Botox or hyaluronic acid : How to choose?

Esthetic medicine offers solutions to help remedy the aging process of the skin and Dr Véronique Coissard will discuss with you about the best treatments to suit your specific needs.

What is Botox, what is the use?

Botulinic toxin (Botox) is a powerful muscle relaxant used to treat various medical conditions from muscle spasms to excessive sweating. In esthetic medicine, botox injections temporarily relax (approx. 6 months) the muscles responsible for the wrinkles to give the skin a smoother surface and to rejuvenate the eye contour without surgery or pain. For a lasting result, the Doctor will recommend you the number of necessary injections.

Treated areas by the botox?

The intramuscular injections of Botulinic toxin in small quantities help treat the crow’s-feet, the wrinkles between the eyes, on the forehead, the neck and around the lips. The injections with thin needles are generally painless.
The Doctor uses the 3 botulinum toxins currently available on the market: Bocouture, Vistabel and Azzalure.

What is hyaluronic acid?

Hyaluronic acid is a substance that is naturally produced by your body, including in the dermis, the internal layer of the skin. It is known for its hydrating properties for the beauty and elasticity of the skin and for protecting it from outside aggressions. With age, its quantity and quality decrease leaving the skin more fragile, thin, wrinkled and with less volume. Injections of hyaluronic acid at the doctor’s office can fight this aging process.

Areas treated by hyaluronic acid?

It can be injected in the wrinkles (crow’s-feet around the eyes, over the upper lip, frowning wrinkles between the eyebrows and the vertical wrinkles on the cheeks) but also in the under-eye circles, lips, nose and chin. Hyaluronic acid can also redefine the oval of the face and give volume in the areas of the cheeckbones, the temples and the hands.
The injections at the Doctors office are precise, with the right dose at the right place. Sessions last between 15 to 30 minutes depending on the number of areas treated.

Do I need to choose between botox and hyaluronic acid?

Dr. Véronique Coissard’s answer is no! They are complementary rejuvenating treatments and can be injected during the same session.
Botox is essentially used in the upper face to smooth the wrinkles and hyaluronic acid more often in the lower face to replump the skin.
Botox and hyaluronic acid are very effective techniques to fight against the aging process of the skin. The result is natural and instantly gives it a more radiant, visibly more youthful and voluptuous look without surgery or social eviction.

How to rejuvenate your skin with mesotherapy?

Mesotherapy is a medical technique often used in cosmetic medicine to efficiently treat skin slackening, cellulite or even hair loss. It’s a very good alternative to plastic surgery and Dr Véronique Coissard has been using it for years at her practice.

What is mesotherapy?

Mesotherapy is a medical technique which was invented by a French general doctor in the 1950’s. It is internationally recognized and used in various medical fields such as rheumatology, sports medicine or infectious medicine. In cosmetic medicine it is used to treat cellulite, circular disorders and hair loss but also to rejuvenate the skin by maintaining or restoring its level of hydration and boosting the cellular regeneration.

How does it work?

Mesotherapy is the injection of small doses of medicinal products under the dermis in very precise areas of the face and around the eyes but also on the rest of the body like the thighs, the buttocks or the hips. Before the first session, Dr. Véronique Coissard will proceed to a full examination in order to choose the right products for the expected results and evaluate the number of sessions needed which can vary from a patient to another depending on the skin type and the problem to treat.

During the session, Dr. Véronique Coissard will proceed to several micro injections of either vitamines, minerals, caffeine, hyaluronic acid or botanic toxin (Botox) under the most inner layer of the skin. The products used by the Doctor are: VOLITE (Allergan), Restylane SKINBOOSTERS (Galderma), PROFILHO (Nahyco).

How can I have a beautiful skin with mesotherapy?

In cosmetic medecine, mesotherapy has many advantages for men and women as soon the aging process of the skin has started. It is used in prevention but also as a treatment of the skin aging. The fine needles that are used allow the absorption of the products almost instantly. The results are rapidly visible and improvements are appreciated after each session. Once the expected needs where obtained, it’s important to maintain them with 2 to 3 maintenance sessions per year. In cosmetic medecine, we call this efficient skin slackening treatment, mesolifting. It’s used on the face to redefine the contours without changing the facial features and on the neck and the decollete.

The goal is to deeply nourish the dermis and to boost the cellular growth for an instant radiant glow. The skin is softer, smoother, more elastic and less wrinkled. It is also very efficient against surface cellulite and circular disorders, acne scares, hyper skin pigmentation and sun aggressions. This technique can be used alone or in addition of one or several other cosmetic treatments. Dr Véronique Coissard will indicate you the best course of action for your specific needs. It is painless and requires no social eviction which is a big advantage.

1 – Volux (Allergan)

The latest addition to the Allergan injectable product range is more efficient to sculpt the oval of the face in one session and for a longer period of 12 months.

2- Profilho (IBSA)

Finally, a mesotherapy tailored for the neck and decolleté to hydrate and preserve these delicate areas. Schedule 2 sessions with a one-month interval, any season of the year.

The improvement of the face profile without surgery is possible.

Whether it’s the nose (too long or hooked) the lips (too thin and or too flat) or the chin (too weak or backward), it’s now possible to soften and correct the harmony of a face or get rid of unnecessary complexes with acid hyaluronic injections. The results are immediate and sometimes all in only one session!

To be renewed once or twice a year for a lasting effect

The lifting effect with hyaluronic acid injections

The lifting effect with hyaluronic acid injections

How to improve, without surgery, the oval of the face after 50, when the skin isn’t as firm and the displaced fat tissue volume starts forming jowls? This is the question of every other patient during the first consultation.

An injectable hyaluronic acid is an excellent solution, as long as it started in the early stages and renewed twice a year.

Small quantities of hyaluronic acid are injected on several areas of the face such as the temples, the tail of the eyebrow, the back of the cheekbone, the back of the cheek and the angle of the jaw.

These anchorage points will lift the tissues by a few millimeters and for several months, until the next injection.

With the passing sessions, the face loses the tired, sad or hard look that lead the patient to consult us, and is replaced by a very natural healthy glow and relaxed features.

The effect is immediate and the painless injections (the hyaluronic acid we use contains a small amount of anesthetic for more comfort) leave no traces. Patients can return to their normal activities immediately after.

For all these reasons, we think that the injectable hyaluronic acid is really the « magic wand » to maintain the aesthetics of the face longer.

+++Procedure: Take homeopathic arnica the day before and apply an anesthetic cream, such as Emla 30 minutes before the appointment.

+++Results: Visible immediately and even better 8 days later.

+++Budget: Depends on the importance of the jowls, the quality of the skin (thin or thick) and on whether a regular maintenance is needed or not.

On average, 300 euros (excluding VAT) every 6 months for early action on sagging skin and 600 euros (excluding VAT) every 6 months for more mature skin.

The eyelid lift without surgery

The CO2 laser can now fight against the early stages of skin slackening of the upper eyelids and smooth and rejuvenate the circumference of the eye.

It will not replace surgical corrections for important slackening ( Blepharoplasty of the upper and /or lower eyelid).

The session is only 30 minutes long and the application of an anesthetic cream such as Emla 30 minutes before prevents itching.

• The initial process involves treating the upper eyelid with millimetric impacts following a precise drawing to obtain the lift of the upper eyelid.
• The second part involves smoothing and firming the upper/lower eyelids and the crow’s-feet wrinkles.

Redness, millimetric impacts points, edema and micro scabs are visible for a week and will require a few days off social activities. A moisturizing cream will be applied on the eyelids for one week, followed by a 50 SPF sunblock for a month. It is recommended to make that intervention in the less sunny month of wintertime, especially for patients with matt skin.
The results are visible after a month and improved the following one.

Several sessions might be necessary to obtain the desired effect with an additional 0,5 to 1 mm eye opening every session. Botox treatment can also be combined before or after the session to improve the results.

In Dr. Coissard’s opinion, the CO2 laser is a soft and non-intrusive technic that can reduce the early excess skin of the upper eyelid and to rejuvenate the area around the eye, without surgery.