The goals are very similar – vibrant, smooth, beautiful skin – but Botox and skincare products are two very different approaches to achieving this goal. Today we would like to explain some key differences between treatments like Botox and topical skincare products like serums, creams, and moisturizers.

First… What is Botox, and how does it work?

Botox is a particular brand name for a product in the neuromodulator category. Other products are in this category, but Botox is the largest by far. Botox is a purified protein that prevents the underlying muscle from contracting to varying degrees based on your provider\’s dosage. Because the skin that lies on top of the muscle is not being \”folded\” onto itself, creating more lines and wrinkles, your skin has the ability to rejuvenate without forming more lines and wrinkles. This helps reduce wrinkles on the forehead, between the brows, and around the eyes.

And… What do skincare products do?

Skincare products like serums, creams, and moisturizers penetrate into varying depths of the skin and help to improve the appearance and texture of the skin from within. Different ingredients in each skincare product have different effects, such as helping to fight breakouts, stimulating the skin to make more collagen, or protecting the skin from the harmful effects of the sun.

Check out some of our favorite Botox and Skincare combinations below!

Botox vs. Skincare Products: Key Differences

How They Work

As mentioned above, Botox is an injection treatment that works by temporarily limiting the amount of contracting in specific facial muscles. Skincare products contain ingredients that repair and support the skin from within and protect the skin\’s surface.

Convenience

Botox treatments are performed in a doctor\’s office. On average, a single Botox treatment can last 3-4 months. This means you will need to visit your Botox provider roughly 3 times a year to maintain your results. The treatment itself is quick and takes less than 10 minutes.

Skincare products, on the other hand, can be conveniently used in the comfort of your home and are completely pain-free. Plus, you can purchase quality medical-grade products from the comfort of your home online through retail providers like Village Dermatology.

Effectiveness

If you want to get rid of existing fine lines and wrinkles that are present even when your face is relaxed, Botox is the gold standard. Botox is a non-surgical option that can quickly and effectively reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes and on the forehead, giving you instantly smoother and more youthful-looking skin.

Onset of Action

Botox works almost immediately. You can see a noticeable improvement in your skin in 3-4 days. Most people get the full results of Botox in 10-14 days. Skincare products can take 3 months or more to make a noticeable difference. This is because your skin begins to grow and develop healthier skin over time, not immediately.

Duration of Results

Botox results are temporary. This means if you want to maintain your smooth skin, you\’ll have to go back to your Botox provider roughly 3 times in a 12-month period.

Skincare products produce results that are also temporary. If you stop using the products consistently, then you can expect your results to begin to diminish eventually. This is because the aging process does not stop. However, as long as you consistently use quality products on your skin, you can expect these results to continue as well.

Risk of Side Effects

Botox is a very safe procedure when performed by a licensed and experienced provider. Generally, the most common side effects are minor redness at the injection, which goes away after about 15 minutes.

Skincare products are very safe as long as you choose the right type of product for your skin. If you are not sure whether a specific product will suit your skin, you can consult with our Skincare Specialists at our Skin for Life Boutique.

Botox vs. Skincare Products: Which one is better?

Here\’s the thing… you don\’t have to choose one over the other. Both Botox and skincare products have an important role to play in helping you look your best. In fact, most of our clients here at Village Dermatology compliment their Botox treatments with effective skincare. This is a great skincare practice and helps protect and maintain the investment you have made in your skin.

Some of our Favorite Botox and Skincare Combinations

SkinMedica Retinol 0.5

This amazing retinol product is designed with an antioxidant complex called PhytoShield Complex.  This complex is great for minimizing irritation and improving skin texture.  Retinols are effective products for enhancing skin tone and texture while reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

EltaMD UV Daily Broad-Spectrum SPF 40

UV protection combines with hydration in this fantastic sunscreen.  This sunscreen has hyaluronic acid to hydrate the skin and boost moisture retention.  EltaMD UV Daily goes on easily and absorbs into the skin quickly because of how lightweight it is.  Plus, you get to choose from tinted and untinted versions.

Revision Vitamin C+ Correcting Complex

This powerful skin brightening product contains the most stable form of Vitamin C available and has ingredients that help support a healthy skin microbiome.  Plus, it is packed with a powerful antioxidant complex.  This is one of the best skin brighteners in the category.

The Skin Benefits of Vitamin C

Skin Care for Rosacea and Sensitive Skin

Sunscreen:  Myths & Facts

Sunscreen Protection Factor (SPF) 101

Antioxidants in Skincare

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In recent years, injectables have been skyrocketing in popularity. According to a report released by the ASPS, soft tissue fillers and Botox were among the top 5 minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures in the United States in 2019, with more than 10 million Americans opting for these treatments. Now, when you’re talking about medical injectable procedures on your face, the sensible thing to do is to choose a PROVIDER with extensive training in FACIAL ANATOMY AND injectable treatments. But with their increasing popularity, the practice of getting these procedures from providers who lack proper training and experience is becoming commonplace, sometimes with terrible consequences. Both neuromodulators like Botox and dermal fillers require maintenance treatments, so it’s even more important to find a good provider who can perform the treatments safely. Today, we’re talking about THE BENEFITS OF CHOOSING a board-certified dermatologist for injectables.

Facial anatomy is complex

Under the surface of the skin of your face, there’s a complex three-dimensional structure of muscles, fascia, nerves, and blood vessels. In-depth knowledge of these structures is essential to perform injection treatments safely. Injuries to blood vessels can lead to hemorrhage and bruising. Injuries to nerves can cause paralysis of facial muscles, resulting in complications like a lopsided smile or a droopy eyelid. Board-certified dermatologists specialize in the care of the skin, hair, and nails. They have deep knowledge of facial anatomy, which means they are aware of the best approach for injectables to avoid complications, and if problems do occur, how to correct them quickly. When you choose a board-certified dermatologist for injectable treatments, you can be sure that they have received a minimum of 8 years of medical education and training from an accredited academic institution and at least 12,000 hours of patient care experience.  Finally, all board-certified dermatologists must take and pass all exams given by the American Board of Dermatology.

Choosing the right treatment can be tricky

Every face is different, and it is important that your injector understand the finer intricacies of skin and the anatomy involved in supporting the skin.  Board-certified dermatologists have advanced knowledge of all things involving the skin, plus at Village Dermatology, we stay up-to-date on the latest products and techniques, which allow us to make specific recommendations to each patient. We will examine your face and assess your skin type as well as the severity of skin damage. Based on our evaluation, we will offer you treatments that are tailored to your skin type and problems, which will give you the best chance of getting great results from injectables.

 Advantages of Skincare Experts like Dermatologists

Botox and dermal filler injections can be done safely by any well-trained medical provider. But there’s a reason why you might want to choose a board-certified dermatologist for these treatments. Dermatologists specialize in non-surgical treatments. So, if you aren’t ready to undergo the knife, seeking the expertise of a medical provider that specializes in non-invasive procedures of the skin might be beneficial. Furthermore, If injectables are not appropriate for you, they may suggest other non-invasive treatments like laser skin resurfacing, chemical peels, etc. Also, board-certified dermatologists can give you tips on skincare to maintain the results of your treatment.

Skills are important, but so are preferences

Botox and soft tissue fillers can help achieve dramatic improvements in the common signs of aging and sun damage, giving your face a beautiful, younger, fresher appearance. However, injectables are merely tools in the hands of the provider. Think of the injectables as paints and the provider as a painter. You can give the same set of paints to five different painters and get five very different paintings. That’s why choosing a board-certified dermatologist who is skilled in injectables is important. You also want someone whose aesthetic vibe matches your own. Some medical practices are popular for delivering natural-looking results, while others are well-known for producing a very “stylized” look with injectables.  You should always make sure that your goals and the provider that is taking care of you are on the same page.

Choosing the right medical provider for your injectable treatment

If you’ve seen a random medical practice advertising cosmetic injectables at hard-to-believe prices, caution should be taken to ensure that the medical provider and the products that are being used are appropriate for the treatment you are receiving.  Injectables can do wonders for your appearance and self-confidence, but the important thing is to look for a medical provider who is trained and experienced in the treatments you are considering. It may take a little research to find a provider who’s a good fit, but it’s worth the effort, especially since you’ll likely be going back for repeat treatments.

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Botox for Depression: New Study Shows Promising Findings

Everyone has heard of Botox, and many know of its amazing benefits outside of aesthetic use.  Botox was first approved for therapeutic use more than three decades ago. It was developed as a treatment for eye muscle disorders like blepharospasm (involuntary blinking) and strabismus (crossed eyes). Over the years, doctors found they could use Botox to treat a variety of health conditions. As the use of Botox has increased over the years, a surprising finding has emerged. People who receive Botox, whether it is for cosmetic reasons or a medical condition, have significantly lower rates of depression.  Furthermore, we here at Village Dermatology have had a myriad of patients over the years that do not have a clinical diagnosis of depression, express a “mood-lifting” benefit after receiving their Botox treatment. So, when this study came out, we were very intrigued to read this information.  This is our attempt at summarizing the information in the study.  If you want to read the entire study, we have provided a link at the bottom of this article.

 Depression: A Global Disease

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 250 million people worldwide suffer from depression. In the United States, major depression is one of the most common mental health disorders. More than 17 million Americans report at least one major depressive episode in the past year, representing roughly 7% of the population.

Depression can result in severe functional impairment. It interferes with a person’s ability to carry out day-to-day activities. Symptoms of depression include sadness, anxiety, and a lack of interest in previously enjoyed activities. Depressed people are often irritable, frustrated, and restless. They may suffer from sleep and appetite disturbances. Feelings of worthlessness, helplessness, and guilt are common. Depression can also lead to trouble with concentration, decision making, and memory.

Due to its profound impact on a person’s health and quality of life, it’s important to recognize and treat depression.

Uses of Botox: Much More Than Facial Rejuvenation

Botox is best known for its use in facial rejuvenation. Botox injections for the treatment of facial wrinkles are the most commonly performed cosmetic procedures in the United States. They’re a safe, FDA-approved treatment to get rid of crow’s feet and frown lines. But what many people don’t know is that Botox is also approved for several medical conditions besides cosmetic use, including:

• Hyperhidrosis (abnormal sweating not related to heat or exercise)
• Migraine prevention
• Neurogenic bladder (lack of bladder control due to nerve problems)
• Overactive bladder (uncontrolled urge to urinate)
• Urinary incontinence (loss of bladder control)
• Spasticity (tight or stiff muscles)

Botox for Depression: Yes, It Works

Over the last decade, several clinical trials and studies have shown that facial Botox injections are very effective in treating depression. However, many doctors remain unconvinced because some of these studies were small. Also, it was not possible to reliably blind the patients (in a double-blind clinical trial, the patient and physician do not know whether the patient is receiving the actual drug versus a placebo). Due to the obvious cosmetic effects of Botox, it hasn’t been possible to conduct a double-blind trial in cosmetic patients.

Moreover, the mechanism by which Botox has an antidepressant effect remains unclear. It is thought that Botox relaxes the “grief muscles” that are used to express negative emotions like sadness, anger, and fear. This breaks the feedback from the face to the brain that reinforces these emotions.

New Study Results: Botox Can Treat Depression

A new study has looked at more than 45,000 clinical reports of adverse events related to Botox injections submitted to the FDA. These reports include Botox treatments not only for cosmetic purposes but also for other frequent medical indications and injection sites. In total, the authors looked at over 13 million reports submitted voluntarily to the FDA’s MedWatch program by physicians, other healthcare providers, and patients. The reports related to patients on treatment with antidepressants were eliminated from the study to avoid confusion.

The results showed that patients who received Botox had a significantly lower incidence of depression. The study confirmed the antidepressant effect of facial Botox injections shown by previous clinical trials. Surprisingly though, the antidepressant effect of Botox was also noted for other sites of injection and medical conditions. In other words, when Botox was used for migraine prevention, muscle spasms, torticollis (neck pain), blepharospasm (involuntary blinking), hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating), urinary bladder disorders, and sialorrhea (excessive salivation or drooling), it had an antidepressant effect.

The authors of the study believe the mechanism of action of Botox in treating depression is more complex than simply grief muscle paralysis. But what’s clear is that cosmetic facial Botox injections in the glabellar region (between the eyebrows) have a protective effect against depression and its symptoms. This means, in the future, Botox could potentially be used to treat depression. However, further clinical studies are needed before Botox is approved as a treatment for depression.

Other reading on Botox:

How much does Botox cost?

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Is there really such a thing?

Yes, there really is a Botox Savings Program! The actual name of the program is Allē and is offered through the company that makes Botox, Allergan. There is no fee to sign up, and the program essentially runs like any reward program you are used to currently (think Delta Frequent Flyer Program or Marriott Rewards Program). The way the program works is every time you purchase a product or service under the Allergan Aesthetic umbrella you receive “points.” These points can be converted to dollars whenever you want to use them for your treatment. The calculation for the points conversion is for every 100 points you get $10.

Different Levels of Savings

There are 3 different levels of the program:

1. Silver
   1. A person achieves a Silver level just by signing up. The Silver level gets you access to all the functionality of the program like obtaining and converting points. The silver level ranges from 0 – 599 Points
2. Gold
   1. A Gold Level member receives everything a Silver Level member does except they get an additional 50 points with every purchase. Plus, they get a digital gift. The Gold Level ranges for 600- 1199 Points
3. Diamond
   1. Anything above 1200 points you become a Diamond Level member. A Diamond Level member receives everything a Gold Level member does except they get an additional 100 points with every purchase. Plus, there points never expire!

Expiring Botox Savings

While we are on the subject of expiring points. We at Village Dermatology closely monitor all our patient’s points status for expiring points on a monthly basis. Until you reach that Diamond Level, your points are at risk of expiring, but we do everything we can to make sure you don’t lose out on this free money. The timeline for points to expiring is 9 months after the points were issued to your account. So, for example, if you received a Botox treatment on January 9, 2019, then those particular points would expire on September 9, 2019, unless you crossed the 1200 point mark and became a Diamond-level member. Then your points will never expire!

Other Benefits of the Botox Savings Program

While most people may call this the “Botox Savings Program,” it applies to all the aesthetic products offered by Allergan. Different levels of points are offered depending on which products you purchase from our practice. Here is a list of the different products and their point values.

Point Levels

There are 3 different point levels you can earn at depending on what you purchase:

1. 100 Point Level
   1. Latisse
   2. SkinMedica Topical Products
   3. Vobella 0.55ml syringe
2. 200 Point Level
   1. Botox Cosmetic
   2. Juvederm XC
   3. CoolSculpting Cycle
3. 300 Point Level
   1. Voluma XC
   2. Vobella XC 1.0ml syringe
   3. Vollure
   4. Kybella

What Else Can I Do With My Botox Points?

Can I give my points to someone else? No, you cannot. The points under this program are non-transferable. However, you can cash your points in and give them to a charity. Allergan will make a donation on your behalf to the charity (please note: These donations are not tax-deductible). The charities that you can donate to are the Make-a-Wish Foundation (makeawish.org) and the Dress for Success (dressforsuccess.org) foundation.

Some practices participate in this program, and some do not. Obviously, we here at Village Dermatology are more than happy to participate in this amazing program as it saves our patients money!

To sign up for this program, we HIGHLY recommend that you download the app from the app store or Google Play. You will see an icon with a purple “BD” which stands for Brilliant Distinctions. You can also visit the Allē website to learn more about this program.  If you have any additional questions, please let us know, and we will be happy to have someone call you in regard to this amazing savings program.

Learn More About Botox:

How is Botox Priced?

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As mentioned on our Botox page, Botox is typically priced in two different ways: 1) By units or 2) By area. A medical professional will pick which way they want to charge their patients for a Botox treatment between these two options. But before we get too far down the road, the best place to start would be a definition for both terms.

Botox Pricing Structures

First, what is a unit? A unit is a measurement for products like Botox. It is similar to other types of measurements like ounces, inches, and grams. In fact, licensed medical professionals can only buy Botox® in a 50-unit vial or a 100-unit vial in the United States. Medical professionals that charge by the unit are charging you based on how many units it takes them to achieve your desired outcome. The units can span across as many “areas” as needed to achieve your goal. Each practice sets its own price per unit. For example, if a practice charges $15/unit and you needed 20 units to treat your frown lines and 16 units to treat your crow’s feet then that would cost $540 (36 units x $15).

Second, what is an area? There are typically 3 different “areas” in which Botox® is administered. They are as follows:

1. Glabella complex
   1. Otherwise known as the frown lines between your eyebrows
2. Frontalis
   1. otherwise known as the forehead
3. Lateral canthal lines
   1. otherwise known as crow’s feet

There is a fixed price for treating each area. How much that price is varies from medical practice to medical practice. For example, a practice might charge $300/per area. If you wanted to get your frown lines and crow\’s feet treated it would cost $600 (2 areas x $300). Medical professionals that charge by the area are charging you based on how many areas you want to be treated.

Botox Charges at Village Dermatology

We here at Village Dermatology have decided to price Botox by the unit.  So, your charge will be how many units you need, multiplied by the price of units at that time.  Sometimes we run promotions and specials, so subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Facebook/Instagram and stay abreast of any promotions we are running at that time.

So why the vast differences in prices regardless of unit or area pricing?

Each medical professional must decide what they are going to price their service at in the market. Essentially, we are talking about Economics 101. If they feel their services are worth more in the market based on training, outcomes, reputation, etc then that price will be reflected in what they charge. If they do not have the right training, bad outcomes, poor reputation, etc then they will be forced to charge less as they have nothing of value to offer their patients other than a low price.

Botox pricing – Too good to be true

Caution should be used if you find a practice or medical professional that is charging prices that are extremely low and “too good to be true”. Unfortunately, there are ways to obtain illegal Botox® (via importation) at a substantially lower cost. The issue with importation is that there is no quality control in other countries and just because they say they are selling “authentic” Botox®, there is no way to tell. These practices have either been scammed by an illegal importer from another country or have knowingly decided to put profits over patient safety. Either way, it is something you should be aware of as an educated patient. All legitimate medical professionals and practices (like Village Dermatology) buy their Botox® directly from the manufacturer Allergan. A good way to tell if the medical practice you are considering choosing for your treatment is buying from Allergan is to go to the Botox Cosmetic website and use their Find-A-Doctor tool https://www.botoxcosmetic.com/choosing-a-provider#. Only practices that buy from Allergan show up on this tool.

We genuinely hope that helps to clear some things up regarding how Botox® is typically priced across the US and more importantly how to stay away from medical practices that use illegal products. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Live a beautiful life,
Village Dermatology Team

Learn More About Botox:

Botox Savings Program

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