I’m on a Toxin and Filler Regimen, but My Skin Is Still Blemished!

One of the most important discussions with each of our new patients is how botulinum toxin (Jeuveau® and Botox®), and injectable fillers (Juvéderm® and Revanesse®) fit into the overall skin care and anti-aging continuum. Many patients believe that because they’ve chosen an appropriate toxin and filler regimen, their responsibilities to maintain the continued beauty of their skin are over. To understand why this is decidedly not the case, let’s learn more about what it takes to keep that skin radiant and the expectations you should have going into your toxin and filler appointments.

Toxins and fillers are essential to your anti-aging program’s success. They address two significant changes in how facial skin appears as we age.

Fat atrophy is the shrinkage and ultimate loss of fatty areas that can cause distinct facial fullness changes as we age. For most, this manifests as that hollow or gaunt look we want to avoid. Hyaluronic acid fillers are an excellent medium-term option for combating this and stimulating collagen production. Bovine collagen-based fillers offer a slightly longer-term solution while introducing collagen into the face. Over time, we know that remnants of each filler injection remain, creating a scaffolding for long-term improvement and fullness. This is particularly important for patients who maintain a relatively lower weight or drop some pounds in their later years when their skin is less elastic and able to adapt.

Toxin injections, known by their trade names, Jeuveau and Botox, are used for a different purpose – to reduce visible wrinkles and fine lines caused by using facial muscles over our lifetimes (wait, smiling has side effects!?). The toxins paralyze these muscles and smooth skin for 3 to 5 months. Once again, the results are accretive, meaning that regular toxin injections add significantly to the look of the fine lines over time versus single injections here and there.

What Filler and Toxin Injections Can Do for Skin Appearance?

With all these benefits, it’s not unreasonable to think that filler and toxin injections will also offer significant skin benefits. And this is very true. The skin gets a more hydrated and glowing look as the inconsistencies in smoothness are leveled. Further, when the fine lines and wrinkles are eliminated or significantly reduced, patients enjoy the perception of younger, fresher-looking skin.

What Toxin and Filler Do Not Change

For all their benefits, toxins and fillers cannot change blemishes, including sun damage, acne, age spots, the appearance of large pores, and lifeless skin that builds up due to our lifestyles. These concerns must be addressed using aesthetic techniques (facials, microderm abrasion, micro-needling), technology (IPL, Fractionated C02 Laser, Plasma IQ), and thoughtful lifestyle changes. The following will improve how your skin looks, maximize the benefit of treatment, improve how you feel, and offer a physical and mental boost that in and of itself will make you look and feel younger.

Get Better Sleep

It’s hard to overstate the importance of sleep and how it makes you look and feel. Getting the appropriate amount of sleep, which is 7 to 8 hours for most of us, but also getting quality sleep, is vital for your health now and well into the future. Proper sleep reduces stress and minimizes the need for sleep aids, excessive alcohol, and caloric consumption. It generally allows our bodies to repair themselves after a long day. Quality rest is not just about how much time we spend in bed but how much deep sleep we get. As a further bonus, consider sleeping on your back if you are a side or stomach sleeper. The constant pressure of the pillow on your facial skin can have detrimental consequences over time. We know it may not be easy, but it’s well worth it.

Quit Smoking

Blood flow is the key to a healthy body and skin, and smoking is a significant impediment. Not only is smoking carcinogenic and can lead to an increased risk of many forms of cancer, but the toxins can change the appearance of our skin and constrict blood vessels, making it much harder to get blood flow to the right places. We know quitting smoking is hard, but it’s important to remember that it’s never too late. The health and wellness benefit we see from even a month out of smoking is dramatic.

Hydrate From the Inside

Drinking water is critically important to every bodily system. It won’t come as a surprise that over 60% of our bodies are water, and our skin needs moisture to say supple and hydrated. How much water should you be drinking? That ultimately depends on how much water you use through exercise and your environment. But 8-10 cups (64-80 ounces) of water daily is a great starting point. You can adjust as necessary in consultation with your primary care physician.

Hydrate From the Outside

Your skin also needs external hydration through topical moisturizers. We suggest a high-quality professional-grade moisturizer with SPF used once or twice throughout the day and sunscreen applied regularly if you spend appreciable time in direct sunlight. In the evenings, wearing a heavier nighttime hydration product can help you get the deeper hydration you simply can’t during the day when out and about. Hydrating, natural-as-possible, and mineral-based makeup is often more expensive but can be well worth it regarding how your skin looks and feels. Here, the quality of your product truly does make a significant difference.

Reduce Stress

Stress can cause a host of issues with your skin, not least of which are increased fine lines and wrinkles as you scrunch your face in frustration; stress can also produce a hormone known as cortisol that wreaks havoc in your body and makes you overeat while also eating less than ideal foods. Stress is one of society’s most significant and problematic concerns, and our skin often suffers.

Important Aesthetic Treatments

Proper aesthetic treatments like facials, microdermabrasion, micro-needling, and retinol are great ways to maintain skin health between more extensive procedures. These services are offered by our aesthetician, Anna Politi.

As part of the Revive Skin Care Clinic, Dr. Boger also offers advanced light and laser therapies, including IPL and fractional C02 laser to treat acne, rosacea, sunspots, and age spots that cannot be addressed with filler or toxin injections. We also offer an amazingly popular and effective treatment known as plasma IQ, which makes minor burns to the upper layer of the skin, which in turn, reveals new youthful skin.

We encourage you to visit our office for a consultation where, with the guidance of Anna, our aesthetician, and Dr. Boger, our injector and medical director, we can set you up with an effective aesthetic protocol tailored to your needs.