Botox® is THE most popular minimally invasive cosmetic treatment across the globe. Last year, more than seven million injections were administered in the US alone!

And it’s easy to see why people LOVE their Botox – It can have a near magical effect on the face, smoothing out wrinkles and erasing fine lines.

For tips on how to choose the best Botox injector, make sure to check out our blog post here.

But the truth is that not all Botox is administered the same. In the hands of an untrained or artistically-challenged practitioner, it’s possible to end up with results that you don’t like.

So what do you do if you’re unhappy with your Botox treatment?

In the interview that follows, Veritas Backstage Founder and CEO Devon Perry sits down with Nurse Practitioner and Austin’s Master Injector, Patty Belisle to talk about what your options are and exactly what you need to do if you’re unsatisfied with your Botox results.

Help! I don’t like my Botox Results… What do I do?

Devon:  What do you do when a patient doesn’t like the results they’ve experienced at another clinic?

Patty:  That’s an interesting question, because I’m faced with it a lot.

For starters, it’s really just about educating the patient, because you can get rid of it, depending on what product they’ve used, and I’m always surprised that patients don’t know this. They walk around with a nodule or an area that they absolutely hate, and they think they have to live with it to the longevity of the product, and that’s not true.

It might take a few sessions, but you can absolutely reduce it, and start from a clean palate. And a lot of times, when clients do come to me that are unhappy, I don’t rush in to try to alter it because that’s not the best way to do it. You’re already starting out impaired because you do not know what they had or how much. So I will reduce it. I’ll just whittle it away, and then I can start from a clean palate.

Sometimes the lips, for example, if they get to big, you can just kind of soften it, bring it down in a certain area, and it works quite well.

I am surprised, though, that patients don’t know that they don’t have to live with an outcome they’re not happy with.

Devon:  It’s VERY important to keep note of what products are being used. Some of these fillers can be dissolved, but you have to know – prior to getting your injectables, exactly what’s being used.

You mentioned before that there are a few different drugs that can be used.

Patty:  So the natural products, the hyaluronic acid products, these are natural products. That’s what is in our dermis. It holds water in our skin. So these are very hydrophilic, they bring water to the area and plump up that way. Hylenex is a brand that will eat up the hyaluronic acid, if you’ve had too much. It can happen in one to two days, it can happen in four to seven days, depending on how much you use.

As an injector, it’s best to go slow, rather than just remove it all to keep things balanced. The product works really well, and I’ve removed nodules that have been present for over a year.

Now, has it taken me 2 to 6 weeks to make the correction? Yes. But these patients have been living with unsatisfactory results made by other technicians for a year.

Devon:  And going slow is important so that you don’t over-correct.

Patty:  Yes.

Devon:  With the process of correction, initially, you experience some tissue distension, so it will look to be over-corrected. Then the medication starts to take its effect. The hyaluronidase begins digesting the hyaluronic acid injectable, and in about 72 hours, you can really see a tremendous difference depending on how much hyaluronidase you’ve used.

But it will have to be done in multiple sessions, and going slowly is definitely a good plan.

Patty:  Yes. And I love that, that we can do this, because there is help for people that are overfilled.

Devon:  And this is why it’s important, too, to know what it is that has been used in your skin.

Hyaluronic gel fillers can be reversed, but if you use something like Radiesse, that cannot. And if you use hyaluronidase on someone who’s been treated with Radiesse, then it really is going to do nothing, or it can cause some problems, right?

Patty:  Absolutely. It can actually deplete and cause divots where it will eat up your own natural product. It’s something you just have to be aware of.

Often times with new clients, they’re nervous because it’s their first time, or they’ve had a bad experience with bad results. So it’s important for me to educate them on what it is we’re using, and let them know: “if you don’t like it, we can take it away”

As I stated, my approach to injectables is to be conservative. I never overfill, because you can always add to. And I think the ideal of overfilling – that’s the scary thing for clients, because they see bad results and they’re worried.

Devon:  Yeah, it’s a good thing that we do have something to reverse it. I would say if you’ve had a bad experience or you’re wearing work that doesn’t look best on you, be prepared for the correction to take at least two weeks.

Let’s just take the scenario of someone walking into Veritas Backstage, and they’re not pleased with their lip augmentation that they’ve had performed at another injector’s office with a hyaluronic product like Juvederm. What would need to take place to make things right, and about how long should someone expect the correction to take?

Patty:  You can be looking at 6 to 8 weeks, but the timeline will be dependant on how much information the client has. And a lot of times because the Juvederm product line is complex – there’s Juvederm Volbella, there’s Juvederm Vollure, there’s Juvederm Ultra, there’s Juvederm Ultra Plus – it’s easy for clients to get really confused, thinking, well, it’s “Juvederm.”

But there’s several different products in the Juvederm line, so first we have to figure out what was used, and from there we can slowly titrating until the patient is happy. And if desired, from that baseline, we can either start over or add to and just repair.

Devon:  Well, I’m glad that you brought up that there are so many Juvederm varieties. I think that inexperienced injectors, as well as patients, begin feeling like or believing that Juvederm is Juvederm.

But these are different mediums, and they have different viscosities or weights, and so one may feel more like pudding, while the other is like Jell-O, and some have place, better places in the face than others.

Patty:  Absolutely.

Devon:  What I see a lot, too, is people I inherit from other injectors, they may have a thicker product in their lips than really what should be there, and so they end up with an unnatural smile.

It’s my practice that, when it comes to lips, you need to go with something softer, more flexible. And the beauty of this industry is, the manufacturers of the injectables are always perfecting.

They’re always coming out with better products for different areas. It’s not that one injectable product does it all anymore. In fact, that’s not a desirable approach. To get the best results, you want your injector to pick the perfect product for the perfect area of your face.

At Veritas Backstage, our injection specialists have over 40 years of combined experience in injectables, and a track record of 5-star, fantastic customer service.

If you’d like to determine if Botox is right for you, contact us today to schedule a free consultation: Call us at 800-954-7590 or request an appointment online.