The other day, someone from our team was in a Shoppers Drug Mart and saw a mature, elegant woman sidle up to the makeup counter, looking hesitant. “Excuse me,” she said shyly, “I’m wondering if you know anywhere around here where I can get BOTOX? I need someone who can help me look good and won’t make me look like my face is frozen. I live in Waterloo and would be happy to commute, but I can’t figure out where to go.”
The makeup specialists were friendly but didn’t have a recommendation. One of them asked, “Is that like a filler thing for your lips?” No one knew the answer to the woman’s question. Understandably, they were trained in makeup but not in the best spot to go for injections. All the women at the counter wanted to help and started googling on their phones, but in the end, no one was sure where to direct her.
Luckily, our patient coordinator came over smiling and told her about TCSC and the team there. She suggested making a quick trip over to Waterloo to see our Beauty Nurses® for subtle, beautiful injectable results and took a few minutes to chat about the different kinds of injectables.
This story has a happy ending, and this lovely woman found the resource she was looking for. But experiences like these remind us that most people have many questions about aesthetic injectables like BOTOX. To help separate fact from fiction, we’re answering many of those top questions in this blog post.
How do I choose the right clinic for fillers or injections?
If you’re new to injectables, getting the information you need can be hard. It can also feel intimidating to choose a clinic and an injector you know you can trust to make you look great and still look like you. The clinic you choose really matters and can significantly impact how subtle, lovely, and confidence-boosting your results are. A lot of people know brand names like BOTOX or Dysport® in a vague sort of way, but we find that new patients often don’t know where to begin when it comes to injectable treatments.
Enjoy the results of BOTOX or fillers by choosing the best practitioner for your needs.
The first thing to know about aesthetic injectables is that they are medical procedures that must be done by trained, certified, and professional experts. The skill level of the person injecting you is absolutely crucial to getting a terrific result. A great injector should be able to confidently tell you about their experience and approach, show you examples of their results, and explain what they’re going to do and how it will impact your beauty. They should ask about your goals and help you manage expectations to build up to the look you want without overdone results. And never overlook the fact that your injector should always take a full and detailed medical history before treating you.
Google reviews are helpful; clinic websites can be great places to peek at before and after photos or check out the team’s experiences.
Why choose injections for signs of aging?
It’s normal to notice signs of aging on the face and body, and fillers or neuromodulators can be a subtle-looking way to refresh your appearance. As we get older, our bodies naturally stop producing as much collagen and elastin, which can cause sagging, wrinkling, and skin thinning. You might notice drooping or more hollow areas as your facial volume diminishes. In areas where the skin is already thin (like under the eyes), you might notice deeper-looking “tear troughs” or grooves. As you make millions of repetitive movements over time with your face and even your hands, the skin around your eyes, mouth, and hands inevitably forms folds and creases. Other factors like smoking, sun exposure, pollution, dehydration, or health issues can advance signs of aging like wrinkles or lost skin volume.
When you come to see us for a consultation, our team sits down to talk through all your possible solutions and does a comprehensive evaluation of your goals, concerns, and health so we can create beautiful results unique to you.
What can I do about aging skin in Waterloo?
Some people opt for chemical peels, laser treatments or surgical interventions like eyelid surgery or a facelift for these symptoms, while others use the rejuvenation offered by soft tissue fillers or neuromodulators (BOTOX) to find a look that feels right for them. Our Waterloo team loves meeting new patients and walking them through all the solutions available to them; whether those options are non-invasive, surgical, skincare-related, or lifestyle changes that will help them look and feel their best. We have regular patients who drive from London or Hamilton because they’ve come to rely on the skill, subtle beautiful results, and natural outcomes our Beauty Nurse injectors are known for.
Our heritage building here in Waterloo offers comprehensive aesthetic solutions from peels and skincare plans to injectables like fillers and neuromodulators.
What are the different kinds of injections?
A common beginner mistake is assuming that all “injectables” are all the same, but that’s not true. The two most common categories are neuromodulators and soft tissue fillers.
- Neuromodulators, like BOTOX and Dysport, help relax muscle contractions to soften the overlying skin creases and wrinkles.
- Soft tissue fillers are most commonly made out of hyaluronic acid, which is a component of your normal skin. They recreate three-dimensional shape, projection, and volume in areas like the cheekbones, lips, temples, and jowls.
Our Beauty Nurse® team is made up of skilled injectors who are known for their subtle, beautiful results.
Injections work best in combination with a great skincare plan and personalized regimen. Our Beauty Nurses might recommend a combination treatment plan that enhances your unique features. Perhaps they’ll recommend a lip filler to enhance lips, and a neuromodulator around the forehead area to smooth frown lines. But get to know the difference between different injections, so you can be clear on what you’re targeting.
Neuromodulators
Neuromodulators include popular brand names like BOTOX and are primarily used to treat folds, deep lines, and wrinkles by relaxing the underlying muscles that cause these signs of aging. Over time, our faces show dynamic wrinkles, a kind of crease that’s deepened by repetitive movements—you might recognize them as the lines on your forehead that form when you raise your eyebrows or the line between your eyes that are emphasized when you furrow your brow. Neuromodulators target these muscles with the goal of a more relaxed and refreshed appearance.
Barb, a member of The Cosmetic Surgery Clinic team, had fillers to refresh her look for her daughter’s wedding last year.
Dermal fillers
These injectables include fillers for lips, tear troughs, and other areas where you’ve lost volume—typically as a result of natural aging. Instead of targeting the muscles causing the creases, fillers restore contours to the face or replace lost volume.
How much do fillers cost?
The price of fillers ranges based on the area you’re treating, but filler treatment prices start around $750. At The Cosmetic Surgery Clinic in Waterloo, we use high-performing, industry-leading dermal fillers like JUVÉDERM®, Restylane®, or Radiesse® to enhance fullness, contour, or strategically shape your anatomy. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a naturally-occurring sugar in the body that helps retain moisture. Hyaluronic acid is what gives youthful skin its bounce, smooth surface, and glow. Fillers with hyaluronic acid join forces with the HA that your body already produces to ramp up collagen production over time.
How do I get a treatment plan for my goals?
If you’re looking for a refreshed look that prioritizes your natural beauty, our Beauty Nurse team will talk through your goals in a consultation. We want to understand the full scope of what you’re hoping to achieve. What do you love about your face that you might want to emphasize? Where are you feeling like you might want smoothing or rejuvenating? Maybe you want to smooth crow’s feet, restore lost volume under the eyes, and regain a more radiant complexion. In this scenario, your specialist may recommend a combination of injectables and a medical-grade skincare plan to maximize your results. They might also suggest solutions like laser skin resurfacing or chemical peels. We also offer procedures like a non-invasive or “liquid” facelift, sometimes known as the Soft Lift™. The Soft Lift is a customized treatment that combines the use of JUVÉDERM® facial filler with a wrinkle-smoothing injection to instantly refresh your look.
Dr. Shenker works with the Beauty Nurse® team, so surgical patients can also combine injectable plans with their surgical results to maximize outcomes.
Want to learn more?
Follow us on Instagram, check out our blog posts, and book a consultation at our Waterloo clinic to see what the future might hold for you. You can also call us at (519) 746-1132. Our Beauty Nurse team speaks the language of injectables fluently, and they’re here to help walk you through every step of this journey together.
