Here is an educational piece that we provide to people who are shopping for Botox. It outlines the factors people should take into consideration and the questions they should ask before signing the consent form for Botox.

We’ve created the following guide to help you decide on the best Botox® Cosmetic treatment option for you. We hope that by reading this guide you will find the provider who will give you the best value for your money.

Botox® is typically quoted as a cost per unit procedure. Depending on the treatment you choose, you may have as few as 10 (touch up) to as many as 200 units (Hyperhidrosis). A common treatment of relaxing the “11”s, the two vertical lines between the brows takes about 30 units for a woman.

Area prices for Botox® vary between $6 and $15 per unit. The obvious temptation is to find the cheapest provider but as you will see below, you may get more or less than you bargained for.

Make sure you understand what to expect from your Botox® treatment.
Be sure your expectations are realistic. You may find that the results you desire are better achieved with an alternative treatment.

At Advanced Rejuvenation Medical Spa, we focus on you and your needs. We respect your right and need to think about what you need and the schedule you wish to follow for your treatments. Proceed as quickly or as slowly as is comfortable for you.

Who will be doing your treatment?
At Advanced Rejuvenation Medical Spa all of our Botox® injections are done by our Medical Director, Dr. Rose Jeans. As a doctor she holds herself, and is held by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, to a higher standard of treatment than nurse injectors. Legally, only medical doctors and nurse injectors (specially trained Registered Nurses) are allowed to inject Botox®. All nurse injectors must practice under a doctor’s supervision. In practice, a supervising physician may never actually see their work.

When shopping for a Botox® provider, be sure to ask for the credentials of the person who will actually be doing your injections, not just the medical director who oversees them.

Some places cut corners by using RPNs (Registered Practical Nurses). Their medical training is limited and takes less than 2 years to complete. They may not understand the subtle geography of your face and deliver less than optimal results.

Dr Jeans, the Medical Director of Advanced Rejuvenation Medical Spa, has been a licensed doctor for 20 years. For eight years, Dr. Jeans worked in the Intensive Care Unit and in the Cardiac Surgery program, assisting with open heart surgery. She assisted in Plastic Surgery for over four years, and collaborated with a plastic surgeon on research projects and a medical textbook.

She is ideally suited to provide care in cosmetic medicine because her background in Internal Medicine has given her an in-depth understanding of how the body works and responds to treatments, and her surgical experience has given her excellent technical skills and anatomical knowledge.

Location
Beware of “deals” at gyms, hair salons or other nonmedical spa or day spa locations.

Fake “Botox” is out there. The photo above shows the hologram that is visible on real Botox vials. While the cost may be attractive, the risk certainly isn’t. Botox® is made from the neurotoxin that causes botulism. Used in trained hands, it is safe and effective. Allergan, the maker of Botox® Cosmetic, ensures that the dosage is consistent from one batch to the next. Whether you buy from one trusted provider or another, a properly reconstituted unit of Botox® will be the same.

The product is delivered freeze-dried to the provider. It is the clinic’s responsibility to reconstitute it to the proper dosage to be effective. One of the ways that unscrupulous operators can increase their profits is to overdilute it. This means you may get results that don’t last very long or you may not get results at all!

Many providers lowball the price of their Botox® as a loss leader, just to get you in the door. Once you’re there, you can be subject to high pressure sales tactics to purchase more, and more expensive, treatments.

Guarantee
One way to protect yourself is to ask a provider what sort guarantee they offer with their injections.

At Advanced Rejuvenation Medical Spa, you’ll discuss your treatment options with our doctor. You will learn the pros and cons of varying the number of units and injection sites to get the results you want. You will know what results to expect and how long they should last. We guarantee that your treatment will be effective within the limits you have determined for your treatment, such as number of units injected, or we will do touch ups at no charge until we achieve that goal.

Rarely, due to a client’s unique anatomy, a Botox® treatment does almost the opposite of what was intended. For instance, instead of lifting the brow, it drops it. These results can’t be predicted.

Ask your prospective provider what their policy is in such circumstances. Many places tell their customers to wait out the 3 or so months it takes for the effects to wear off.

At Advanced Rejuvenation Medical Spa if such a situation occurred we would work with you to minimize the adverse effects and improve your appearance as quickly as possible. We’ve only had one client this has happened to, but our commitment to her satisfaction surprised and delighted her, even if her initial Botox® results didn’t.

What to watch out for
In conclusion, when shopping for a Botox® provider, look beyond the dollar price per unit in order to determine the best value for your money.

    • Don’t be pressured into doing more than you feel comfortable doing.

 

    • Be realistic in your expectations based upon a thorough discussion of your goals and treatment options with your provider.

 

    • Ask for the credentials of the injector who will be doing your treatments. Be sure you are comfortable with their level of training.

 

    • Go to a reputable, appropriately trained provider. Never get treatments done if you don’t know and trust who is doing it or what they are injecting.

 

  • Ask about their guarantee. Be sure you’re happy with and prepared for the risk you’re taking with your treatment.