Are you putting off your plans to get Botox or fillers because you’re afraid of looking `overdone’?
You’re imagining Priscilla Presley’s puffer fish cheeks or Donatella Versace’s famous trout pout or a chin augmentation like Jocelyn Wildenstein’s that makes her look like a man?
You’re not alone.
We humans live fear-based lives. It’s a scientific fact that we are wired to be influenced by 1% of bad-case scenarios instead of 99% of good ones, which is why we’re ready to imagine the worst of these non-invasive procedures that have such low risk factors, low recovery time and usually yield satisfyingly natural results.
The `overdone’ look is not the fault of Botox or fillers like Voluma and Kybella, which are highly advanced formulations with proven performance track records.
It is either the choice of celebrities who may actually desire the overdone appearance to trademark their uniqueness (think Joan Rivers). Or, it’s the fault of an injector who does not understand facial anatomy and the aging process, and therefore uses the injectables inappropriately.
“Sometimes, people will come to me and say, ‘I don’t want to look like those overdone people with ridiculous cheeks,’” says Dr. Bryan McIntosh, who is one of the top filler experts in Bellevue and the Greater Seattle area. “And I agree. I don’t want that for anyone, either. I want to create a nice, natural look. I want my patients to look refreshed. I want them to look like themselves, but a more improved version of themselves. That should be the goal of filers. It shouldn’t be to make anyone look distorted or weird or unnatural in any way.”
There are a great majority people out there who have fillers and look great for their age. But they don’t talk about it and you don’t know because the results are so natural. And then there are people who look ridiculous, unnatural, and “plastic”. The second group of people are the exception, but they end up giving fillers a bad name. (A good example of this is Priscilla Presley, who fell victim to Daniel Serrano, an unlicensed scam artist who essentially injected low grade industrial silicone, manufactured as a mechanicallubricant, into her cheeks.)
“I often point out the injectables in my own face to patients who are afraid of looking overdone,”continues Dr.McIntosh. “I tell them I have fillers in my cheeks, my chin, my lips… It’s all over my face. And they’re completely taken aback because my face looks so natural. In fact, I look younger now than I did 8 years ago, and I plan to get more in the next couple months.”
It is rare for plastic surgeons to talk about the work they have had done on themselves. But,Dr. McIntosh is so passionate about the potential of injectables we are revealing a graphic of his face with every treatment area marked out for you to see. And decide: does he look overdone?
