When I found out I was pregnant I had no idea who to choose for a pediatrician. I called other mothers to find out who took good care of their children. I asked other doctors I knew who took the best care of babies. I called to see who had nurse practitioners or who sent acute illnesses to the ER. I did NOT however call to see which pediatrician was cheapest. On the other hand, when I found the hair dryer I just had to have all I cared about was the cost. I checked every on-line site I could find to get the cheapest price of the same hair dryer. Because no matter which online site I bought the hair dryer from it would come to my door step exactly the same. Now that hair dryer in my hands never could fix my hair exactly like my hair dresser (Caroline Mackey at Roots) could fix my hair. Who knows the feeling? Your hair looks so good when your hair dresser does it so you buy the same curling iron, shampoo, conditioner and hair spray but then when you use all the same tools your hair looks completely different! Never as good.
Botox is a tool. Just like that Hair dryer. If you take every single injector in the United States and take their Botox vials and set them on a counter they all come from Allergan (the company that makes Botox cosmetic)exactly the same. However, in whose hands that vial is placed makes all the difference. The injector may mix it any concentration he/she chooses, place it to lift the brows or drop the brows, make a smile symmetrical or make it crooked, shelf the cheeks around the eyes or open the eyes up youthfully and naturally. Good and bad results can come from a vial that once looked the same sitting on a counter. Just like that hair dryer that I searched all over the Internet for the best deal. Once it was in my hands I got okay hair-do results but once placed in my hair dresser, Caroline’s hands, I had the best hair I could possibly have. If it was placed in the wrong hands I could have my hair singed off.
That’s why Botox isn’t Botox. That’s why when you shop around for Botox you should be shopping for an injector, not a price. Shop for Botox like I shopped for my pediatrician, not my hair dryer. Ask a friend who you think looks great where she is injected. Call the clinic and ask what type of experience the injector has, did the injector train at an 8 hour course on a free weekend or was he/she trained by dermatologists or plastic surgeons? Ask how much they inject, 10 people a month or 100? Ask what awards they have won. Ask the person you’re talking to on the phone if they have had it done and why they trusted their injector. Johnson Dermatology offers Botox at $9-$12/unit depending on what program you’re in with our clinic. So I hope you know I don’t make these suggestions because we are expensive(we are competitively priced with other expert injectors) and I want to validate that. I make these suggestions because Botox may come in a bottle the same but I promise it goes out of the needle differently. I often joke that our clinic could run an episode of “Botched” from all the corrections Dr. Sandy and I perform. It’s not a funny joke. It’s scary and sad and I would love to prevent it from happening, even if it means the patient spends a few extra dollars. Thank you for trusting Dr. Sandy and I as your injectors. If you would like to come interview us in person because you’re interested in injections, then come this Friday, September, 29th and watch us inject live. We are going to have a lunch and learn at noon that day. Please RSVP to Dani@johnsondermatology.com or margaret@johnsondermatology.com if you plan to join the fun!
Have a Skintastic week , Nina
