recommended in patients known for hypertrophic or keloid scarring. Very old patients might not respond as well as middle-aged individuals (40 to 65 years old) since collagen and elastin production and quality diminishes with age. However, old age is not a contraindication to receive Radiesse®.
Off note, the results of Radiesse®are irreversible, which means the is no medication that can be injected to dissolve the final aesthetic outcomes of Radiesse®
Anyone interested in enhancing his or her beauty features or adding contouring and definition to areas of the face with long-lasting results. Young and as well as middle-aged individuals (40 to 65 years old) are suitable candidates for this treatment.
Patients usually require 1 to 2 session, between 3 to 6 months apart; and the results last between 15 to 18 months.
The recommendations after Radiesse® are the same as the ones after hyaluronic acid dermal filler injections. Radiesse® doesn’t require any massaging after the injections.
We are waiting for you! We charge a $50 fee to reserve the appointment. This fee is not reimbursable if you don’t show for the appointment. We discount this fee to any treatment that you pay at the clinic.
Discomfort, swelling and bruising can happen after a Vasculaze treatment. The use of compression stocking can minimize this discomfort. Full healing is necessary before the next laser session. That is why the lesions are 6 to 8 weeks apart.
Spider veins, reticular veins and telangiectasis can be treated with Vasculaze. Nevertheless, varicose veins (twisted, protruding enlarged veins) cannot be treated with Vasculaze. Similarly, if you have been diagnosed with saphenous insufficiency, you are not candidate for this treatment.
If the affected area is very extensive the treatment needs to be spread out in different sessions to improve the efficacy, the tolerance to the treatment and to decrease side effects. In general, multiple sessions are necessary for this type of treatment.
They can disappear completely in some cases. However, sometimes they don’t. If that is the case their appearance will at least improve substantially (become clearer in color).
Children are not treated at our clinic for various reasons. Children often require sedation or anesthesia for these treatments. Thus, they need to be treated by a multidisciplinary team, ideally in a pediatric hospital.