Nikki Sommer, a nurse with Key West Surgical Group and Med Spa, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning for Medical Matters.
When it comes to maintaining healthy skin and a healthy look, there are a lot of different options.
Sommer said, “A lot of times people say, if you looked in the mirror and you’re like, oh, my skin looks so tired. Or I don’t feel as fresh as I used to. People talk about Botox and fillers all the time, and I just want to clear up, we don’t offer it right now at Key West Surgical Group, and it’s probably coming down the road. But when we advertise, I always get, are you running a special on Botox and fillers? They’re like, no, I’m not interested in laser. That’s not, that’s not what I need. But then what ends up happening is, well, let’s start this way. I always say to people when they come in and they’re like, well, I’ve had Botox and fillers for years, but I have the texture of my skin, or the pigmentation of my skin, or my skin is dry, or like there was no skincare involved. So I always say think of your face as like a house. I always say it’s like a fixer upper, right? As we age, things start falling apart. So lasers are like fixing the foundation. They’re building from the inside out. Botox smoothes out the moving parts, like cracks in the drywall. I mean, I do talk about this to people all the time. And then fillers, they freshen up the trim, the siding, the curb appeal. What they do is they replace volume. So when you want a longer lasting result, you can’t skip the foundation. If you’re a homeowner, or have you ever lived in somebody else’s home as a renter, and the floor starts to sag, there’s a problem. I could see where by saying that oh, your face looks like a house, and the wrinkles on it are like the cracks, I get that it might not go over well, but trying to explain to somebody why they don’t understand what laser is, and we talked about why you may not see the results right away, it’s an investment, like a skin-vestment. You’re investing in building a new foundation.”
The lasers work within the skin.
Sommer said, “The laser is repairing your skin. Botox, and it’s a very popular thing right now, and there’s other types of tox. There are so many, trying to make it so they last longer, the results kick in a little quicker, but there are people that will come in and they’ll say, I don’t want my face to move. They’ll want it frozen and then there are other people that want a more natural look. Either way, there’s no judgment. But what Botox does is it relaxes the tiny little facial muscles in your face. So when you frown, squint, or raise your eyebrows, you’re not going to have the movement that’s going to cause those wrinkles to appear more pronounced. Botox is like stopping the motion. It’s like sealing the crack in the drywall before it spreads.”
With lasers there will need to be multiple appointments.
Sommer said, “It also depends on, when people come and sit and they’ve had, like, say, 10 to 15 years of Botox and fillers, and now they’re aged, they’re in their mid 50s or even older, in their 60s and I have women come to me that are in their 70s, and the sun damage is there, or the wrinkles are deeper, or there’s laxity in their skin, so laser, Botox and fillers, they kind of work together as a team, just as you hire a contractor to fix your house, and if the foundation needs to be fixed, they fix that first before they do the esthetic on the outside.”
What are fillers?
Sommer said, “As we age, we naturally lose fat and bone in our face and cheekbones, under the eyes, temples, lips and the jawline, that gives your face that tired, sunken look, where we can tend to look exhausted all the time. So fellers help to restore that volume, lift and balance. Again, think of it as you’re fixing the trim the window frames, or landscaping your house. You’re trying to make it look more robust. Most fillers are hyaluronic acid based fillers, and two popular ones are Juvederm and Restylane. They are safe. They are reversible, I mean, yes, once you put it in, you really can’t take it back. It’s kind of a process to dissolve them, but it’s something that can be done. But again, they’re designed to give you a more natural look. I believe in less is more. The goal is not to overfill because, again, once it’s in there, it’s harder than trying to dissolve, like, how much do you want to dissolve? You end up getting into a battle over I put in too much, now what do I do to make it look a little bit better, to what I wanted? Even though we don’t offer filler, and I’ve gotten filler, and I’ll always say, you buy a syringe of filler and it’s yours. Don’t use it all at once, especially if it’s your first time. Let the swelling subside, and you can always go back and get the rest injected a little while later.”
Can all these be used in combination?
Sommer said, “They all work together. I do have a lot of clients that come in, and they’ll have had Botox and fillers, and they’re like I want to do laser because they understand, like, I want to try and start building that collagen and elastin. A lot of times when you do laser or high energy treatments, even like microneedling, you may need less Botox or less fillers, because now your body’s repairing itself.”
Relating it to home improvement really does make sense.
Sommer said, “I know it’s a crazy analogy, but there are women that are really particular about their makeup. They won’t leave the house without foundation on. There are other women that’ll be like, I don’t have time for that. I just want some blush and some lipstick and mascara, and out the door I go, but it is like when you fix your house, you’re not going to do all the esthetic stuff first and let the foundation flounder. You’re got to start within and build out. It’s a skin-vestment. Keep your skin looking better than your house.”
For more information, click here: https://www.keywestsurgicalgroup.com