Category Archives: Botox Injectors

Surgical Artistry receives Allergan TOP 250 Ranking in the USA

December 28, 2019Allergan, Botox, Botox Injectors, Brilliant Distinctions, Juvederm, Latisse, Modesto, Modesto Botox Blog, statistics, surgical dexterity, year in reviewallergan, Calvin Lee, Modesto, top 250, top 500Calvin Lee

Written by Surgical Artistry staff member

Dr. Calvin Lee, MD and his team at Surgical Artistry are proud to receive the prestigious distinction of being a TOP 250 level member with Allergan. We are very thankful to our patients for their continued support and trust. And we are grateful to our Surgical Artistry team for their excellence and dedication. We are thankful to Allergan for producing excellent products which we trust and for giving us this top award.

Top 250 Allergan Account

Allergan is the maker of Botox and Juvederm and periodically recognizes the country’s most skilled and prolific specialists using their products in the world of aesthetic medicine and plastic surgery. We estimate that there are over 40,000 Allergan accounts in the USA. It’s a huge honor to have a Top 250 ranking. Dr. Lee has been honored to have a Top 500 ranking since the end of 2016 for 3 years. The ranking fluctuates from day to day and Allergan allows for their Top 500-600 accounts to view the “leaderboard” online.

Allergan products

Allergan makes many products and the ones that we use at Surgical Artistry are: Botox, Juvederm, Kybella, and Latisse. Allergan also makes Skinmedica skin care, Natrelle Breast Implants, Coolsculpting, Cooltone and Diamond Glow. These other products are ones that we have not yet expanded into. We currently use products from other companies such as Mentor or Obagi or other surgical techniques such as liposuction. Surgical Artistry has been using Allergan products since 2006. Dr. Tammy Wu was the original injector of Botox, but in 2008, she turned the art and practice of cosmetic injections over to Dr. Calvin Lee. Now it is the bulk of what Dr. Lee does every day at Surgical Artistry.

Surgical Artistry in Modesto, California

Surgical Artistry was founded by Dr. Calvin Lee, and Dr. Tammy Wu in 2006 in Modesto, California. They are a husband and wife team of surgeons. Dr. Calvin Lee is a board certified general surgeon with trauma experience and Dr. Tammy Wu is a board certified plastic surgeon. Dr. Calvin Lee also does acupuncture.

Our main goal is constant improvement with personalized patient care, safety, and outcomes.

We have a superstar team dedicated to taking care of you throughout your self care journey.

More about Calvin Lee, MD

Dr. Calvin Lee started injecting Botox and Juvederm in April 2008, and has grown to love cosmetic injections. He considers it an extension of his Surgical and Acupuncture practice. He was born in New York City, and was accepted to Harvard, Stanford, and Brown Universities. He graduated from Brown University Medical school and became a General and Trauma Surgeon. Later he also became an acupuncturist. In 2011 he had the privilege to start giving lectures about Latisse for the Allergan Company, and around 2017 he also started doing hands on training for the Allergan Company for injectables such as Botox and Juvederm. Also that year, he was award Top 25 most loved injectors by RealSelf and had a mention in Glamour magazine.

My Botox only lasted 4 months!!! No animals were harmed in producing this picture except for the pizza, Nikki, and Franchesca.

Along with his wife Dr. Tammy Wu (plastic surgeon), they are also founding sponsors of the Modesto Marathon, which is among one of his proudest moments. He now supports with Doctors Medical Center, Ripons Run which has a half marathon and is in May. He practices a Vegan diet and has run 8 marathons. He also is a professional level violinist.

(209) 551-1888 is our telephone number.
We are located at 4754 Dale Road, Modesto, CA

Free Botox and Juvederm Consultations

For 2020, Botox and Juvederm Consultations with Dr. Calvin Lee are free. At the consultation, the purpose is mainly information, and there should be no pressure to purchase anything. Patients get a chance to learn more about what we do and if we are the right fit for a future journey together. We can also discuss customized goals and plans. Our telephone number is 209-551-1888. We are located at 4754 Dale Road, Modesto, CA 95356 – across the street from Kaiser Hospital on Dale Road. We hope to see you at our office!

Short Biography for Botox Surgeon Dr. Calvin Lee

October 10, 2015Botox, Botox Injectors, Modesto, surgical dexteritybotox, Modesto Symphony, ViolinCalvin Lee

Intro: I was asked to submit this to the Modesto Symphony when I got awarded an appearance with the Modesto Symphony Orchestra.

Short Modesto Symphony Biography for Calvin Lee, MD

Calvin Lee was born in New York City, and went to school in the suburbs. He graduated top of his class in high school and was accepted to all the universities he applied to including Harvard, Stanford, and Brown Universities. He chose to go to Brown and there he met his wife, Dr. Tammy Wu – Plastic Surgeon. We continued on to medical school at Brown University where Dr. Tammy Wu graded top of her Ivy League medical school class. Turning down job offers in San Diego and Los Angeles, Dr. Calvin Lee found a wonderful career in Trauma/General surgery in Modesto, California instead. We decided to call Modesto our home and eventually established Surgical Artistry in 2006. Dr. Lee is also an acupuncturist. Now, he spends 40% of his clinical time with acupuncture, and 50% of his time with cosmetic injections of Botox, Dermal-Fillers, Veins, and Kybella. The rest of the time is reserved for assisting in Cosmetic Surgeries and pain related spinal surgical implants. He and his wife are founders of the Gallo Center for the Arts, founding title sponsors for the Surgical Artistry Modesto Symphony Pops Series (2007-2009) / Surgical Artistry Modesto Symphony Fat Cat Classics (2006-2007), and founding title sponsors for the Surgical Artistry Modesto Marathon (2010-current).

strings-mag-calvin-lee-larger — Strings Magazine

Musically, Dr. Lee started violin at age 7. He studied violin with Mary Canberg till he went to college. He attended music theory classes at the Manhattan School of Music. He studied violin with Charles Sherba while at Brown University. He won the concerto competition at Brown University twice and was the concert master . He finds it interesting and quite an honor to be listed as one of the 7 notable students listed on the webpage of his Brown University Orchestral Conductor, Paul Phillips. In 2009 he won a spot in the YouTube Symphony. A year after that, he was invited to Hong Kong to solo on the violin with a well-established medical orchestra. This led to other violin solo performances with orchestras in Taipei and Macau. This trip to Asia was a “tour” that took approximately two months. After that trip, he was eager to return to his world as a doctor. Another highlight is a write-up in Strings Magazine. I still remember reading that magazine from cover to cover as a child, and now I get to be on the inside of the back cover! He is now dabbling in piano.

YouTube:

Lowest cost BOTOX in MODESTO

January 11, 2015Botox, Botox Injectors, BOTOX Questions, ModestopriceCalvin Lee

What’s the lowest cost of Botox in Modesto?

I’ve been attempting to write blogs on common questions which we get in our Modesto Botox Injection Practice – where the Botox is injected by me (Calvin Lee, MD, Board Certified Surgeon)

I can’t be for sure, but I think it’s around $9/unit. I have also commonly seen Botox at $10/unit in Modesto, California. It may even be lower than this at private functions such as Botox parties in Modesto.

I guess my practice doesn’t offer the lowest price per unit cost for Botox. But hopefully we offer one of the best values for Botox.

Modesto Botox with Dr. Lee – my new page – written January 2015.

We hope that Best Value wins over Best Price

It’s our hope that value is something that’s more important than lowest price for Botox. But we definitely understand that a low price for Botox in Modesto is very important. It’s probably very important anywhere in the world.

Our Botox Surgeons (mainly Calvin Lee, MD) value a high level of

results
safety
and comfort.

And the Office values a high level of

customer service
positive attitude
and communication

Botox price and Botox cost related links which I have written:

Most common / average cost of Botox injections
Average cost of Botox injections – different from the Botox website above.
How much does Botox Cost?
Surgerytoday.com huge description of Botox in Modesto
Modesto Botox injections with Calvin Lee, MD
Lowest Price Botox – Blog Entry.
How much does Botox cost in Modesto – Blog Entry.

Note: Botox prices fluctuate. Please call your Modesto Botox sources for updated info. Even our prices can change!

Here’s a list of about 40 places to get Botox in Modesto.

Calvin Lee, MD

Allergan considers a 3% increase in the price of Botox starting in 2015

December 30, 2014Actavis, Allergan, Belotero, Botox, Botox Injectors, Crows Feet, Modesto, Volumaprice increaseCalvin Lee

Botox, Juvederm, Latisse to possibly get a 3% rise in cost for those Botox practices purchasing from Allergan USA

I don’t have this 100% verified. But I heard a whisper about this as I am a regular Modesto purchaser of Botox, Juvederm, Voluma and Latisse. I heard that across the board all these three products are going up in price in January except the 5 ML Latisse. I do recall that last January, Botox had a sudden increase in price which wasn’t announced ahead of time. I think Botox practices deserve to know ahead of time for planning purposes.

However Allergan is about to merge with Actavis, and many of these practices and policies of price increases are probably going to change

A history of price increases

I remember when we started purchasing Botox in 2006 that every year, the price would go up. To our humble Modesto practice, it felt like a bit of a struggle to keep up. When the recession became more of an accepted ambiance, Botox prices stayed the same for a few years. But starting in 2014, the prices started increasing. I had a strong feeling that many practices in Modesto, including ours had greater temptation to migrate over to Xeomin and Dysport from Botox. However, I think as with inflation, there tends to be an increase in just about everything all the time.

How much would Botox Cost at our Modesto Practice?

I think we would consider following the trend of price increases. If our Botox source goes up 3%, we would probably consider following. However last year when Botox price increased for us, I elected not to increase our Botox price for patients, yet. Please call our office for the latest information. Our phone number is on our Modesto Website.

Such is life in Modesto and life in general

Hopefully Botox’s prices doesn’t skyrocket to the point where we have constantly diminishing returns. Diminishing returns? There is pressure, naturally, to lower the price of Botox for patients – there’s competition from other injectors, there’s fake Botox, there’s Botox from other countries, and their’s other products that do similar things to Botox such as Xeomin and Dypsort.

Enter Xeomin and Dysport into the Modesto market? Belotero and Radiesse?

In general, it’s good to keep an open mind about the possibilities of other products that work in the same areas as Botox, namely, Xeomin and Dysport. I already like a lot of Non-Allergan products – meaning non-Juvederm. My personal exploration with these other products were brought about in the early 2014 price increase that was suddenly dropped on me in January 2014. So good things come out of things that appear bad at first. I think I wouldn’t have been such a supporter of Belotero – Belotero Balance – if I didn’t have a kick from the sudden jolt that I received from Allergan in January 2014.

Getting Botox has never been a right, like free speech

Getting Botox injected into one’s glabellar complex or crows feet has always been a choice, not a right. Thus we can simply choose to avoid this price increase by avoiding Botox altogether. That could be a choice for the consumer, or it could be a choice for the Botox injector. For a cosmetic surgeon, there’s a choice to focus more on surgeries. We can’t complain, as a team, my wife and I have had the opportunity to do many cosmetic surgeries. In fact in 2014, we were voted Best Cosmetic Surgeon in Stanislaus County (which includes Modesto) from Contentment Health Magazine.

But I’d like to think that I’m trying to keep the prices reasonable for our patients in Modesto, CA.

How much does Botox cost in Modesto?

December 29, 2014Botox, Botox Injectors, Modestocost of BotoxCalvin Lee

When asking this question or answering it, I usually have to remind myself that when I go listen to a violinist, I’m more interested in the artist than the instrument. And when I’m thinking about surgery, I’m more interested in the surgeon rather than the scalpel. But when thinking about getting Botox injections…

Anyway, I digress slightly, let me answer the question:

Botox is usually charged per unit – we charged $11.70 per unit in 2014

update: There is probably going to be a price increase in 2015 for Botox. Please call our Modesto office for the new pricing.

As of the initial writing of this Modesto Botox Blog, we charge for cosmetic Botox $11.70 per unit. We used to charge $13 per unit, but then decided that our Modesto Botox practice wasn’t too keen on having specials which caused people to buy Botox on impulse – thus we decided to put it “on sale” all the time instead of having fluctuating/time limited specials. Thus the “on sale” all the time pricing was 10% off the $13 per unit. Last year, Allergan (the makers of Botox), raised the price of Botox, but we kept the price the same. We had some discussion of increasing our price, but as of this date we haven’t done that. Please contact us via phone to find out if our prices have changed.

Regarding Botox Coupons? We do consistently take Allergan’s Brilliant Distinctions. This is run by the Allergan company. If they want to give you coupons to use – by all means use them!

We have a slightly different charge for Medical Botox, as opposed to Cosmetic Botox. Our office in Modesto does not take medical insurances.

update: Starting April 2015, we raised the price of our Botox injections by Dr. Calvin lee to $12.00/unit. This is the first time we’ve increased our price of Botox since 2006. Please check with our office. It’s my believe that the cost of Botox will increase slightly every year.

What is the average number of units received in our Modesto Botox practice?

According to my 2014 Modesto Botox statistics, the average number of Botox units used by my Modesto patients is about 34 units of Botox.

How much would 34 units of Botox cost in our Modesto office?

Let me reach for my calculator. I would multiply 34 units by $11.70/unit of Botox. The answer is: $397.80. There is no added Modesto sales tax or federal sales tax. As Modesto car sales people would say: “it’s $397.80 out the door.”

What is the rest of the United States and other areas of Modesto charging?

I’m not exactly sure. But I think it would range anywhere from $9 per unit to $15 per unit of Botox. Feel free to visit this link where I list about 40 places to get Botox in Modesto, California.

How does Botox compare to the prices of Xeomin or Dysport?

Usually Xeomin and Dysport is about 10%-20% lower in cost.

Sometimes Botox is charged by the area.

There are two areas on the face as of the initial writing of this blog where Botox is FDA approved for cosmetic use. The Glabellar Complex (area between the eye brows) and the Crows Feet. We don’t currently charge that way in our Modesto Botox office. We feel that it is easier to customize the Botox dose for the patients if we charged by the unit. We would say that the most common charge for the Glabellar Complex (area between the eye brows) is $234. And a very common charge for the crows feet is also $234. That translates to about 20U for each of these cosmetic facial areas for Botox injections.

Summary of How much does Botox cost?

Botox costs $11.70 per unit (please call our Modesto office to check with us to see if prices have changed). Update, the price has increased to $12.00 per unit (the first increase since 2006).
Most of our Modesto patients get 34 units of Botox for cosmetic uses (on the face).
Doing the multiplication, 34 units of Botox costs $397.80.
But many people just get one area done for Botox and that could 10-20 units. Which would be $117 to $234 – if using our Modesto office pricing (Surgical Artistry). I think my front desk may often mention this – as a starting point for someone new to Botox.

So if we get a question about, on average how much would a treatment of Botox cost? The answer would be $397.80

Please see your own Botox Surgeon, Botox Physician or Botox Injector regarding your personalized pricing. Feel free to visit our Modesto Botox practice.

I also wrote another page about the cost of Botox about 1 year ago. Not much has changed. Check it out if you’re interested. There is no specific medical info here, please see your physician in person.

Accurate, precise, deliberate dexterity for typing and Botox

December 21, 2014Botox, Botox Injectors, Modesto, Piano for Dexterity, surgical dexterity10fastfingers.com, christmas, dexterity, typingCalvin Lee

Typing, Surgery, and Botox – all demand dexterity

I have always valued accurate, precise, deliberate dexterity. Typing is one of those things that demands a certain amount of dexterity.

An incredible Christmas gift

I got a Christmas gift from a relative when I was probably around 9 years old; it was a how-to-type book. I remember devouring that book up with our family’s type-writer in the basement. Yes, an old fashioned type-writer. The keys got stuck, and I used much ink practicing every page in that book. I think it was one of the best gifts and best memories. Today, I want to thank my relatives for that awesome gift about 35 Christmases ago. I think it helped lead me to a life where dexterity was of utmost importance – especially as a surgeon and Botox injector.

121 words per minute screenshot Calvin Lee Modesto California — Online typing test

Excuses, excuses, excuses

If I could make excuses, for the result above (121 words per minute) I’m typing on an uneven surface, at an unreasonable height. One of these days, I’ll try to find a stable surface to type upon – or a different keyboard for that matter – one that doesn’t squeak and doesn’t bounce around, and I hope to have an even better result. I believe that the height of my typing speed was back in high school, and it’s been somewhat slowed down on purpose because of respect for carpal tunnel syndrome -which I somewhat suffered from during my Surgery training years. My carpal tunnel is just about gone, but I know part of that was from watching the way I type. So I typed this whole paragraph probably at 100 words per minute which is a relaxed pace for me.

– Calvin Lee, MD
Performs surgery and injects Botox in Modesto, California.
Also other things with needles: Voluma, Radiesse, Juvederm, Asclera (vein), Acupuncture,

Disclaimer: Be careful typing. It can cause problems if there is too much strain. There is no medical advice here.

Can Botox Cause Botulism?

December 14, 2014Botox, Botox Complications, Botox InjectorsBotulismCalvin Lee

Botox cause Botulism?

Yes, when injected incorrectly and with certain patient factors. But please read on.

Botox from Allergan is a highly purified protein derived in the laboratory from a bacteria which can cause botulism.

What Bacteria does Botox come from?

Botox is purified in the lab from a bacteria known as Clostridium botulinum. It is a gram-positive, rod-shaped, anaerobic, spore-forming bacterium.

Botulism and the Bacterial cause

Botulism is a rare illness that causes paralysis of the body including breathing muscles. It can be caused by several different strains of Clostridium: Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium butyricum, and Clostridium baratii.

Various forms of Botulism

There are about 5 various forms of botulism, but the three main forms are foodborne botulism, wound botulism, and infant botulism (which can be caused by honey ingestion in infants). The bacterial spores from clostridium botulinum are common in soil and water.

Various forms of Botulinum Toxin

The Botulinum toxin are a varied group and consist of 8 types. Botulinum toxin types A, B, E, F, and H affect humans. The other types affect other mammals. Botox is Botulinum toxin type A. There are three forms of Botulinum toxin type A used medically: Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin, and there is a botulinum toxin type B called MyoBloc which is also used medically.

Iatrogenic = accidental overdose. Another form of Botulism.

An iatrogenic form of botulism (in addition to the three main types described above) can occur from accidental overdose of these botulinum toxins. How can an overdose occur? Too high of a dosage, injected into blood vessels or accidental spread from intended medical targets.

“Botox is to Botulism as Penicillin is to Mold”

But one elegant way to think about Botox is this analogy: “Botox is to Botulism as Penicillin is to Mold.” That statement is trying to say that Botox is harnessing the good powers of something considered harmful; just like how penicillin was derived from mold.

With cosmetic dosing and usage, the chance of overdose related (iatrogenic) Botulism is small.

“Good Medicine given in dangerously high doses is a Bad Poison”

Medicine can become a poison when given in supra-physiologic amounts. That goes for just about every medicine. This is my own quote, but in many ways, this can be considered common sense and applicable to many facets of life. The common quote is “too much of a good thing is bad.”

In my opinion, when genuine cosmetic Botox is injected properly, it is one of the safest drugs I’ve used.

The risk of Botulism from Botox is extremely small

Hopefully this discussion isn’t too scary. What I mean to say is that if Botox is injected in huge amounts and incorrectly, there is a risk of Botulism. There may also be risks when patients inadvertently push the Botox away from their intended targets. But when injected in small amounts (ie. for cosmetic use) and carefully (and with experience), the risk of Botulism is extremely small. Medical Botox usually is a higher dose of Botox than Cosmetic Botox. Medical Botox is frequently 10 times higher dosage than Cosmetic Botox. But even so, the risk of iatrogenic Botulism is miniscule. As with any potential risk, we should be aware and treat Botox with respect.

Treat Botox with respect – a message to myself as a Botox injector. Here are some tips to avoid Botox complications

As injectors we should continue to watch out for high doses of Botox. Perhaps we should break up those doses into a staged approach, meaning that the patient could come back a few days later for more Botox instead of cramming it all in at once.

We need to watch out for blood vessels. We should aggressively seek out vessels that we can see or feel with our hands and avoid them, and consider taking notes of offending vessels when repeated Botox is anticipated.

We should take care to think of Botox as a three-dimentional injection. The depth of injection matters to me.

And it goes without saying, that we should use the proper Botulinum toxin for the indication. No shortcuts here.

As for patient factors, I continue to warn my patients to avoid large amounts of pressure on the injected spots and avoid rattling the area with devices such as clarisonic for a few days after the injections. This is just my own thoughts on the topic of Botox migration.

Please visit us in person for more of your concerns and questions about Botox.

More info on Botox and Botulism

Our website: Modesto Botox – www.InjectionArtistry.com or visit the home page of our Modesto Botox Blog or visit our Plastic Surgery page.

Please see your own doctor or Botox injector for a personalized discussion. There is no medical advice here, just medical information. This is just my own opinion for this blog. Allergan has nothing to do with this blog. In fact Allergan sales people have said things to me before which make me believe that they wouldn’t agree with this blog. Please double check facts in this blog which may change with time.

www.InjectionArtistry.com

Spending too much money on internet webpages?

December 13, 2014Advertising, Botox, Botox InjectorsBotox advertising, misunderstood, webhosting, webpage, websiteCalvin Lee

Spending too much money on BOTOX advertising – a bad thing?

“If they spend THAT MUCH money on webpages, they obviously aren’t good enough”

Maybe I need to cool it with websites (but it’s fun!). Overheard on the streets of Modesto, “Don’t go to Surgical Artistry because they spend way too much money on advertising with webpages. If someone needs to spend THAT MUCH money on webpages, they obviously aren’t good enough.”

Whoa! Wow! I know I’m frequently misunderstood. I think it comes out to a penny a webpage.

Give me a chance to clarify before judging my BOTOX skill to be inversely proportional to the amount of money I spend on WEBPAGE ADVERTISING (which I think is close to nothing, and I don’t consider all of this advertising – just a strange hobby). I spend a prepaid amount which is $95 per year for hosting, and about $1-$15 per year per website – for example www.InjectionArtistry.com and www.ModestoAcupuncture.com (These are $11 each per year). Each website could have a ton of webpages without additional cost. I don’t consider this spending a lot on webpages – plus, it’s a hobby!

Proof: this is what my internet webhosting account looks like today 12/13/14.

$95 a year for my BOTOX website hosting

Every year, I think I spend much more on paper (to write on and print/copy) than I do on websites. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I will rethink my plethora of webpages. Thank you for the indirect feedback! I appreciate it all.

Skin Aging Infographic from Colorescience

December 9, 2014Botox, Botox Injectors, Crows Feet, Modesto, Obagicolorescience, infographic, skin aging, sunscreenCalvin Lee

Skin Aging Explained – and how to fight it

I got this infographic about Skin Aging from Colorescience. It was sent over in an email. I posted it to our facebook accounts and it started getting some shares. I think that’s an indication that skin aging is a pretty populr topic.

infographic on Skin Aging - need Botox — Skin Aging Explained and what to do about it. Click to enlarge.

Highlights from the infographic on Skin Aging from Colorescience:

Sun Damage – more than 90% of age-related skin changes are caused by the sun. Use sunscreen – in particular it says, use their product called Sunforgettable. And we carry that product at Surgical Artistry, Modesto.
Dehydration – use hyaluronic acid. We have many products with hyaluronic acid made by Obagi and SkinCeuticals.
Acne Treament – spot treatments dry out the skin. Use products for the whole face.
Food – sugars, sweets and saturated fats increase the likelihood of a wrinkled appearance. Solution: avoid processed food, eat plenty of fresh fruits and veggies.
Exercise: only 18% of women meet the recommended amounts of exercise
Sleep: Getting insufficient sleep ages the skin prematurely and fosters eye area puffiness. Solution: ban bright electronics at least 90 minutes before bed to improve quality of sleep.
Makeup Removal.

What is Sunforgettable?

It is a powdered mineral sunscreen with Zinc and Titanium dispensed with a brush, and it comes in 3 different skin tints.

What? No mention of BOTOX wrinkle prevention?

BOTOX, to me is one of the most effective treatments to receive to help prevent wrinkles. It has received FDA approval for the Glabella area and Crows Feet areas. Botox has also received approval for cosmetic use in wrinkle prevention in other areas of the face. I guess BOTOX wasn’t mentioned in this article because Colorescience isn’t the manufacturer of Botox. Otherwise, of course they would have included Botox in this discussion of skin aging.

And Smoking? even more important than BOTOX or Sunscreen.

It’s tops on my list to quit smoking – as a top thing to do to slow down skin aging.

My top three for Anti-Aging skin?

Stop smoking
Use Sunscreen with ZINC
Consider BOTOX use

Slowing down the aging skin is a passion of ours at our Modesto Botox Practice: Surgical Artistry.

Visit my blog from a few years ago about Zinc and Sunscreen

Disclaimer:

I didn’t write this infographic. Please visit us: Modesto Botox, Plastic Surgery, Veins, and Acupuncture. Please verify all ideas presented here with your doctor. I am not your doctor unless you have seen me in person. We carry Colorescience skin care products in addition to NIA 24, Obagi, and SkinCeuticals.

BOTOX Terminology: Glabella

December 8, 2014Allergan, Botox, Botox Injectors, BOTOX Questions, ModestoglabellaCalvin Lee

What is the glabella?

Glabella has very little to do “gorilla” or “umbrella”. Although they rhyme. And if you got a gorilla angry, he/she would have a furrowed glabella. And if you were caught in the a rain storm without an umbrella. I think you would also be furrowing your glabella. And for some patients they look like gorillas if they have very strong muscles in the glabella.

It is the area between the eyebrows above the nose. Interestingly, it is derived from the latin word “glabellus” which means smooth. And a smooth glabella is the goal of a BOTOX treatment for the glabella. We sometimes consider the wrinkles that form in this are the “frown lines” between the eyes or eyebrows.

I'm activating my glabellar complex of muscles here (between the eye brows). — I’m activating my glabellar complex of muscles here (between the eye brows).

Is Glabellar Botox FDA approved?

Yes, BOTOX is FDA approved for cosmetic use in the glabellar complex

How many BOTOX Units are used in the Glabella?

Usually around 20. But ranges from 12-40 units have been used in my Modesto Botox practice. Men and younger patients, with their stronger muscles, usually need a higher dose of BOTOX units. However some younger patients are looking for prevention, and thus may not need as high of a dose. Customization is key.

What muscles comprise the Glabella?

The procerus muscle in the middle, surrounded by a pair of corrugator/depressor supercilii. Everyone has different presentations of this muscle. The anatomy is slightly different for each individual, and the strength of these muscles differ as well. This leads to individualization of each BOTOX injection.

So basically three muscles:

Procerus in the middle
Depressor supercilii
Corrugator supercilii

If BOTOX doesn’t work for glabellar creases, what’s next?

Consider fillers for the static lines of the glabella. BOTOX may work somewhat for the glabellar static lines; however, BOTOX is mainly a treatment for dynamic lines. Dynamic lines (wrinkles) are formed when the muscle contracts. Static lines (wrinkles) are present even when the muscles are relaxed. Many dynamic lines are on their way to static lines – it’s just a matter of time. However BOTOX can prevent the progression.

What is the best filler for glabellar static lines?

I think this question depends on the injector and how they use the fillers. This would be an off-label FDA use of fillers. I personally prefer Belotero for filling Glabellar creases if it becomes a desired option. The reason I like Belotero to complement BOTOX treatments in the glabellar region is that it is a light-weight filler which doesn’t easily show up as bumps in the glabellar region. However if the glabellar lines are very deep and the skin is lax, sometimes a thicker filler such as Juvederm would work better.