Are Botox and fillers painful?

There is some mild discomfort with both procedures. Most patients find it quite tolerable and similar to small pinches. We have multiple types and strengths of both topical and injectable anesthetics we can use as well as multiple other techniques for reducing discomfort. This is one of the benefits of seeing a medical doctor for your treatment - we have a prescription pad and we know how to use it ;)

Are they safe?

Botox and dermal filler treatments are exceptionally safe when performed by a qualified healthcare provider. Serious complications are rare, with a study showing adverse effects in less than 1% of Botox treatments and less than 5% of filler injections, and these complications are typically mild and manageable by experienced providers.

Common side effects include mild swelling, bruising, and temporary redness. With Botox, an eyelid ptosis (droop) is possible but rare and manageable. For lower More serious risks, such as vascular occlusion with fillers, occur in about 1 in 6,000 injections but are preventable with proper technique and expertise. These risks are far lower still when cannula technique and ultrasound are employed, and we use both of these tools in our clinic to keep you safe.

How long before I see results?

Most patients see results from Botox within 3-4 days, with peak results at 10-14 days. Results from fillers are typically immediate.

How long will my results last?

Botox lasts 3-4 months when appropriate dosing is used. This is the main issue with low dose, or ‘Baby Botox’. It still works, but wears off much faster.

Filler results vary depending on the type of filler used and the degree of movement in the facial area treated. For lips, this is typically 6-12 months and for cheeks and jawline this can be 18-24 months.

Will I look unnatural or frozen?

While it can feel unnatural the first time you have this done, this is your brain adjusting to the altered sensation of your muscle position and the lack of typical movement when it sends a signal to the muscle. The reality is that Botox, when performed well at the appropriate doses, should not appear unnatural and should retain some degree of expressiveness. A frozen face is rarely the goal, and it is not what we typically advise.

Will fillers make me look puffy or overfilled?

Not in the hands of an experienced injector. A puffy or overfilled appearance is the results of using excessive filler and in the wrong anatomical location. We have different layers of fat pads where we deposit the filler, and doing so in the wrong layer can cause an unnatural appearance during both neutral expression and animation. This can also result from lack of understanding of the balancing forces within the face. For example, when treating nasolabial folds or undereye hollow, it is often better to perform a lifting procedure by depositing filler in the anterior and lateral cheek, which lifts skin and fat layers beneath to soften the undesired folds. This results in a more natural appearance rather than aggressively targeting the folds directly.

Will lip filler give me duck lips?

Duck lips are the results of overfilling the lip body, placing too much filler in the vermillion border, or by filler migration that has become saturated with water. This can be avoided by using appropriate volumes of filler in the correct location, and by treating any migrated filler (which can also be avoided the same way) with hyaluronidase (dissolver).

What else can you do with Botox other than forehead and frown lines?

Many things! Apart from the 3 most common treatments - forehead lines, frown lines, and crows feet, we can also use botox for the following:

• jawline slimming

• brow lifting

• reducing bulging at the lower eyelid (jellyroll)

• improving a gummy smile

• reducing nasolabial folds (laugh lines)

• improving downturned corners of the mouth

• bunny lines smoothing

• correcting certain facial asymmetries

• neck band smoothing

• Nefertiti lift - reducing jowls and sharpening jawline with botox (note, this is not as effective as using filler)

How much Botox will I need?

Like most things in life, it depends. For the standard forehead + frown line treatment, most women will need around 30-50 units, and most men need around 50 units. Add on between 10-25 units for crows feet. Note that this is highly variable and we always tailor treatments to the patient based on their goals and their anatomy. That’s one of the many reasons why it pays to see an experienced injector with deep understanding of anatomy and physiology, and who takes the time to listen to your goals.

How much filler will I need?

Again, it depends! This is even more variable than Botox, and if you are interested in filler, the best thing to do is to book a free and no-pressure consult with our doctor who will give you an honest assessment based on your goals. We charge $599 per syringe and offer discounts for 3+ syringes depending on the treatment complexity.

How are your prices so low? Is this a temporary promotion?

Thanks for noticing! We’ve worked very hard to create a lean business model with a boutique style practice. We put our energy into providing the best patient care possible, without the unnecessary spa amenities you find at ultra high end medispas. We decided we would rather cater to a larger population of working professionals and keep our pricing accessible. The end result is that you get a first class treatment with a highly experienced cosmetic doctor at a price lower than seeing a nurse injector at a Yaletown medispa. We actually love what we do and we plan to keep our prices right where they are and to only increase them with inflation and in keeping with product costs.