Care
Before and after your appointment.
A short visit, with a little planning on either side. Here is how to get ready, and what to expect once you are home. None of this replaces what we talk through in person, and you will leave with written notes and our number.
Before
How to get ready.
One short form to complete after you book, and a few small things that make the visit smoother and lower the chance of a bruise.
- After you book, we will email you a Good Faith Exam to complete before your visit. It is a brief medical review so we can make sure tox is appropriate for you, and it needs to be done ahead of time.
- Come with clean skin if you can, with makeup, lotion, and sunscreen off the area. It helps when we mark the points. If you forget, we keep wipes on hand.
- Eat a good meal beforehand and go easy on caffeine that morning. Both help you avoid feeling lightheaded.
- Skip alcohol for about a day before. It can make bruising more likely.
- If you bruise easily, some people pause blood-thinning supplements like fish oil, vitamin E, and high-dose ibuprofen for a few days first. Only if the person who prescribed or recommended them says it is fine. Never stop a prescribed medication on your own.
- Tell us about any change to your health when you book, like a new diagnosis, a new medication, a pregnancy, or breastfeeding. Some conditions and medications do not mix with Botox, Xeomin, or Letybo, and we may move your appointment so your safety comes first.
- If you have an event coming up, leave about two weeks. It gives the effect time to settle and any small bruise time to fade.
After
The first hours and days.
The main idea is simple. Let the product settle where we placed it, and give the area a little time.
The first few hours
Stay upright and leave the area alone. No rubbing, pressing, or face-down naps. You can go back to your day.
The first day
Skip hard exercise, saunas, steam rooms, and hot yoga. Heat and sweat are the things to avoid. Keep your hands off the area we treated.
The first two weeks
Hold off on facials, microneedling, and vigorous scrubbing or exfoliating where we treated. Gentle, everyday skincare is fine.
What to expect
How it settles in.
Everyone is a little different, but the rhythm is usually the same.
That afternoon
You can return to normal. You will not see a change yet, and that is expected.
Five to seven days
Softening usually begins. Movement starts to feel gentler in the areas we treated.
About two weeks
Most of the change has settled in. This is when we like to check in with you.
Three to four months
The effect eases off gradually. When you are ready, you come back in.
A few normal things
Small things that pass.
Injections are small, and so are the after-effects. A few things are common and settle on their own.
- Tiny raised bumps right after, where the product went in. They usually flatten within an hour. Leave them be, no massaging.
- A small bruise is possible, more so if you bruise easily. It usually fades within a few days, and makeup is fine over it.
- A little redness or mild swelling that eases the same day. A cool compress, held gently and never directly on bare skin, can help.
- A dull headache now and then after several injections. It usually passes within a day.
- A little unevenness while things settle. Muscle strength is not always equal side to side, so one area can come along faster than the other. It usually evens out by about two weeks, and we can touch things up if needed.
You will go home with written aftercare and our number. Call us with anything that does not feel right, or anything that worries you. We would always rather hear from you. Rarely, the effect can spread beyond where we placed it, so if you notice a drooping eyelid or brow, or any trouble swallowing or breathing, seek medical care right away.
More on what we offer is on Services, and a few common questions are answered on the services page.
Ready when you are
Come in for an appointment.
By appointment in San Rafael. Plain options, conservative dosing, no pressure.