Meet Dr. Sina Salimi, Founder and Medical Director at Estetica Clinics for Surrey and Berkshire.
With more than 20 years in the aesthetic industry, he’s heard it all and is keen to dispel a few of the many myths surrounding the most popular facial procedures, especially those that repetitively crop up and have a tendency to snowball into false truths.
“Many people think they fully understand the treatments and procedures carried out in aesthetic clinics. But, often this “knowledge” is just an accumulation of bad hearsay and not founded on any sort of considerable or accredited research they’ve done at all. I feel that, as a well-known practitioner, it is part of my duty of care to put the correct messages out there and debunk these myths.
“Sizing up with lips is an option for sure, but, as with any dermal filler, not always a requirement. Lip fillers increase hydration, correct asymmetry, and improve the balance between the top and bottom lip”
The Top 6 Most Common Inaccuracies That Surround Facial Aesthetic Procedures
1. Myth: Aesthetic treatments are dangerous
Aesthetic treatments and procedures are safe when done properly. It’s the non-regulation of these treatments that is unsafe. It is critical to ensure that you undergo these treatments at certified clinics with regulated products and safety measures in place and only under a medically trained practitioner.
As a patient, you should look at every treatment as a medical procedure and also make sure you research, in-depth, the credibility of the practitioner you choose. I’d even go as far as saying avoid beauticians. Going to a medically trained practitioner protects you, as a patient, as we are all regulated by the GMC (add more here), plus we have years of medical training behind us.
2. Myth: Dermal fillers will leave my face saggier when they wear off.
All dermal fillers will be naturally broken down by our body over time and the effects will gradually wear off. But, with today’s fillers, many of which contain Hyaluronic acid, the skin’s moisture levels are boosted (along with collagen production) from the inside and can vastly improve skin tone, texture, and elasticity thus providing long-term plumping benefits even after the fillers have been completely metabolized. So, you are often left with skin in better condition than before.
3. Myth: Lip fillers always give you big lips.
This is a huge misconception. Sizing up with lips is an option for sure, but, as with any dermal filler, not always a requirement. Lip fillers increase hydration, correct asymmetry, and improve balance between the top and bottom lip. Sadly, social media is saturated with overfilled lips and this creates a lot of confusion around the ‘lip filler’ treatment.
Most assume lip filler to always equate to the duck look - hugely unnatural, stuck-on-looking, cartoon lips. But, if you choose a reputable clinic, like Estetica, they will never overfill, and in fact, they will refuse to create that look and also strongly advise against seeking that outcome elsewhere. At Estetica, we gauge your ideal lip shape and volume based on your face shape and existing lip size.
4. Inaccuracy: If I don’t like the way I look after filler, I am stuck with it until it dissolves.
Filler formulated with hyaluronic acid (which we use) can always be reversed if necessary, by being injected with a specific enzyme. It’s easy and immediate. I’d like to add here that at Estetica we never use permanent filler. We also bespoke every injectable procedure according to a patient’s unique anatomy, baseline anatomy, severity of skin laxity and texture, lifestyle, and desired outcome. So, reversing fillers is very rare for us and patients are thrilled with the results.
5. Inaccuracy: Botox will freeze my face.
It is a common misunderstanding that Botulinum Toxin freezes your face. The outcome is in fact actually all down to the practitioner. Anti-Wrinkle injections (often called Botox - which is actually a brand name and thus a misnomer), relax the muscles, preventing them from contracting or moving. It is therefore important to go to a medically qualified, experienced practitioner who can decipher and also discuss with you how many units are needed and in which areas, and to what effect.
With the correct and precise injection patterns and quantities, these injections can also “lift” eyebrows, raise sagging eyebrows, and in turn help reduce hooding of the upper eyelid. Additionally, the wrong amount can increase any ptosis already present in a patient’s eyes, but a qualified practitioner would point this out before carrying out any treatment.
6. Myth: Botox is only for wrinkles.
Proving very popular for preventing wrinkles, Botulinum Toxins are not just used for this outcome - in fact, they have many other benefits, both aesthetic and medical. It was first used medically by Ophthalmologists for eye muscle disorders, very successfully, and is still used for those disorders today. Additionally, it is used, equally successfully, for pain management, sweat control, preventing or reducing bruxism and gummy smiles, and also muscle spasms and migraines.
I hope that, armed with this information and myth debunking, I have given you a greater understanding of the facial aesthetics industry, products, and procedures, and thus greater confidence to begin your own rejuvenation journey with the correct clinic and practitioner.