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buy injectables online

Is it Safe to Buy Injectables, Like Botox, Online?

Non-Surgical

With the popularity of non-surgical procedures skyrocketing around the world, it was only a matter of time before people tried to circumvent the system.

But what are you willing to risk just to save a few dollars?

Injectable fillers like Botox and Juvederm have become extremely popular for those wanting to turn back the clock on their aging bodies. They have provided a relatively simple and inexpensive way to remove wrinkles in the face as well as lift problem areas they may have loosened up due to the aging process.

Even though this process is simple, usually painless (when performed by a professional), and inexpensive, there are still people out there trying to find a shortcut.

The bottom line is, even though you might be able to find injectable fillers available for cheaper online, please do not buy them in an effort to use on yourself, your friends, or your family.

You Never Know What You’re Getting

The first concern with buying injectable fillers online is that you never know what you’re getting.

The website you order from may seem legit and have, what appears to be, legit reviews and testimonials, but all of that can be easily fabricated. Unless you have the ability to have the product tested in a highly sophisticated medical lab, you’re never going to know what’s truly in the product you’re purchasing.

And this is something that you’re going to be injecting directly into your body!

Too Many Options to Choose From

There are online retailers out there that do provide legitimate product that you can purchase for personal home use, but which do you choose?

We mentioned Juvederm and Botox earlier in this article, but those are just two of the many different brands of cosmetic injectable fillers available. If you have no experience with these products, it’s going to be very difficult to know which one to choose for which application.

You also may have to worry about allergic reactions or your body rejecting certain products. Not knowing exactly what is in the different products can lead to complications that wouldn’t have been an issue had you consulted with a trained medical professional.

You Don’t Know What You’re Doing

Say for a minute we forget the two reasons above as to why you shouldn’t buy dermal fillers for yourself online. The most important reason why you should never be buying these types of products online is that you are not properly trained in how to use them.

Even if you were 100% sure that the product you were buying is the exact same stuff your doctor purchases, that still does not make you qualified to start injecting something into your body.

It’s not a very smart thing to do.

If you think that buying your own injectable fillers online is going to save you some money, you’re going to be pretty upset when it costs even more money to correct the mistakes that you made.

Even if you just want to buy the product yourself to then have your doctor inject, you’d still be better off allowing the doctor to order it as they know exactly what products to order and can oftentimes get them for cheaper than you can online.

If you see a product for a much lower price than what your doctor says they can get it for, you should be cautious. There’s probably a reason that it’s priced that cheaply and you don’t want to find out what that reason is after you’ve already had it injected into your body.

And in most cases, a qualified doctor would never inject anything into a patient that they haven’t personally ordered for their office. You’d never find a doctor who would implant a breast implant you brought in, so why would you expect a doctor to inject Botox into your face that you bring in.

They don’t know what’s in that bottle either, and by injecting it into a patient they run the risk of being at fault when something gets infected or problems start to occur.

Just because you’ve seen a few videos on YouTube about how to use dermal fillers, does not make you qualified to start injecting product into your own face.

Please be smart when it comes to this sort of thing. If you start taking shortcuts, you’ll end up hurting yourself in the end.

The bottom line is, you should always listen to your doctor and the professionals within the medical field when it comes surgical and non-surgical procedures.

The internet is a great tool to help give you guidance, but if you’re not qualified to understand exactly what a study or an article online is talking about, you should always talk to your doctor before moving forward with anything that could potentially harm you.

Injectables are very safe and painless, when done by a properly trained professional. They can still be extremely dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing.

If you have any questions or concerns about non-surgical procedures or injectable dermal fillers, please contact us today to setup a consultation. We’d be happy to discuss the different options available through Dr. Adams Plastic Surgery as well as our AYA Medical Spa, both located in Dallas, TX.

social media plastic surgery

Plastic Surgery and the False Reality of Social Media

Plastic Surgery

We’ve spoken about the topic of social media and plastic surgery in the past, but with a lot of the country still attending work and school from home these days, and being confined to their homes, we’re spending a lot more time on the computer.

In addition to ensuring we maintain good work ethic and continue with our studies on the computer, we’re using social media and our mobile devices to keep in touch with those family and friends that we cannot see in person.

As if social media wasn’t already this sort of “doctored” look into the lives of people, now, more than ever, it can bring down our self esteem and make us think twice about what we’re doing with our lives.

And this is a problem.

Social media in itself can be a wonderful tool to help keep people connected, but it’s also an easy way to spread false information. We see it a lot these days in terms of the political landscape, but where it most affects us as individuals is in the lifestyle photos and stories that we see.

Celebrities, as well as friends and family, are usually making sure that they are only posting the photos that make them look good. Whether that’s physically good or like they are living a lavish lifestyle that most people only dream about. Nobody is taking 20 selfies just so they can post the bad one or posting up a photo of them and their friends all sitting around a pool on their phones having a boring time. No, they are posting the photos of them smiling at the beach with the sunset at their back.

Social media gives off this false perception of what our lives are really like. And when we see someone else, whether that’s a friend or a celebrity that we follow, posting up all these amazing pictures, while we’re sitting on the couch watching reruns of The Office, it makes us feel bad about ourselves. And this is a problem.

How Social Media Creates Unrealistic Plastic Surgery Expectations

A great example of how social media skews our view of people is a photo that Khloe Kardashian posted a few weeks ago.

It should be of no surprise to most people that the Kardashians are notorious for only posting photos that make them look incredible, but you need to be wary of the overly processed photos that seem to make them look too good.

And this doesn’t just go for the Kardashians, you’d be surprised how many celebrities (and even your friends) that are manipulating their appearance before posting photos.

And this manipulation doesn’t just come from using Photoshop. The filters on some of these photo apps can be used to enhance your features, smooth out your skin, and even allow you to pull in various features to appear slimmer. And that’s just the manipulation that is done in the computer.

Make-up is another way that people make themselves appear different in photos than they would in real life. And when it comes to celebrities, they have access to some of the best make-up artists in the world.

This photo manipulation on social media has led to women and men feeling very self-conscious about themselves. It can cause self-esteem issues as well as mental health problems. And it’s causing the younger generation of girls to feel like they are inadequate when compared to what society dubs as “beautiful”.

In terms of plastic surgery, seeing all of these manipulated photos online, while also having to look at ourselves all day in video conferences for school and work, is leading to people wanting to modify their bodies in order to look like those “beautiful” people they see online.

And we’re not saying that the photos you see on social media aren’t of beautiful people, we’re saying that the photos you’re seeing most of the time are not what those people look like in real life. So going into a plastic surgeons office with a highly Photoshopped picture of Khloe Kardashian and telling the doctor that you want to look like her in that photo, is completely unrealistic.

Of course, there are certain things that plastic surgery can help with when it comes to changing your appearance, that’s part of the reason elective plastic surgery exists, but expectations need to be properly managed.

Please don’t rush into any sort of plastic surgery procedure based on something you’ve seen on the internet. Plastic surgery should be performed in a way that it’s almost hard to tell that any work has been done, you don’t want to end up looking like a plastic barbie doll.

At Dr. Adams Plastic Surgery, we will sit down with you to discuss why you want to have plastic surgery done and what the best options are for you. We want to ensure that our patients look good and feel good, with no regrets. So contact us today for a consultation!

5 skin care tips for winter

5 Tips for Better Skin this Winter

Skin Care

It’s that inevitable time of year then the leaves start to change color, the temperature begins to fall, and the air, along with our skin, becomes drier.

Most of us wish that summer could last forever, but unfortunately, in most parts of the country, that’s not reality. Season’s change and with the colder/drier weather comes a lack of humidity in the air which can wreak havoc on our skin if we don’t protect it.

In order to maintain the smoothest, healthiest skin possible, it’s important that we do all that we can to protect it when the weather starts to change. And since that change is coming up quickly, we’ve put together 5 tips that can help you maintain better skin this winter.

These tips will not only keep your skin hydrated, soft, and smooth, but it will also help prevent damage that the cold weather can cause.

How to Maintain Healthy Skin this Winter

1. Use Moisturizer

This is probably the most obvious way to protect your skin and prevent it from getting chapped, cracked or dried out. By applying moisturizing gels or creams to your face and hands you trap the moisture into your skin, preventing the air outside from drying it out.

This tip will be especially helpful this winter when it comes to your hands. Because of the COVID-19 virus still lurking it’s ugly head, we should all be washing our hands even more than normal. And the act of washing our hands with soap and water causes the natural oils to be removed from our skin, thus causing it to dry out even faster.

By ensuring that your hands are properly moisturized, you can help prevent cracked and painful skin on your hands and knuckles.

When it comes to dry skin, cracked knuckles are the worst.

2. Use a Humidifier

In addition to the air outside being extremely dry in the winter, the air coming out of your furnace is also very dry. Your home furnace will not automatically add humidity to the air unless you have a whole house humidifier setup within your HVAC system.

Many homes these days do have a humidifier built into their furnace to help maintain a steady level of humidity in the home during the winter, but the key is to make sure it’s functioning properly and set to the correct levels.

You should try to maintain a humidity level of around 40% during the winter months to help prevent static electricity and dry skin within your household. If you have a whole house humidifier, you should be able to monitor your humidity levels through your thermostat. However, if your thermostat does not have the humidity readings, you can always purchase a cheap monitor to check the humidity levels.

If you do not have a whole house humidifier, a portable one is a great idea for bedrooms and/or living spaces during the colder months. This can help prevent cracking skin, sore throats when sleeping, and reduce static electricity in the house.

Adding humidity to the air within your home when the weather is cold is a great way to help prevent your skin from drying out.

You may also want to try dialing the temperature in your home down a bit.

While this may seem counterintuitive to trying to survive in the cold weather, reducing the temperature in your home can prevent your furnace from running as often, which can help prevent dry air in your home.

3. Avoid Harsh Soaps and Cleansers

As we touched upon above, this year has seen most of us washing our hands way more than usual. And because of that you’ve probably been experiencing cracked and dry hands more than usual. It’s only going to get worse this winter. And while the amount of times we’re washing our hands is definitely a factor in the dryness, it could also be from the types of soaps and cleansers you’re using.

Finding a cleanser that doesn’t use fragrances, exfoliants, or are alcohol based can really help to retain the moisture in your hands and the rest of your body. Find a soap that includes a moisturizer for the best results. And when taking a shower, don’t spend a lot of time washing your arms, legs or body, you’ll just dry them out unnecessarily as they don’t get as dirty as other areas. Instead, focus on the folds and creases of your skin – armpits, neck, feet, etc.

4. Ditch the Hand Sanitizer

I know this goes against everything that we’ve been told over the last few months in regards to keeping our hands clean to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, but the alcohol in the hand sanitizers will dry your hands out quickly.

It’s still ok to use hand sanitizer in a pinch to make sure that you’re not spreading germs, but maybe also carry a small bottle of moisturizer so that you can properly moisturize right after using the hand sanitizer.

The best way to maintain moisture in your skin, and prevent the spread of germs, would be to make sure you’re washing your hands thoroughly after touching things, or before touching your face.

We want everyone to stay healthy this fall/winter, but if you already suffer from dry skin, then the hand sanitizer, or alcohol-based cleansers, could be the culprit.

5. Visit a Specialist

If nothing you seem to do helps your skin get any better, then it may be time to visit a skincare specialist that can help get you on a proper skincare regimen.

At the AYA Medical Spa in Dallas, TX we can perform a full skin analysis which will help us recommend a skin treatment based on your skin’s specific needs.

Our treatments range from skin resurfacing to a variety of medical-grade skincare products that we can prescribe to rejuvenate and protect your skin from further harm.

Dry skin can be extremely painful during the winter months. These 5 tips listed above will help prevent drying and cracking of your skin and help maintain the healthy glow that you’re used to during the warmer months.

If these tips don’t seem to help, and you feel that your skin issues may be related to something other than just the dry weather, make sure to give your doctor a call to discuss further options.

plastic surgery covid pandemic

Why Plastic Surgery is Booming During the COVID Pandemic?

Plastic Surgery

COVID-19 is still very much affecting our everyday lives here in the United States. Most states seemed to be moving in the right direction, but as things begin to open back up and people start to get back out into the world, case numbers have begun to rise throughout the country.

The virus is not going away yet some plastic surgeons have seen an uptick in procedures during this unprecedented time.

This isn’t the case all over the country, but there is a good reason behind why people may be considering surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures when the country is battling over whether or not to stay home.

Why The Uptick In Plastic Surgery During Quarantine?

Quarantining At Home Allows for Easy Recovery

When you decide to get plastic surgery, or even some non-surgical procedures, for cosmetic purposes, you do so knowing that there is going to be a recovery period. That recovery period can sometimes be painful, or take you out of commission for a longer period of time.

Of course, if you opt to visit Dr. Adams Plastic Surgery in Dallas, Texas, Dr. Adams has perfected his 24-hour fast-track recovery breast augmentation surgery, which allows for the patient to be able to perform normal everyday functions within 24 hours with limited pain.

This means that you don’t need to lie in bed for up to a week while the muscles in your chest heal to the point where you feel ok to walk around.

Traditional breast augmentation surgery can cause a patient to be uncomfortable and in pain for sometimes up to a week, which can be hard to deal with.

The quarantines put in place by certain local governments across the country have created the perfect opportunity to undergo that surgical cosmetic procedure you’ve been wanting to do, without fear of having to leave your house while you recover.

While some surgical procedures can easily be hidden with loose fitting clothing, some, like rhinoplasty or other procedures done in highly visible areas, cannot.

So while you’re stuck working from home, you can recover at your own pace without having to worry about running into anyone while you’re not looking your best.

Looking at Yourself Every Day on Video Calls

In addition to surgical procedures seeing an uptick during the pandemic, non-surgical procedures have also gotten a boost lately, but it might not be for the reasons you think.

With most offices closed and people being told to work remotely whenever possible, there are a lot more people using video conferencing and calls to stay in touch with their coworkers.

Even doctors have been resorting to more virtual consultations as opposed to in-office visits in order to mitigate the spread of the virus.

And while technology has allowed us to be able to stay connected with coworkers, friends and family more easily than ever before, it has also led to us having to stare at ourselves for longer periods of time.

On a normal day, most people would probably only glance in the mirror a few times a day just to check to make sure their look was in order, but on video calls you’re sitting there looking at yourself for a much longer period of time, and more often.

That means, those wrinkles you sometimes might notice when looking in the mirror, or those aging spots on your face, are now way more noticeable.

And while the people on the other end of the call probably aren’t noticing them as much, since they are used to seeing  you on a more regular basis, you now can’t take your eyes off of them.

It’s for this reason that more people are finding themselves looking into non-surgical cosmetic treatments that can help their skin complexion, wrinkles and other signs of aging. In most cases these “imperfections” have been following you for a while, but since we’re now forced to stare at ourselves on a screen for hours out of the day, they’ve become way more noticeable.

Is it Safe to Have a Procedure Right Now?

The main concern that most people have right now is if it’s even safe to go into a doctor’s office or a medical spa to have one of these procedures done.

In most cases the answer is yes, but you still need to cautious.

If you’re uncomfortable going out into public places or have an underlying health condition, then it may be best if you stay at home. But if you’re comfortable enough going outside and are in good health, then as long as your doctor or med spa have the proper safety measures in place, are screening all patients and disinfecting things on a regular basis, you should be just fine having one of these procedures done.

If you’re seriously considering cosmetic surgery or a non-surgical cosmetic procedure and would like to setup a virtual consultation, please contact us today.

We’re happy to answer any questions you may have about the procedures, recovery, and what systems we have in place to ensure that we’re keeping our patients, doctors and staff as safe as possible.

light therapy skin rejuvenation

Can Light Therapy Help Rejuvenate Skin?

Non-Surgical

There’s always going to be the debate of plastic surgery vs. non-surgical procedures when it comes to rejuvenating your skin. It’s impossible to walk into the beauty section of your local store and not find a cream or a moisturizer that claims to help you look younger or help take years off your face, but how do these compare to surgical methods and non-surgical rejuvenation techniques that you can get from a Medical Spa.

The obvious benefit of using creams and lotions that you can buy at the corner market are that they are relatively inexpensive and you don’t need to see a doctor in order to obtain them. You also don’t have to deal with any pain. But those luxuries come with a price, and that price is that those methods tend not to work quite as well as advertised, or at least not as well on everyone.

We all have different skin, so a product that may have worked for a friend may not work on you. But it’s a great first step if you’re not looking to spend a lot of money on a treatment plan.

Surgical Skin Rejuvenation Procedures

There are a number of facial surgical procedures that you can have done to help rejuvenate your face while making you appear younger, but these are going to be the most invasive options.

Face lifts are the cornerstone for most facial plastic surgery procedures, but there are also things like otoplasty (ear surgery), eyebrow lifts, and eyelid surgery that can all enhance your face and give you a more youthful appearance.

But can you get similar results for non-surgical procedures? The short answer is probably not, but with the advancements in technology, non-surgical treatments are becoming more proficient and doing the work that surgeries do.

Non-Surgical Facial Rejuvenation

There are quite a few options out there in regards to non-surgical facial rejuvenation. There are skin care products, peels, injectable fillers, skin resurfacing, skin tightening, and light therapy, which can all be beneficial to your skin when used correctly, by skill professionals.

Our AYA Med Spa in Dallas, Texas offers a variety of these non-surgical skin rejuvenating techniques, all performed by highly skilled technicians.

And while we do offer all of these different types of non-surgical procedures, we’re going to be looking at light therapy as a skin rejuvenation technique in this article.

Light Therapy for Skin Rejuvenation

As we mentioned above, there are many different non-surgical methods to help rejuvenate your skin. You may just start with medical grade creams or skin care products, which could get you the results you desire, or you may have to step it up and move up to peels or light therapy.

The methods in which you attain your desired skin will be based on what you are looking for in terms of outcomes.

There are two main types of light therapy that are used for skin rejuvenation, IPL (Intense Pulse Light) and BBL (Broadband Light) .

Broadband Light uses advanced dual-lamp technology and a broad range of wavelengths to deliver targeted heat to the skin. It is essentially the next generation of IPL therapy. The treatment bursts the skin with high intensity light to help tighten and create a more event tone and texture.

It’s great for age spots, uneven skin texture, freckles, rosacea, scars and even small blood vessels. It really can work wonders for evening out the color of your skin by removing redness and brown spots that occur due to aging and sun exposure.

Intense Pulse Light was one of the original photo rejuvenation technologies that helped people regain their youthful skin. Intense pulsed light penetrates deep into the skin and causes collagen and blood vessels to constrict, which can help reduce redness and wrinkles. It can also be used to remove unwanted hair as well.

IPL is still used by many, but BBL is the next step in light therapy technology and can help with a wider variety of issues.

Does Light Therapy Work for Skin Rejuvenation?

Yes.

If you’re looking to reduce age spots, remove redness or brown spots, or smooth out your skin, light therapy is a great non-surgical solution. But it’s not a permanent solution.

We recommend a combination of medical grade skin care products in addition to light therapy treatments to ensure that your skin stays as youthful and vibrant as you desire.

Exposure to the sun and aging are going to continue to cause discoloration and wrinkles as you continue to age, there’s just no denying this. So by keeping up a skin care regiment that combines both medical products as well as light therapy, you’re sure to keep your skin looking as healthy as possible.

If you’re afraid of surgery, or don’t feel that your desire to have perfect skin warrants such procedures, there are plenty of non-surgical skin care options available.

Contact us today to setup a consultation to find out how laser light therapy can help bring that youthful glow back to your skin!