Treatment
Articles, films & answers
On beauty.
Melanie Petro MD

The reading room.
Look through the questions already answered on these pages.
Treatment
Chin augmentation
Read about it →Treatment
Cheek augmentation
Read about it →Treatment
IV infusions
Read about it →Dermal Fillers
Will people be able to tell I had filler?
No one can promise what other people will notice. We can be specific about the change you want and what would feel like too much. Your expressions belong in that discussion.
Read in the guide →Dermal Fillers
How much filler do I need?
A syringe count is not a starting point. First decide whether added volume is appropriate, where a change would help, and what previous treatment may already be contributing.
Read in the guide →Dermal Fillers
How long does filler last?
Duration varies with the material and treatment area. [2] Ask about the exact product in your plan. A maintenance date should prompt reassessment, not an automatic repeat treatment.
Read in the guide →Dermal Fillers
How much do dermal fillers cost in Vestavia Hills?
Your quote needs to identify the proposed product, treatment and follow-up. This guide does not list a current practice price. Ask for the full cost before deciding, including whether any planned review or adjustment is included.
Read in the guide →Dermal Fillers
Should I get filler or Botox?
They do different jobs. A neuromodulator changes selected muscle activity; filler changes volume and contour. Which, if either, belongs in your plan depends on what is causing the concern.
Read in the guide →Dermal Fillers
What if I already have filler I don’t like?
Bring the information you have about it. Start with an examination and a discussion of what changed. Read about migration and dissolving before assuming that more filler—or immediate dissolving—is the answer.
Read in the guide →Dermal Fillers
When might filler be the wrong choice?
When added volume does not address the concern, when previous treatment needs assessing first, or when the proposed change would take you further from the face you want. Your medical history also belongs in the decision. Choosing no treatment is a valid outcome.
Read in the guide →Dermal Fillers
Why does filler sometimes make a face look puffy?
Pillow face, fullness and the moving face.
Read in the guide →Dermal Fillers
Is it migration or something else?
Migration, placement, swelling and the examination.
Read in the guide →Dermal Fillers
Lip filler, shape and movement
The lip filler guide: duck lips, proportion and why movement matters.
Read in the guide →Neuromodulators
How neuromodulators work
Botox and other neuromodulators: the signal beneath the skin.
Read in the guide →Neuromodulators
The muscles behind expression
Facial anatomy, movement and the way muscles work together.
Read in the guide →Neuromodulators
Your forehead in motion
Forehead patterns, eyebrow movement and the conversation before treatment.
Read in the guide →Neuromodulators
Microtox and skin quality
Microtox, pores, acne and the distinctions that matter.
Read in the guide →Neuromodulators
Excess sweating
Underarm and scalp sweating: different treatment conversations.
Read in the guide →Lasers
Is BBL the same as an IPL photofacial?
BBL HEROic is broadband light — the current generation of what used to be called an IPL photofacial: more power, more control, less sting, and settings for your skin rather than the factory default.
Read in context →Lasers
Does BBL hurt?
No numbing, no downtime beyond a little pinkness for most people. It feels like warm snaps of light and the whole face takes under half an hour.
Read in context →Lasers
Can lasers be used on darker skin?
Yes. We buy lasers that are approved for and safe on dark skin, and settings are chosen for your skin, not the factory default. Light-based treatment for brown spots works best when there is contrast between the spot and the skin around it; I will tell you what to expect for yours.
Read in context →Lasers
What is the downtime?
BBL and Moxi: a day or two of pink, sometimes a little swelling, makeup the next morning. Halo: several days of rough, bronzed skin before it flakes. Contour TRL and ProFractional: a week or more, planned around your calendar.
Read in context →Lasers
How many treatments will I need?
It depends on what we are treating. Spots and redness often show after one; collagen and texture are built in a series. You will know the plan, and the whole price of the plan, before the first one.
Read in context →Lasers
Do you do laser hair removal?
Yes — the Nd:YAG, which is the safe one for darker skin, in a series. Face, underarms, bikini, legs. Ask at the desk for the series price.
Read in context →Lasers
Who runs the laser?
I set the plan and my esthetician, Victoria, runs most of the light and laser treatments. The machine is only as good as the person holding it.
Read in context →Skin
Does the PRX peel actually peel?
No. It tingles, it is done in minutes, and there is no visible peeling for most women — some flake lightly for a day or two. The old blue peel gave the same acid four days of shedding; this gives the result without it.
Read in context →Skin
What is the downtime for SkinPen?
A day or two of pink. Most women are back to makeup the next morning. It is one of the easiest things you can do for real change in the skin, and summer is not a reason to wait.
Read in context →Skin
Facial or laser?
Facials maintain; they cannot make skin regenerate. When the problem is texture, spots or looseness, the answer is usually a laser or a peel, with facials in between. You do not have to choose — they work together.
Read in context →Skin
What is Aquagold?
A stamp of twenty gold needles, finer than a hair, that delivers a custom mix a fraction of a millimeter into the skin — hyaluronic acid, a little tox, vitamins, PRP or PDRN if you want them. Twenty minutes, no downtime, the glow lasts a few weeks. The one to book before the wedding.
Read in context →Skin
Does LED light really do anything?
The right one does. It is anti-inflammatory, and inflammation is under most of what ages skin: acne, redness, the dullness. Come and have a treatment after anything here and see.
Read in context →Skin
Which skin care should I use?
Fewer things, chosen for your skin, from a place that knows what is in the bottle. Skin is the largest organ in the body; what you put on it matters. Bring what you use now and we will sort it: kept, or retired.
Read in context →Infusion Facial
Is there really sperm in it?
No. PDRN is DNA purified from salmon; the cells are long gone. The name is a marketing accident that stuck. The science underneath it is thirty years old and mostly Italian and Korean.
Read in context →Infusion Facial
What do the studies actually show?
Early studies suggest benefits, but the product and how it is delivered matter. A 2026 review included seven small trials involving 183 people across skin rejuvenation, scars and wound healing. The treatments varied, and larger studies are needed. Read the review.
A separate study of 27 people compared injected PN with injected hyaluronic acid around the eyes. PN performed better on some skin measurements, but overall aesthetic ratings did not differ significantly. That was a different treatment from topical PDRN used with microneedling, so those results do not establish what this facial will do. Read the periocular trial.
Read in context →Infusion Facial
Does it hurt? What is the downtime?
SkinPen with numbing cream is a scratch, not a pain. Pink for a day, sometimes two; makeup the next morning. It is a lunch-hour treatment.
Read in context →Infusion Facial
How many do I need?
One shows. A series of three, a month apart, is what the studies used and what I do for a real change; then one whenever you want the glow back.
Read in context →Infusion Facial
Is it better than exosomes or PRP?
It is cleaner. PRP is your own blood, spun; exosomes are somebody else’s cells, processed. PDRN is a defined molecule from a fish, and I know exactly what is in the bottle.
Read in context →Infusion Facial
Can I do it after a laser?
Yes — that is the best time. After Moxi or BBL the skin is already open and inflamed, which is exactly what PDRN is for. Ask for it as the add-on.
Read in context →Infusion Facial
What does it cost?
Face, face and neck, face-neck-chest, eyes alone, scalp, or the add-on after a laser. Every price is on the booking page, and the price you see is the price.
Read in context →Infusion Facial
Which PDRN is it?
Toskani Lumicen, from Barcelona — a 3% PDRN complex with low- and medium-weight hyaluronic acid, made for professional use by a pharmaceutical laboratory that has made mesotherapy formulas since 1994, in ISO-certified manufacturing. I know exactly what is in the bottle, and it went on my own face before it went on anyone else’s.
Read in context →Eyes
What is the recovery from eyelid surgery?
Sutures come out at a week. Bruising and swelling are worst in the first days and settle over two to three weeks; most women are comfortable in public in dark glasses within days and without them soon after. Nothing here is a promise — healing is yours, not mine to predict.
Read in context →Eyes
Will I look surprised, or different?
The goal is your eyes, rested. I remove skin conservatively and leave the shape of your eye alone. You should look like you did, never like you never did.
Read in context →Eyes
Filler or surgery for under my eyes?
It depends on what is actually there. A hollow with good skin can take filler; crepey skin wants regeneration; a bag wants surgery. This is the one place where you should never let more than one person work.
Read in context →Eyes
Where is the surgery done?
In my own office surgery suite, by me, usually in about two hours or less. The details of anesthesia and the day itself are part of the consultation.
Read in context →Facelift
How much downtime?
Plan on two weeks of not being seen, and be happy if it is faster. Sutures out in about a week; bruising and swelling fade over the second; you will look better every week for months.
Read in context →Facelift
Will I look pulled?
Not the way I operate. The deeper layer does the lifting and the skin is laid back without tension. I do not like aggressive anything, and I am careful about the over-lifted look that reads as another person.
Read in context →Facelift
Mini or full?
The mini addresses jowls and jawline; the full addresses the neck as well. Which one is yours is decided by your neck, your skin and your calendar, in the room, with a mirror.
Read in context →Facelift
Should I do Sculptra or filler first, or wait?
They are not in competition. Collagen and volume are what a facelift cannot give back; a lift is what collagen cannot do. Many women do both, in the order that suits their life.
Read in context →Facelift
What does a facelift cost?
I quote surgery after a consultation, as a whole price — surgeon, facility, anesthesia, follow-up — never a starting-from.
Read in context →Neck
Turkey neck — what are my options?
It depends on what the neck is made of. Fat wants liposuction. Loose muscle bands want tox or a neck lift. Loose skin wants Morpheus8 when mild and a lift when not. Most necks are a combination, and I build the plan from yours.
Read in context →Neck
Can a double chin be fixed without surgery?
Sometimes. Tox and Morpheus8 help bands and mild looseness. Real fat under the chin is removed most reliably with liposuction — a small procedure with a quick recovery, not a facelift.
Read in context →Neck
What is the recovery from a neck lift?
A compression garment for the first days, sutures out in about a week, two weeks before you want to be seen at a dinner. It is worse before it is better, and then it is better.
Read in context →Morpheus8
Does Morpheus8 hurt?
You are numbed first, and most women describe heat and pressure rather than pain. The face is pink and a little swollen for a day or two; makeup by the second or third day.
Read in context →Morpheus8
Is it a substitute for a facelift?
No. It tightens skin that is mildly to moderately loose. When the deeper tissue has let go, a lift is the honest answer, and I will tell you that rather than sell you a series.
Read in context →Morpheus8
Can it be combined with other treatments?
Yes — it pairs with the PRX peel, with SkinPen, and with BBL in a plan built around your skin and your calendar.
Read in context →Sculptra®
How soon will I see something?
Sculptra works on your own timeline: the collagen builds over weeks to months, and the change is gradual by design. That is the point — it is the quiet thing, not the life of the party.
Read in context →Sculptra®
How long does it last?
Because the result is your own collagen rather than a gel, it lasts well beyond a filler — commonly around two years before a maintenance session. I will tell you what to expect for your face.
Read in context →Sculptra®
Should I skip Sculptra if I might have a facelift?
No. A facelift cannot bring back what has deflated; collagen cannot lift what has fallen. They do different jobs, and many women do both.
Read in context →Sculptra®
Does it hurt? Is there downtime?
Numbing is mixed in; the session is comfortable. You may be sore and a little swollen for a few days, with massage instructions to follow. Then you wait for the miracle under the skin.
Read in context →Fat grafting
Is it permanent?
A portion of the transferred fat takes and stays for good; a portion is absorbed in the first months. I place with that in mind and tell you what to expect, not a percentage promise.
Read in context →Fat grafting
Fat or filler?
Filler is precise, reversible and quick. Fat is yours, lasting, and done once, usually at the time of surgery. The right one depends on how much is missing and what else is being done.
Read in context →Body
Does any of this hurt?
Kybella burns for a few minutes and swells for a week. The radiofrequency treatments feel like a hot stone. Nitrous is here for anything you would rather not feel.
Read in context →Body
Can loose skin be tightened without surgery?
Some. Mild looseness responds to Morpheus8, SkinTyte and TempSure over a series. Skin that has let go needs a lift, and I will say so before you spend a series finding out.
Read in context →Body
How many treatments?
Kybella: two to four rounds. Morpheus8 and the heat treatments: three to five, a month apart, then one a year. Sculptra for the body: two or three sessions, a month or two apart.
Read in context →The consultation
What if I don’t know what I want?
You do not have to arrive knowing what treatment to ask for. Bring the face, or a picture of the face you remember, and I will start with what feels different.
Read in context →The consultation
Will I be pressured to do something?
Nothing will be done before you understand exactly what I’m recommending and what it does for you. I’m offering options, not obligations. Some people have treatment the same day. Some plan ahead. Some decide it’s not the right time. All of those are okay.
Read in context →The consultation
How long does it take?
Long enough to look properly and talk properly. Longer if you want to start something that day.
Read in context →The consultation
Can I just come look?
Yes. Some women drive around the parking lot first. You do not have to do anything when you come here.
Read in context →wrinkles on my forehead.
Will Botox make me look frozen?
It is not all or none. Small movements help make you recognizable. Anatomy, the amount used and how the medicine reaches the intended muscle all matter. Depth matters because the forehead has layers, and the medicine needs to reach the nerve endings that signal the intended muscle. A smooth forehead is only one part of a moving face.
Read the full explanation in the guide →
Never underestimate the power of tiny tox. I love tiny things. I like tiny instruments, I like tiny changes. The little things can make all the difference in the world.Read in context →
wrinkles on my forehead.
Will my eyebrows drop?
They can, if the forehead is over-treated, because the forehead is the only muscle that lifts the brow. That is why the muscles that pull the brow down are treated at the same time, and why I tell you the risk first.
Read in context →wrinkles on my forehead.
How many units do I need for my forehead?
Usually 15 to 20 Botox units for the forehead, 20 to 25 between the brows, 20 to 25 for crow’s feet — decided in the chair after I watch your face move. When we talk through your treatment, I use Botox® units as my reference, including when we use Dysport®. The actual dose is specific to the product.
Read in context →wrinkles on my forehead.
How long does it last?
Three to four months for most women. Regular small doses keep the muscle from re-etching the line.
Read in context →wrinkles on my forehead.
Does it hurt? Is there downtime?
Tiny needles, a few seconds a site, no numbing for most people. You drive yourself home and go back to your day; do not lie down or rub the area for a few hours.
Read in context →wrinkles on my forehead.
Am I too young for this?
If you have no lines at rest, nobody is chasing wrinkles. Early treatment, when it makes sense, softens the expressions that etch lines later.
Read in context →wrinkles on my forehead.
Why is it not $3 a unit?
Because it is Botox, Dysport, Xeomin or Jeuveau, reconstituted correctly and placed by a facial plastic surgeon — the same person every visit. Units are quoted in the room and the price you are told is the price.
Read in context →wrinkles on my forehead.
Can I get it at a party, or at a friend’s house?
You can. You should not. It is a prescription drug going into the muscles of your face, and it cannot be wiped off.
Read in context →wrinkles between my brows.
Will I look surprised, or like Spock?
Only if the outer brow is left pulling while the inner brow is relaxed. I treat the whole pattern of your frown, watch you move, and touch up at two weeks if a corner needs it.
Read in context →wrinkles between my brows.
Can Botox lift my brows?
A little, and only the outer brow: the forehead is the only muscle that lifts the brow, so the work is relaxing the muscles that pull it down and leaving the lifter alone.
Read in context →wrinkles between my brows.
My lines are there even when I am not frowning. Will it still work?
It may. I quiet the muscle first, then watch how the etched line responds after the treatment has settled.
Read in context →wrinkles between my brows.
Botox, Dysport, Xeomin or Jeuveau — which is best?
They are different botulinum toxin type A formulations, and their units are not interchangeable. I choose among them by your movement, anatomy, prior response and the plan — not by the cheapest unit.
Read in context →wrinkles between my brows.
How long does it last?
Three to four months. Kept up, the muscle stays quiet and the line stays soft.
Read in context →wrinkles between my brows.
Does it hurt?
A few tiny needles, seconds each. Most women say the worry beforehand was the worst part.
Read in context →wrinkles between my brows.
Why is it not $3 a unit?
A low advertised unit price does not tell you the full plan. Ask which product is being used, who is injecting it, how its units are counted and what the complete treatment will cost.
Read in context →lines around my lips.
Will filler around my mouth look obvious?
No one can promise what other people will notice. We can be specific about the change you want and what would feel like too much. Your expressions belong in that discussion.
Read the full explanation in the guide →
Read in context →lines around my lips.
Filler, tox or laser for the lines?
Filler for the border and the volume that left; tox for the pursing; laser for lines that are in the skin when your mouth is still. Usually two of the three, in that order, over two visits.
Read in context →lines around my lips.
Does lip filler hurt?
The filler has lidocaine in it and I numb you first. Most women say the swelling the next day was the only surprise.
Read in context →lines around my lips.
How long does it last?
Lips move constantly, so lip filler turns over faster than cheeks — most women come back in six months to a year. Border work tends to hold longer than volume.
Read in context →lines around my lips.
What if I hate it?
Bring the information you have about it. Start with an examination and a discussion of what changed. Read about migration and dissolving before assuming that more filler—or immediate dissolving—is the answer.
Read the full explanation in the guide →
Read in context →the size of my lips.
Will I get duck lips?
No one can promise what other people will notice. We can be specific about the change you want and what would feel like too much. Your expressions belong in that discussion.
Read the full explanation in the guide →
Read in context →the size of my lips.
How much do I need?
Usually half a syringe to start. You can always add; taking away is harder.
Read in context →the size of my lips.
How long does it last?
Six months to a year in the lip; the flip about two months.
Read in context →the size of my lips.
Does it hurt? How long is the swelling?
The filler has numbing in it and I numb you first. Expect two or three days of swelling, more on the top lip; you look like you the day it settles.
Read in context →the size of my lips.
What if I do not like them?
Bring the information you have about it. Start with an examination and a discussion of what changed. Read about migration and dissolving before assuming that more filler—or immediate dissolving—is the answer.
Read the full explanation in the guide →
Read in context →dark circles under my eyes.
Will filler under my eyes look puffy?
Swelling can occur soon after treatment or appear later with inflammation. A puffy appearance does not prove overfilling. The timing and an examination help distinguish the possibilities. [2]
Read the full explanation in the guide →
Read in context →dark circles under my eyes.
Is it a hollow or a bag?
Tilt your chin up in the mirror. If the dark goes away, it is a shadow from a hollow. If a pillow stays, it is a bag, and that is a different page.
Read in context →dark circles under my eyes.
How long does under-eye filler last?
Duration varies with the material and treatment area. [2] Ask about the exact product in your plan. A maintenance date should prompt reassessment, not an automatic repeat treatment.
Read the full explanation in the guide →
Read in context →dark circles under my eyes.
Can I fix the color without needles?
Some of it. BBL Heroic treats the vessels and the pigment; retinoids and sunscreen slow it down. Concealer is not a treatment plan, but I will not judge yours.
Read in context →dark circles under my eyes.
Will I bruise?
You can, for a few days. Plan it away from the wedding.
Read in context →bags under my eyes.
Will I have a scar?
The incision is inside the lid or in the lash line, where nobody looks. By six weeks you will have trouble finding it.
Read in context →bags under my eyes.
What is the recovery?
Bruising and swelling are worst the first few days and settle over two to three weeks. Sutures come out at the one-week follow-up. No eye makeup or contact lenses for ten days. No heavy lifting, bending over or strenuous exercise for fourteen days.
A sudden change in vision, severe pain, or sudden swelling or bleeding needs urgent help. Follow the instructions for your surgery, not somebody else’s recovery story.
bags under my eyes.
Will it change the shape of my eyes?
It should not. The goal is your eye without the pillow under it. Aggressive skin removal is what changes eye shape, and I do not do it.
Read in context →bags under my eyes.
Filler or surgery?
A true bag wants surgery. A hollow wants filler. I show you which one you have, in the mirror, before anything is decided.
Read in context →bags under my eyes.
Where is it done, and by whom?
In my office surgery suite, by me. The anesthesia and the day itself are part of the consultation.
Read in context →too much skin hanging above my eyes.
Is upper eyelid surgery a big surgery?
It is the smallest surgery I do and one of the most noticed. About an hour, in my office surgery suite.
Read in context →too much skin hanging above my eyes.
What is the recovery?
Bruising for a week or so, sutures out at a week, most women in public in glasses within days.
Read in context →too much skin hanging above my eyes.
Will it change how my eyes look?
It gives you back the lid you had. Eye shape stays yours.
Read in context →too much skin hanging above my eyes.
Can tox do it instead?
It can lift the outer brow a touch and buy you years. It cannot remove skin.
Read in context →I hate these jowls.
Am I too young for a facelift?
Age is not the question; the jawline is. Some women are ready at forty-eight and some not at sixty-five. I will tell you which you are and what to do in the meantime.
Read in context →I hate these jowls.
Will I look pulled?
Not the way I operate. The deep layer does the lifting and the skin is laid back without tension.
Read in context →I hate these jowls.
What is the recovery?
Two weeks of looking like you had something done; makeup at ten days to two weeks; most women back out in two. Swelling keeps settling for months.
Read in context →I hate these jowls.
Can filler fix jowls?
It can hide a soft jowl by building the jawline beside it, for a year or so. It cannot lift what slid.
Read in context →I hate these jowls.
Where is it done?
By me, start to finish. Where the day happens, and the anesthesia, are part of the consultation.
Read in context →my turkey neck.
Tox, Morpheus8 or surgery?
Bands alone: tox. Early looseness: Morpheus8. Skin that has let go, fat and bands together: a neck lift. I show you which in the mirror.
Read in context →my turkey neck.
Does neck tox really work?
Yes, for the bands and the fine lines; not for loose skin. Thirty units, every three months.
Read in context →my turkey neck.
What is the recovery from a neck lift?
A soft compression garment for the first days, sutures out in about a week, two weeks before you want to be seen at a dinner; the swelling keeps settling for months.
Read in context →my turkey neck.
Can I do the neck without the face?
Often, yes. Sometimes the jawline has gone with it and doing one without the other looks unfinished; I will tell you which you are.
Read in context →my face looks deflated.
Sculptra or filler?
Sculptra when the whole face has thinned and you want it to look like nothing happened; filler when one place needs structure today. Often both, in that order.
Read in context →my face looks deflated.
How long until I see Sculptra?
Six to twelve weeks for the first change; the full result after two or three sessions. Then it lasts around two years.
Read in context →my face looks deflated.
Will filler make my face look bigger?
Added volume can overwhelm the contours someone wanted to preserve. The amount needs to make sense for the existing anatomy, including previous treatment.
Read the full explanation in the guide →
Read in context →my face looks deflated.
I lost weight and my face went with it. What now?
Grow the skin back first — Sculptra, lasers — then fill only what is still missing. And if the skin has slid, we talk about lifting, not filling.
Read in context →the dark spots on my face.
Does BBL hurt?
A warm snap. No numbing needed.
Read in context →the dark spots on my face.
How many treatments?
Usually a series of three, a month apart, then once or twice a year to keep it.
Read in context →the dark spots on my face.
What will I look like afterwards?
The spots get darker for a few days, then flake off. Pink for a day. Makeup the next morning.
Read in context →the dark spots on my face.
Can I do it in summer?
You can, with sunscreen and sense; tanned skin is treated more cautiously. Fall is when most women start a series.
Read in context →the dark spots on my face.
Will the spots come back?
New ones will, if you go back in the sun without sunscreen. The ones we treated are gone.
Read in context →redness on my face.
Does BBL hurt on red skin?
A warm snap, no numbing. Red skin is a little more reactive for a day.
Read in context →redness on my face.
How many treatments for rosacea?
Three to start, then maintenance once or twice a year.
Read in context →redness on my face.
Will I be red afterwards?
Pinker for a day, sometimes two. Then less red than you came in.
Read in context →redness on my face.
What should I stop using?
Scrubs, acids you cannot name, anything that tingles. Bring your bag and we will sort it.
Read in context →my nose pores.
Can you shrink my pores?
Make them read smaller, yes. Nobody can remove them, and you would not want to.
Read in context →my nose pores.
Does micro tox freeze my face?
These skin uses of neuromodulators are off-label. Product suitability, infection, irritation and unwanted muscle weakness all belong in our discussion.
Read the full explanation in the guide →
Read in context →my nose pores.
How long does it last?
Micro tox two to three months; resurfacing builds over a series and lasts as long as you protect it.
Read in context →my acne is driving me crazy.
I am an adult. Why do I have acne?
Hormones, stress, the wrong products, and skin that is inflamed rather than dirty. Adult acne is not a hygiene problem, and scrubbing makes it worse.
Read in context →my acne is driving me crazy.
Does BBL help active acne?
Yes. It calms the inflammation and the bacteria and closes the red marks. A series, then maintenance.
Read in context →my acne is driving me crazy.
Can tox treat acne?
Acne, redness and rosacea come up in these conversations, too. Small studies suggest some skin-quality benefits, but the evidence varies by concern and delivery method. Acne scars, active acne and rosacea are different problems.
Read the full explanation in the guide →
Read in context →my acne is driving me crazy.
What about the scars?
Different problem, different tools: ProFractional, microneedling, time. We treat the breakouts first.
Read in context →my double chin.
Fat-dissolving injections or liposuction?
Liposuction: one time, one hour, done. Injections that dissolve fat take several rounds and swell for weeks each time. I will tell you which suits your neck.
Read in context →my double chin.
Will my skin sag after the fat is gone?
If your skin has bounce, no — it shrinks back. If it does not, I will say so before, and we talk about tightening or lifting instead.
Read in context →my double chin.
What is the recovery from neck liposuction?
A soft garment for a week, bruising for about that long, back to work in days.
Read in context →what is this going to cost?
Why is your Botox not $3 a unit?
Because it is real, reconstituted correctly, and placed by a facial plastic surgeon. The price in the room is the price.
Read in context →what is this going to cost?
Will I be upsold in the chair?
No. I tell you what I see, in order of what would help most. You pick. Nobody calls you afterwards.
Read in context →what is this going to cost?
Do you have specials or a loyalty program?
Specials come and go; the front desk knows what is on. The manufacturers’ programs — Allē, Aspire, Evolus — apply here, and you keep the points.
Read in context →what is this going to cost?
Do you offer financing?
Yes — PatientFi, Cherry and CareCredit, arranged in person. One sentence of explanation if you ask.
Read in context →I don’t know what I need.
What happens at the consultation?
You sit down with me. I look. You tell me what you see in the mirror. I tell you what I see, the good first, then the options with real prices and real downtime.
Read in context →I don’t know what I need.
Will you push me toward surgery?
No. Surgery is one option and I name it when it is the honest one. Most plans start with something small.
Read in context →I don’t know what I need.
Can I just come and look?
Yes. Some women drive around the parking lot first. You do not have to do anything when you come here.
Read in context →I don’t know what I need.
What if it is not a good fit?
Then it is not, and that is fine. It is still my job to make sure what I think lines up with what you think.
Read in context →