Botox in Forehead and Juvederm in Lips - Portland, OR

I went in with a friend to see the process of Juvederm placement, just intending to have Botox administered that day. After my quick consult with Dr. M, where he said that my features would support larger lips, I decided to have 1 vial of Juvederm administered. My appointment for the Botox was with Lauren, the nurse, and I had reservations about her doing the Juvederm. I was assured by the office staff that Lauren was VERY good and did the fillers and Botox for the staff in the office "all the time." During my injections, I was questioning Lauren's technique as she was placing the Juvederm in my lips, but not smoothing it out. I told her that I had seen Dr. M smooth the areas, greatly, after each placement. She said that "every injector has a different technique" and that "one isn't better than another; just different." Being the new-b that I was, I accepted her explanation.

When I left, I felt several bumps/lumps in both upper and lower lips. I called the office to let them know that I could see the lumps along my lower lip and felt the lumps with my tongue in my upper lip. I was told that it was normal and that the product would be absorbed by my body and the bumps would even out. Eight days later, I realized that I had ptosis in my right eye due to improper Botox placement; too close to my eyebrow. I called the office and was told to wait two full weeks after treatment to come in to the office to be seen by Dr. M, as to allow the full effects of the Botox and Juvederm to settle in. I was very upset, as ptosis makes the eyeball very heavy and difficult to focus. My smile was lumpy and uneven. I looked and felt botched.

When I went in to see Dr. M about the ptosis, he told me that it was unfortunate and is extremely rare. I let him know that my research revealed that it was injector error that caused the problem and was not just an "unfortunate incident." He disagreed and said that the same nurse could inject the exact same way with the exact same amount of Botox and there may not be the same complication. He prescribed me Lotemax eye drops (that cost me $30). I also discussed that my lips were uneven and lumpy. He responded with "I think they look good. She did a beautiful job." I disagreed.

On the way out, his assistant ,Julie, told me that she experienced ptosis about twenty years ago, but not to worry because it was not in "this office." I found that ironic. After 24 hours of using the eyedrops with no relief, I Googled the eye drops and I couldn't find anything that showed that Lotemax was used for the treatment of ptosis. I called the office, again, to let them know that I had not experienced any relief and questioned the drops that were given. I was told that "if that's what the doctor prescribed, then that's what I should use." My frustration was growing, as I had been very patient throughout this process.

Another several days had passed with no relief and my patience ran out. I sent an email to the office telling them that the experience that I had to endure was unacceptable and that I expected they would fix this issue, immediately. The next week I went in, again. Julie came in and asked to see the bottle of Lotemax drops that I was prescribed and I told her that the drops were not the Apraclonidine that is usually prescribed. She went online then left the room with my bottle of Lotemax. About, 15 minutes later, Dr. M joined me in the room. He said that he was embarrassed that the wrong drops were prescribed and apologized for the inconvenience. He refunded my Botox purchase and the cost of the drops and prescribed Apraclonidine.

In addition, he attempted to correct my lips with another vial of Juvederm. I was momentarily pleased that he seemed attentive to my concerns for the first time during this horrible experience. He pulled quite a bit of product to the center of my upper lip as to fill the gap that Lauren created. He lifted one corner of my mouth, but not the other. I question him about the asymmetry and he responded with "they will even out as the product is absorbed."

A couple of weeks later, after the swelling subsided, the asymmetry was still undesirable. I had so much product in the center of my upper lip that I looked like I had a fat lip. I made another appointment to see him to address the undesirable shape of my lips. He was disinterested in my comments about the shape and said "this is the best I can do" when I asked him to fix them. I told him that I wasn't pleased that I would have to pay someone else to correct them. He said that he thought that they were the best that they could look and that if I had them fixed that they would still be asymmetrical as everyone has asymmetry. I told him that if the side that was turned up was filled to match the other side that it would look much better. He disagreed. I left the office infuriated.

All of the mess that was caused by this office is completely unacceptable. I had my lips fixed, at my own expense by another provider, and I am very please with them, now. I will never return to this office, nor will I refer anyone.

Last edited by Lightandlove1111 on August 28, 2015