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Are Lip Injections Painful?

Lip Augmentation in Jacksonville, FLLip injections are the preferred technique for lip augmentation and enhancement for many reasons: they produce instant results, there’s minimal downtime and there’s no scarring or long-lasting side effects. However, many patients share the concern that lip injections are a painful treatment. Below, we’ll explain the lip injection treatment process and how we prevent any pain to provide a comfortable treatment experience.

Minimizing Lip Injection Pain

Injections are never quite comfortable, no matter where on the body they’re administered. Fortunately, Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery utilizes many techniques to minimize pain during the lip injection process. We do everything we can to provide patients with a comfortable treatment, which may include a combination of the following techniques:

  • Numbing Cream
    • Prior to treatment, we can apply numbing cream on the treatment area. This topical solution will numb the skin to reduce discomfort from the injection process.
  • Ice
    • Similar to numbing cream, we can apply ice to the treatment area to numb the skin.
  • Lidocaine
    • Lidocaine is a type of anesthetic that can be mixed into lip injection products. Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery uses the filler Juvederm® Ultra for the lips, which has lidocaine in the product. This allows patients to get an added numbing effect with each injection and helps further reduce any pain.
  • Laughing Gas
    • Laughing gas, or nitrous oxide, is a mild sedative that helps patients relax. It can reduce both anxiety and pain, helping patients relax comfortably while they receive their lip injections. It wears off quickly, which makes it a safe technique for patients who need to return to their usual activities after treatment.

Is There Pain After Lip Injections?

Due to lidocaine in the filler, patients’ lips are usually numb and therefore free of discomfort following the lip injections. When the lidocaine wears off, any remaining discomfort can be easily managed with ice or Tylenol.

Am I A Good Candidate for Lip Injections?

If you’re considering lip injections, don’t let the fear of pain stop you from enjoying the benefits of treatment. The team at Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery is here to help you enjoy a comfortable lip injection treatment and all of the benefits that come with it. To determine if you are a good candidate for lip injections, contact us today to schedule your initial consultation and get started with treatment.

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The 3 Pillars of Anti-Aging

Medical Spa Services in Jacksonville, FLAnti-aging is often made more complicated than it needs to be. As a result, many patients focus their efforts in too many places, leaving too little focus on the anti-aging efforts that matter the most. Today, we’re going to simplify things and identify the 3 pillars of anti-aging that you need to focus on for comprehensive and long-lasting skin health.

At-Home Skin Care Regimen

First and foremost, you need a good at-home skincare regimen. The right skincare routine can provide your skin with the protection, care and nutrients that it needs on a daily basis. Although in-office cosmetic treatments are effective for many reasons, nothing beats the daily nourishment that a skincare routine provides. Using the right skincare products at home is one of the best preventative techniques, as you can address the causes of aging before they even occur. Plus, skincare products can keep your skin healthy and young year-round, which will only improve the results you get from other treatments.

Microneedling

Microneedling is a powerful anti-aging treatment that stimulates collagen production in the body. Collagen is a protein that plays an essential role in maintaining skin health and volume, but our bodies produce less of it as we age. Microneedling can increase our natural collagen levels, which can rejuvenate the skin and even address cosmetic concerns like wrinkles, lines, acne scars and more. Furthermore, microneedling has the unique benefit of increasing the efficacy of topical products. After microneedling, your skin will be able to better absorb skincare products. This means that it is an excellent complement to an at-home skincare regimen.

Injectables

Skincare products can help prevent and treat wrinkles, but for enhanced results, it’s best to include some injectables. These can be used as both preventative and anti-aging treatments. Injectables like Botox® can relax the muscles that cause wrinkles in the first place, helping you prevent them before they form. Dermal fillers can restore volume lost to the aging process, smoothing out lines and wrinkles that may have formed over the years. Combined, these injectable treatments are an essential part of any anti-aging strategy.

Another quality worth noting about injectables is that they produce near-instant results. While both skincare products and microneedling results develop gradually over time, you’ll notice results from your injectables within days of treatment. This makes injectables a perfect pairing with skincare products and microneedling, as you’ll achieve comprehensive results both immediately and in the months to come.

How Can I Get Started?

To learn more about the 3 pillars of anti-aging, contact us today at Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery. We’ll help you get started with these treatments by assessing your skincare goals and developing a personalized treatment plan.

 

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Am I Too Young for Filler?

Dermal Fillers and Injectables in Jacksonville, FLDermal fillers are one of the preferred techniques for addressing signs of aging, as they offer instant results and a quick treatment process with minimal downtime. However, there is a common misbelief that you have to be a certain age to benefit from dermal filler treatments. Although older patients are among the most common recipients of dermal fillers, younger patients are actually in the ideal age range for dermal fillers. In fact, as long as you’re in your 20s, you’re probably not too young for dermal fillers!

Dermal Fillers in Your 20s & 30s

Although many people don’t start noticing significant signs of aging until their 40s or 50s, we actually begin losing facial volume in our 20s. The silver lining to this is that the process happens gradually, which gives younger patients plenty of time to manage these symptoms before they develop into something more severe. For patients in this age group, dermal fillers are actually a perfect treatment because they can provide subtle, natural-looking changes throughout the years. Using small amounts of dermal fillers can complement natural facial volume, helping patients maintain a natural look while prolonging their youthful appearance. This will prevent the common problem of looking unnatural or “overdone” that often comes when dermal fillers are used in large quantities.

Why Start Dermal Fillers Early

As mentioned above, starting dermal fillers early can help you maintain a natural volume throughout the years. To illustrate why this is preferred, you may want to consider a patient who has developed significant volume loss in the face but never used facial fillers. This patient may want to correct years of volume loss in a single treatment session, incorporating a number of dermal filler products. Unfortunately, the desire to turn back the clock often results in the less natural look we discussed earlier, as patients have to make up for years of volume loss that were not properly addressed. Starting dermal fillers when you begin experiencing volume loss can help ease you into your older years, and provide you with a good foundation for anti-aging treatments in the future.

Are You Considering Dermal Fillers?

If you’ve begun experiencing volume loss, contact us today to schedule your consultation for dermal fillers at Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery. We’ll assess your treatment goals and help you develop a treatment plan based on the dermal fillers that will be best for you.

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Want a Filler That Lasts Longer?

Bellafill® in Jacksonville, FLIt’s no secret that dermal fillers are one of the most popular and effective options for restoring volume in the skin. There’s just one problem: they don’t last long. In fact, most dermal fillers wear off between 6 and 18 months, which leaves you right back at square one. If you are looking for a dermal filler that lasts longer, keep reading! We’ll take a look at Bellafill®, which can provide results that last as long as 5 years.

What is Bellafill®?

Bellafill® is a dermal filler product that, like many other dermal fillers, can be used to correct wrinkles, folds and volume loss in the face. We typically use Bellafill® for what are known as “resting” folds and wrinkles, which are the wrinkles that are visible when the face is in a resting, neutral position.

How Does Bellafill® Last So Long?

The Bellafill® formula has two main ingredients, a collagen gel and particles known as microspheres. Upon injection, the collagen gel is absorbed by the skin in a matter of weeks, which triggers the natural production of new collagen in the skin. These microspheres, however, are not absorbed, and they instead provide a foundation for new collagen in the body. In the months following treatment, the body produces new collagen, which lasts much longer than any dermal filler product can. This is the reason that the results last up to five years; natural collagen persists for many years!

Why Choose Bellafill®?

The Bellafill® formula can be an ideal option for patients who don’t want to receive regular injections, either due to the maintenance involved or due to the cost. With Bellafill®, you only need to receive injections every five years to maintain your results, compared to the more frequent treatments required to maintain the results of other products. Furthermore, the Bellafill® treatment is very cost-efficient compared to a dermal filler treatment plan that would require several touch-up treatments over the years.

Are You Considering Bellafill®?

To learn more about the Bellafill® treatment or determine if you are a good candidate for this filler, contact us today to schedule your consultation at Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery. We’ll discuss your treatment goals and help you determine if Bellafill® is right for you!

 

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Do Collagen Supplements Help the Skin?

Skin Care Products in Jacksonville, FLCollagen has become a huge buzzword in the cosmetic industry, as its function in the body is primarily to restore and strengthen the skin. In fact, dozens of treatments are designed to stimulate the body’s natural production of collagen and rejuvenate the appearance. But there’s another source of collagen that deserves some discussion: collagen supplements. The question is, do collagen supplements actually help the skin? Let’s take a look.

Collagen Ingestion via Supplement

Before understanding the benefits of collagen supplements, we need to consider how they enter the body. As we mentioned above, many cosmetic treatments are effective because they help create additional collagen in the skin – right where it’s needed. With supplements, however, the collagen takes a different path. Once an oral collagen supplement is consumed, it travels through the digestive system. Once in the small intestine, it gets broken down much like any other food that enters the body. In fact, as a protein itself, collagen gets broken down like any protein would: into amino acids. The body then absorbs these amino acids like it would any other protein.

Collagen Supplements & the Skin

After being broken down into amino acids, there is nothing to distinguish a collagen supplement from any other form of protein in the body. Unfortunately, this means that collagen supplements are not wholly effective for enhancing skin health. As long as you are eating a healthy amount of protein, you won’t see much, if any, benefit from using collagen supplements.

What’s the Best Way to Enhance Collagen in the Skin?

Since collagen supplements are not the most efficient way to enhance collagen levels, you may want to consider some of the following techniques to ensure optimal skin health:

  • Follow a healthy skincare routine
  • Avoid smoking cigarettes
  • Protect the skin from sun exposure
    • Use sunscreen and cover up the skin when outdoors
  • Maintain healthy diet and exercise habits

Are you looking for the best way to improve and maintain your skin health? Contact us today to schedule a consultation at Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery, where we can help you look and feel your best with cosmetic treatments, skincare products and more.

 

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How Long Do Dermal Fillers Last?

Dermal Fillers and Injectables in Jacksonville, FLDermal fillers have become one of the leading treatment options for addressing signs of aging and a variety of other cosmetic concerns. By providing a non-surgical solution to some of the most common cosmetic issues, dermal fillers offer a superior treatment experience without sacrificing results. However, a notable difference between dermal fillers and other cosmetic treatments is the duration of their results. Below, we’ll explore how long dermal fillers last – and the answer might surprise you.

Explaining the Duration of Dermal Filler Results

It can be difficult to provide a specific estimate for how long dermal fillers last, because the answer varies depending on the treatment and how fast a patient might metabolize the product. Generally, dermal fillers can last between 6 months and 2 years, and sometimes even longer. In addition to the treatment itself, there are individual factors that can influence the length of these results. These factors ultimately come down to how your body responds to the dermal filler treatment. Some patients’ bodies break down dermal fillers faster than others, while other patients may have specific lifestyles or habits that reduce the duration of their results.

Results by Dermal Filler

Fortunately, most dermal filler products deliver predictable results, and this means that once a treatment is selected, it becomes much easier to determine how long your dermal fillers will last. Here is a breakdown of the average duration of results by dermal filler product:

How Can I Make My Dermal Fillers Last Longer?

The duration of dermal fillers is not something that can easily be controlled. However, thanks to the simplicity and convenience of treatment, it is very easy to extend the results of your dermal fillers with repeated treatments. After receiving a dermal filler treatment, as you are approaching the end of the time frames listed above, you can schedule a touch-up treatment to prolong your results. With routine dermal filler treatments, you can make your dermal fillers last as long as you’d like!

Are You Considering Dermal Fillers?

To learn more about dermal filler treatments or determine which of these treatments is right for you, contact us today to schedule your consultation at Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery. We’ll assess your cosmetic goals in order to help you find the perfect treatment solution.

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Can I Afford Plastic Surgery?

Plastic Surgery in Jacksonville, FLThe outcome of plastic surgery can be life-changing, and many patients enjoy a wealth of benefits that go far beyond a cosmetic improvement. Sadly, there’s one common thing that separates most people from enjoying these results: the cost of plastic surgery. Since plastic surgery is considered an elective procedure, it is rarely covered by health insurance providers. This means that patients are often responsible for 100% of the cost of their plastic surgery treatment. Patients might assume that this means they can’t afford plastic surgery, but below, we’ll tell you how affordable it can actually be, thanks to financing options.

Plastic Surgery Financing Explained

Plastic surgery financing enables you to divide the cost of your treatment into affordable, monthly payments. Instead of paying 100% of your treatment costs up-front, you can use financing to pay for your treatment at a rate that works for you and your budget. The financing services available offer flexible payment plans, which often include interest-free payments for up to one year following your treatment!

Your Plastic Surgery Financing Options

At Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery, we are proud to accept three different forms of financing.

CareCredit®

CareCredit® is one of the leading healthcare financing services, which functions like any standard credit card. In addition to plastic surgery, the CareCredit® card can be used for many other healthcare services, including dentistry, dermatology and even veterinary services! You can click here to get started with the quick and easy application process.

Alphaeaon®

Like CareCredit®, Alphaeaon® is a healthcare credit card that can be used for cosmetic procedures, dentistry, dermatology and ophthalmology. You can visit their website to determine if you pre-qualify, and you can even estimate your payments and costs. Click here to learn more or apply.

BBVA Bank

BBVA Bank is a bank local to Jacksonville, which we are proud to partner with in order to provide our patients with flexible financing options. We encourage you to give them a call to explore the financing options that are best for you.

Want to Learn More About Plastic Surgery Financing?

If you’re considering plastic surgery at Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery, selecting the right financing option is a great way to enjoy the benefits of treatment without the financial stress of paying for your treatment up-front. If you have any questions about your financing options or your treatment costs, contact us today and we’ll be happy to help you in any way we can.

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