Bronx Dermatologists

Is the Orbicularis Oculi Muscle Ever Frozen with Botox Injections?

I read the paragraph below on an Oprah.com article, and was wondering if this muscle is commonly or ever frozen by botox injections? "When someone smiles out of genuine delight, a facial muscle called the orbicularis oculi involuntarily contracts, crinkling the skin around the eyes. Most of us are incapable of deliberately moving this muscle, which means that when a person fakes a smile, her orbicularis oculi likely won't budge."

The orbicularis muscle is treated when we treat the crow's feet with Botox and when one attempts to get a slight lift of the brow.  I think Dr Smith said it well,  our goal is not to freeze the muscle but to relax the muscle to achieve a more relaxed look.

Ted Brezel, MD

New York Dermatologist

Limitations of Juvederm in Nasolabial Folds? What Can I Expect?

I recently consulted with a plastic surgeon about juvederm for my nasolabial folds. He said that the juvederm is not injected all the way to the corners of the mouth; rather it should stop about halfway down the fold from the nose to avoid any issues with smile irregularities. This concerns me because it would not erase the pronounced line on the left side of my mouth. Is this true?

I see no problem injecting fillers in the nasolabial folds and frequently extend my injections when treating this area very close to the corners of the mouth.  In fact it is customary when injecting hyaluaronic acid fillers (such as Juvederm) for lip augmentation or treatment of the marionette lines that one inject in the corner of the mouth.

Ted Brezel, MD

New York Dermatologist

I'm Currently Trying to Get Pregnant, Starting IVF Soon. Is It Safe to Do CoolScupting Zeltiq?

I may be starting stim meds for an IVF cycle in a couple weeks. In the meantime, can I do Zeltiq before all of this?

It's unlikely to have any deleterious effect if you were to have CoolSculpting PRIOR to becoming pregnant but due to lack of testing I certainly would not advise you to have CoolSculpting while pregnant.  Since you are going to attempt to get pregnat shorlty you might want to consider delaying the CoolSculpting till after the pregancy since  you will be putting on some weight and some of the belly fatyou would likely accumulate  is hard to shed afterwards.  Good Luck with getting pregnant.

Ted Brezel, MD

New York Dermatologist