Botox & Fillers

Hi friends!

Happy Halloween! Today I’m sharing my story of Botox, Flips & Fillers, but not to worry, no tricks here, just treat(ment)s for this festive day!

If you caught my stories or highlights from Monday 10/21/19, you may already know that I decided to get some fillers and botox! I am pretty much a newbie to botox, having only had one treatment prior (in my jawline to help slim out fullness in my cheeks), and I’ve never had any fillers.

Plump & Fill

I had been interested in tear trough fillers (under the eye), and lip injections for quite some time, but was really nervous to go through with the process. There are many talented and qualified injectors in the DMV area, and I have met with, and spoken to many of them, but I never quite felt like I was ready to pull the trigger.

Finding The Right Doctor

I had already been following DC Plastic Surgery Boutique and Dr. Kulkarni on Instagram for a bit, and really loved that she took the extra time to provide detailed videos of treatments, as well as posting videos answering a lot of frequent questions about popular procedures.

Earlier this month, I reached out to Dr. Kulkarni’s office and scheduled a consultation appointment. Upon entering the boutique in DC, I immediately felt at ease in their beautiful office space. Dr. Kulkarni’s team is amazing as well; they are super friendly, knowledgable and helpful. I honestly felt so comfortable from the minute I walked through the door.

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The Consultation

I met with Dr. Kulkarni in one of her chic treatment rooms, and to my delight, she was super friendly, warm, and easy to talk to. I explained that I was interested in lip filler and tear trough filler, and perhaps botox if she felt I could use some. We discussed at length, my concerns, where I wanted the filler, and the overall look I wanted to achieve. I explained that although I love the natural shape and size of my lips, when I smiled, my upper lip seemed to virtually disappear, and became razor thin. I asked her about the difference between a botox lip flip and filler. She said that the botox lip flip is very subtle, but that I could do it in conjunction with some filler to give me more fullness and to keep my upper lip from disappearing when smiling. Dr. Kulkarni’s approach is conservative, which was important to me. I didn’t want duck lips, or to have people even notice that I had done anything to my lips, so I was definitely on board with her strategy.

Next, I talked to her about my under eye area. I had felt that there was some hollowness under my eyes, and I was really interested in tear trough filler. I had already seen a lot of results from her other patients on Instagram, and they looked great, so I was really interested in filling in my tear troughs as well. I also felt like I had a weird divot under my left eye that I was hoping could be fixed with the filler. Dr. Kulkarni honestly explained that while it was something that could not totally be fixed with filler, the filler would help soften the appearance, which I liked.

Lastly, Dr. Kulkarni and I discussed botox. I am verrrry fortunate for good genes, and the fact that I don’t really have any wrinkles or crows feet yet. I had one line that was starting to show at the top of my forehead when I raised my eyebrows, but that was it, and even that wasn’t bad at all. However, I already knew that if you get botox before it gets bad, and do preventative treatment, you can certainly slow down the process of having lines and wrinkles set in.

I truly felt so at ease with Dr. Kulkarni during our consultation; I never felt rushed, and appreciated that she really took the time to get to know me, and learn about my lifestyle. I really felt a sincere connection with her, and completely trusted her to do my injections. I didn’t go to the consultation expecting to get the treatments done right then and there, but again, I was already there, I felt informed and comfortable, and was confident that Dr. Kulkarni could expertly perform these procedures for me.

The Details

So yes, I did go through with getting the lip and tear trough fillers that day, and botox for the lip flip. I also decided that I would go ahead and get botox on my forehead too. So all in all, the injections I ended up going with that day were:

• Botox – 10 units total – for my forehead and upper lip flip
• Vollure – 1 cc – filler for my tear troughs
• Volbella – 1 cc – filler for my lips

The Procedures

The video below shows me actually getting my fillers and botox. I think it’s helpful to see what the process entails, and provides an actual account of how everything is done.

***Needles in use, if you prefer not to watch, please skip ahead!

Results

I’m almost two weeks out from getting the procedures, and I’m really happy I went for it. My lips look and feel great, and my tear troughs are fuller. While I wasn’t in desperate need of botox on my forehead, I’m happy to report that I have noticed that the small line I would get when I raised my eyebrows is gone, and I love it!

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Take Aways

My advice to fellow injectable/filler newbies is to 100% do your research and find someone who’s work you like. I think Instagram is a fantastic tool to see real results on a consistent basis. Meet with a few different injectors until you feel comfortable and confident with who you decide to go with. I did wait a while before taking the plunge, but I’m glad I was patient and found Dr. Kulkarni and the DC Plastic Surgery Boutique; going with her made my first experience with injectables successful and rewarding.

Be sure to check out DC Plastic Surgery Boutique online and give them a follow on Instagram – you can take advantage of seeing some fabulous results, and learn more about injectables and cosmetic procedures!

I hope you found this recap helpful! As a first time filler and Botox newbie, I just wanted to share these procedures with others who might not have a lot of experience with injectables either. The purpose was to show you the exact process of my Botox and filler treatments, and to also see the true results afterwards.

Are you considering Botox or fillers, or are you an old pro by now? Drop me a comment below and let me know. Also, if you have additional advice for those new to the filler/Botox game, please comment below!