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Your participation in the success of your non-invasive beauty treatment doesn’t end until the final results are achieved. During treatment, of course, an experienced practitioner with a very practiced and gentle touch, is your best assurance of minimal bruising and other side effects. However, there is some information you might consider and employ.

For example, some numbing agents, applied 20 – 30 minutes prior to treatment, may also reduce bruising and swelling. Therefore, you might request an anesthetic and additional time when setting your appointment.

While a doctor’s technique is certainly critical to your ultimate results, there are other things that are out of his or her control, such as your own skin type and healing process.
But even if a spot of blood does appear, at the injection site, the doctor can apply pressure and ice for a few minutes, to minimize swelling and bruising. To that same end, do ask for an ice pack for you to apply, immediately following your session.

Keeping in mind that many people do not experience any more than very minor side effects, i.e. swelling, redness, tenderness, that subside within hours, it could take from 1 – 7 days for all side effects to dissipate and the desired results of your treatment to be fully realized.

Meanwhile, here are a few more suggestions that you might do to speed things along:

Avoid alcohol for 24 hours after treatment.
Aside from walking, try not to partake in vigorous, aerobic exercise for 24 – 48 hours.
Avoid the sun or excessive heat until swelling or redness is gone.
Do take Tylenol, for pain; do not take aspirin, Ibuporfen, Aleve or Advil for two days.
Do apply cold compresses for 5 – 10 minutes, per hour, for initial swelling.
You may apply makeup and concealer, which usually cover everything quite well.

Finally, you should be able to see wonderful results even during a period of subsiding side effects. While BOTOX Cosmetic and Dysport, which don’t take full effect for up to a week, fillers work at once.

Even the most successful treatment such as dermal filler often results in some measure of side effects. Among the most common are swelling, soreness, redness, bruising, itching and, more rarely, some inflammation at the injection site. After all, the skin will usually react any time it’s penetrated by a needle. But it’s usually not severe or long-lasting.

In fact, most side effects may be treated with over-the-counter medications and disappear in just a few days. Some might linger for a week but lessen every day.

Your job is to take the simple precautions that will either prevent or greatly reduce the severity and longevity of these side effects. Here is a list of some of the most popular “do’s and don’ts” we recommend prior to your dermal filler procedure.

Some medications and natural supplements tend to make your blood thinner and less able to clot. This is one of the common causes for “bruising.” So the following drugs should be discontinued seven days before treatment: Aspirin, Ibuprofen (including Aleve, Advil and Motrin), Omega 3 fatty acids, Vitamin E, Ginko Bilboa and St. John’s Wart. Remember, Tylenol is always allowed and should be sufficient to relieve any tenderness or pain. Alcohol and garlic should be avoided 1 – 2 days before your injections.

Tiny pellets of Arnica Montana have also proven to be very effective and may be dissolved, under the tongue, the day before and the morning of your appointment. Whole Foods is a very good source for purchasing this supplement.

Remember to talk to your own doctor or practitioner for other recommendations or if you have any specific conditions or questions.

The good news about the natural aging process is that it’s natural, and a process. It doesn’t sneak up on you overnight. You don’t look into the mirror one morning and, suddenly, see lines and wrinkles.

When you do begin to notice that there’s something slightly different about your appearance – a frown or laugh line, a crinkle around your eyes where only a twinkle used to be – today there is something you can do about it.

With BOTOX Cosmetic, the grand-daddy of all non-invasive cosmetic procedures, it’s simple, fast, affordable and looks as natural as the process you’re reversing.

Since 2002, when the FDA granted approval to BOTOX Cosmetic for use in the treatment of lines and wrinkles, more than 1,000,000 people receive the procedure, each year. And its popularity is only growing with time.

How does BOTOX work and what should you expect during and after treatment? Simply stated, BOTOX Cosmetic interrupts the nerve impulse that signals a muscle to contract and create frown lines. By injecting a tiny needle into the muscle, the contraction cannot take place and the frown line is released, smoothed and becomes nearly invisible.

While every injection causes a sting, the BOTOX needle is very small and thin and the discomfort is minimal, and brief. The practitioner may apply a numbing agent, if you prefer, but it’s rarely required. The process is usually completed within minutes and you are on your way to continue your normal activities. There’s no recovery or down time.

After your procedure, there might be some redness, swelling, tenderness or slight bleeding, at the injection site, but these side effects should disappear quickly.

The effects of BOTOX are visible two to seven days after treatment. While the long-lasting effects of BOTOX vary for each individual, you could expect to maintain your results for up to four months, or longer. Additionally, you may repeat the BOTOX procedure every three to four months and never lose your more youthful appearance.

So if you are considering “doing a little something” to refresh your look, smooth your brow, reduce or even eliminate premature signs of aging – and want to start slowly and easily – BOTOX Cosmetic might be the very best choice for you.

While there are so many factors, at work, to accelerate the aging process, fortunately, medical science is working to slow it down.

The sun, smoking, stress, diet, chemicals and other environmental factors may create creases, lines and wrinkles, before their time. Gravity and the natural aging process do the rest. Sagging skin, furrows and folds increase over time.

But with the advent of BOTOX Cosmetic, in 2002, the world of non-invasive cosmetic dermatology changed forever. Eliminating wrinkles and lessening the effects of crow’s feet and frown lines, BOTOX led the way to a ground-breaking array of anti-aging products, procedures and beauty treatments.

Restylane, Juvederm, Perlane and Radiesse are among the most popular injectable facial fillers, available today. These revolutionary products add fullness or “fill out” hollows caused by loss of volume or shifting fat deposits under the skin.

But there is another remarkable procedure, Laser Skin Tightening, that is very effective for rejuvenating, smoothing and lifting your skin, anywhere on the body. And the most widespread Laser Tightening benefits include: minimal discomfort, no downtime, no injections, no bruising and no lingering side effects.

So how does this Laser Skin Tightening work? The Laser technology employs light that penetrates to the inner layer, or dermis, of the skin, to heat the collagen protein that is most responsible for keeping our skin supple, strong and firm.
But as we age and produce less collagen, the skin loses its elasticity.

The carefully-regulated Laser heat causes your own natural collagen fibers to tighten, which results in a significant lifting effect. Activating your collagen can also stimulate new collagen growth and tightening, long-term. So while the results of the procedure may be immediately noticeable, the long-term results will continue to improve after treatment.

As noted above, the Laser Tightening procedure may be performed on any area of your body and is particularly effective on the face and neck. The necessary treatment time will vary, depending upon the area being treated. And the number of treatments you may require will also vary from patient to patient. But, in general, three treatments are suggested, scheduled 4 – 6 weeks apart, allowing time to evaluate your progress and results.

Some redness and mild swelling may occur but unlike most other non-invasive procedures, these side effects usually disappear within a few hours.

With all the unique benefits of Laser Skin Tightening, this might be the very best choice for you in restoring your more radiant and youthful appearance.

There is no doubt that your smile is, usually, the first feature that people notice about you. It’s also the feature they, often, remember most; a beautiful smile lingers in the mind’s eye.

So it’s no wonder that full, well-shaped lips have become one of the most desirable facial features on the beauty wish-list today.

Last week we examined some of the causes, products and benefits of lip augmentation. Now let’s explore what to expect before, during and after the lip-enhancing procedure.

The lip area is one of the more sensitive areas of the face. So while the procedure may be completed in as little as 15 minutes, it is usually preferable to take a few extra minutes to apply a topical numbing product to the area. Additionally, several of the most popular hyaluronic fillers, preferred by patients and physicians alike, are actually formulated with lidocaine, a common form of anesthetic.

The actual procedure is surprisingly simple. After carefully marking or outlining the area to be treated, very fine needles inject the product into your lips. The results are instantaneous, although some expected swelling will often exaggerate the final look.

To both ease any lingering discomfort and control the amount of swelling, it’s a good idea to lightly apply ice to the treated area, as soon as possible, following the procedure. But do take care not to put any firm pressure on your lips immediately after a filler injection.

Other common side effects are usually mild and will disappear within a few days. They may include swelling and bruising, redness and some tenderness. Since hyaluronic acid is a natural substance to the body, there should be no allergic reaction to the product.

Ultimately, well-proportioned lip augmentation procedure will truly give you something to smile about!

The one constant about beauty tips and trends is that they are constantly changing. At least, most of the time. Sometimes a look or a feature becomes so admired and so desirable that it actually becomes a part of our pop culture.

Full, well-defined, lush-looking lips are one of those phenomenons. As often happens, it’s the glamour of Hollywood, or the entertainment industry, in general, that creates the demand for the latest and greatest beauty style or fashion. Angelina Jolie, Priyanka Chopra, Anne Hathaway, Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley are among the few celebrities whose stunning lips, women, of every age, want to emulate.

Since the year 2000, lip augmentation has grown to be one of the world’s most popular cosmetic procedures. And thanks to the introduction of the derma fillers like Restylane, Radiesse, Juvederm and others, surgery is not the only method of achieving the look. At a fraction of the cost, the time and the discomfort, this might be the smallest procedure that makes the biggest change in your appearance.

While there are many reasons for seeking lip “plumping” or augmentation, the simplest, of course, is just being born with thin, uneven or undefined lips. Now what Nature didn’t provide, the miracles of modern medicine, can.

Another cause for enhancing the size and shape of your lips is due to the natural aging process. A loss of facial volume or fat may not only create hollows in the under eye and cheek area, but also may change the fullness and the expression of your mouth. The corners may droop and the upper lip may recede into a thin, line.

While there are other non-surgical procedures for lip augmentation, today the method of choice, by patients and doctors alike, are the injectable facial fillers containing Hyaluronic acid or similar substances. This is a natural substance already produced by the body and least likely to cause any allergic reaction.

Additionally, the Hyaluronic fillers offer the doctor more control over the volume being injected (it can even be done gradually, over a few appointments), there may be less swelling or bruising and the results are pretty long-lasting, although not permanent.

With its most recent FDA-approval, BOTOX continues on its walk to the wonder drug hall of fame.

Since BOTOX Cosmetic was first approved for the treatment of facial lines and wrinkles, by the FDA, in 2002, manufacturer Allergan now has approximately 90 patents or patents pending for the potential and very diverse uses of this drug. Wonder drug, indeed.

In 2010, BOTOX received FDA-approval for the treatment of severe Migraine Headaches in patients suffering 15 or more days, a month, from this debilitating disorder. BOTOX has changed the quality of life for millions of migraine sufferers around the world. Most recently, in January, 2013, BOTOX was again FDA-approved in the treatment of another common medical ailment, an overactive bladder.

Typically, bladder control problems occur when your muscles are either too weak or too active. If the muscles are too weak, the symptoms may include untimely ”accidents” from sudden coughing, sneezing or other stress signals placed upon the bladder. When the muscles are too active, the symptoms are leakage or sudden, strong impulses to use the bathroom whether your bladder is really full or not.

These specific bladder issues are more prevalent among women and seem to increase with age or significant weight gain. However, they can occur at any time, to either gender. While incontinence is not a dangerous or serious medical condition, it can be embarrassing and might interfere with some daily activities. Extended travel, social or sporting events might also be curtailed and the emotional distress be considerable.

Here, as with other muscle-related disorders, BOTOX has offered substantial relief. In clinical studies, over a period of 12-weeks of treatment, BOTOX injections have resulted in up to 50% fewer incidents a day! That is a significant number and translates into even greater success in patient appreciation.

Originally developed for correcting the condition of “crossed-eyes,” it was discovered, quite by accident, that BOTOX also relaxed the lines and wrinkles around the area of treatment. As a result, BOTOX has become one of the most popular cosmetic procedures around the world. It has also become one of the most carefully studied and researched drugs in modern times.

To date, the results of this scrutiny have been very exciting. Among the ailments that BOTOX has been successful in treating and hopeful of receiving future FDA-approval, are excessive sweating, swallowing and chewing difficulties, muscle spasms, benign enlarged prostate and relief from various stroke-related difficulties.

Allergan suggests that, ultimately, the therapeutical uses for BOTOX may far surpass it’s cosmetic success. But there just might be 75,000,000 Baby Boomers staring at some frown lines, in the mirror, thinking, “Well, we’ll just see about that!”