Yara Asbar, MD

Hi, thank you for your question. The reason why fillers or even Botox treatments are not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding is because there are no studies that prove it is safe. No studies prove these treatments are harmful during pregnancy/breastfeeding either so we avoid them because we don’t want to take that risk. That being said, it happens quite often in my practice and in my colleagues’ practice that a woman gets a treatment done (Botox and/or fillers) and then finds out she was pregnant and I have never heard of complications. All of these women I have treated or who have been treated by colleagues ended up having healthy babies. Obviously, we recommend not doing it on purpose because of the lack of studies but if it happened while you weren’t aware you were pregnant yet, I would not worry. Volbella is made of hyaluronic acid, a molecule that you already have in your body. Don’t worry about that treatment, but I would still recommend avoiding other treatments until you are done breastfeeding if you do. Best of luck!

Hi, thank you for your question. Two weeks after a Dysport treatment, most patients have reached their final results. There are always exceptions but I would say it’s a good time to schedule a follow up appointment with your injector to see what happened. Best of luck!

Hi, thank you for your question. Some patients start seeing improvement only 3 days after a Dysport treatment but it’s not everyone’s case. With all neuromodulators, including Botox and Dysport, I recommend waiting for a full two weeks before assuming you’re at your final results. I hope that helps. Best of luck!

Hi, thank you for your question. Botox works by relaxing the muscles it is injected in, which will treat and even prevent wrinkles caused by these muscles. It is a good option of treatment for the "11" area and can be combined with other treatments (fillers, lasers, PRP, microneedling, radiofrequency) if needed. Botox will not directly make other muscles (like forehead muscles) contract more but the face must always be looked at globally before treating one specific area. The reason for this is that although Botox does not stimulate other muscles to contract more in your face, the fact that one muscle is moving less can leave room for another muscle to move more, because a new balance of movement is created. It doesn't mean you necessarily have to get Botox injected in your forehead but you might need to do this to keep natural expression and prevent your eyebrows to be positioned very high after treating the "11" area. A certified injector can assess your facial expressions and help you decide what will give you the best results. I hope that helps. Best of luck!

Hi, thank you for your question. The answer to whether or not you are a good candidate for Botox at your age and in your specific situation should be very personalized. The age at which we start having wrinkles varies a lot from person to person since it is affected by multiple factors, such as genetics, sun exposure, smoking and other habits. We also know now that we can not only treat wrinkles but also prevent them with Botox. Therefore, it is not uncommon for people in their 20s to start Botox injections to prevent or treat wrinkles. I think if you are interested in Botox and you want to improve some details in your expression, you should start by scheduling a consultation with a certified injector who can give you all the information you need and assess what could be an appropriate treatment for your age/features/goals. I hope that helps. Best of luck!

Hi, thank you for your question. We always have to dilute Botox before using it, it's the only way you can inject it. It comes freeze dried in a vial so there's no way to extract it in a syringe without mixing it with saline water. Depending on the vial you are using or the concentration you want your Botox to be at, the quantity of saline water used to dilute Botox can be different from a situation to another. I usually dilute Botox in advance for the day but if I need more during the day or if I need a different concentration, I will dilute extra vials in front of my patients sometimes. But I think the most important thing here is to look for a doctor you know you can trust. Because even if the doctor dilutes the Botox in front of you, you won't see exactly how much water he or she is using and how much product is being actually injected from the syringe. In every field of medicine or even other practices, trust is key. When you feel you can trust your doctor and you are happy with your results and comfortable discussing issues if needed, you won't need to worry about anything else. Best of luck!

Hi, thank you for your question. Botox typically takes up to two weeks to show full effect. Sometimes, it's also the time it takes before the results are symmetric as one side can react a little bit faster than the other. I would recommend you wait a full two weeks before deciding if you need a touch up. If, after two weeks, you are still not satisfied with what you see, it is a good time to schedule a follow-up appointment with your injector as the results won't keep improving at that point. I hope that helps. Best of luck!

Hi, thank you for your question. You seem to be a very good candidate for Botox injections to treat gummy smile. Botox will relax the muscle that lifts your upper lip when you smile, and with low doses, you can get very natural results. It takes 2 weeks to get the final results and it lasts 4 to 6 months. I find the combination of Botox and lip fillers at low doses give the best results. Best of luck!

Hi, thanks for your question. I have never heard of Botox injected in the gums. To treat gummy smiles, we usually injected on both sides of the nose to relax the muscle that lifts your upper lip when you smile, which makes sense because Botox is a muscle relaxant. There is no point in injecting in the gums. It is not dangerous but will probably give you no results at all. Hope that helps. Best of luck!

Hi, thank you for your question. Your smile isn't very gummy indeed. But with small doses of Botox, you could make your upper lip lift a bit less when you smile. For the most natural results, I would combine low doses of Botox with small amounts of fillers in your upper lip, especially on the sides, to achieve the results you are looking for without changing your expressions too much. Best of luck!