Laser Hair Removal:
Laser hair removal at Viva Aesthetics & Wellness is performed with the Alma Soprano Titanium. This machine is known for causing very minimal discomfort compared to many other machines being used on the market. We have had many people come in that have had previous treatments elsewhere and attest to the decreased pain sensation with this device.
All of our prices are listed on our website and on our board in the office. We believe that we are very reasonably priced for the area and have had many people say the same thing. We try to be very transparent with all of our pricing at Viva Aesthetics & Wellness.
Laser hair removal works best on people with light colored skin and dark hair. Our laser hair removal device does have FDA approval to work on ALL skin types / shades.
We recommend that you not go out in the sun to get a tan in the 2-3 weeks leading up to your laser hair removal appointment. You should also not be treated if you have an
active sunburn in the area to be treated. This also includes not going to a tanning bed or using a tanning skin product. Do not wax, pluck, tweeze, or use depilatory creams on the hair in the area to be treated for at least 3 weeks prior to your treatment. You should not use any skin creams/products containing retinols in them or alpha & beta hydroxy acids (anti aging products) for at least 2 weeks before your treatment. We recommend that you must be off of Accutane for at least 6 months before receiving a laser hair removal treatment Be sure to shave either the night before or the morning of the treatment depending on how quickly you have hair growth in the area to be treated. You do not want to have hair growing out in the area to be treated as this could increase the discomfort of the procedure slightly. Be sure not to have any creams, lotions, deodorant, or anything else on the area to be treated when coming into the office. If you forget, you will just need to remove anything before beginning the treatment.
At the beginning of your treatment we will provide you with eye protection from the laser. Then when we are ready to start the procedure we will put a very thin layer of gel over the area to be treated. During your treatment you should expect to feel some warmth coming from the probe. The probe tip is actually very cold so that It makes the procedure very comfortable for most people. That “snapping” feeling that people sometimes mention from other laser hair removal machines very rarely occurs with our machine, but you may occasionally notice that (usually to a much more mild extent than other devices). When your treatment is complete we will wipe of any excess gel from the area and you are ready to make your next appointment. It’s that simple!
After your treatment we recommend that you not go out in the sun without SPF 30 or greater on the area that was treated if it is going to be in the sun. Preferably not going out to the beach or trying to tan for at least 3 weeks or more after your treatment. It’s possible to affect the pigment in your skin causing hypo/hyperpigmentation or other issues with your skin if you choose to go out against our recommendations. If you find that you have any redness or mild swelling in the area that was treated, we suggest not going in any hot tubs/saunas/the sun, not taking extended hot showers, and not working out just until that subsides. That being said, we rarely have clients that have those issues and it is not a big concern, so we just recommend not doing those things for approximately 24-48 hours after the procedure.
No. There is not really any downtime after our laser hair removal sessions. You can
typically return to your everyday activities immediately after with no problems.
Typically people notice less hair and the hair that remains being thinner in the area that was treated after the very first treatment. You should notice less hair regrowing after
each laser hair removal session performed.
You will typically need between 6 and 10 sessions of laser hair removal to see around a
90% or better reduction in hair growth in the areas being treated. This of course is just an average. Some people may notice results quicker than others. This depends on the skin type/color, the hair color, hair thickness, amount of energy that is tolerated by the
person, as well as other items. Some people may be happy with their results with fewer treatments and some may take a little more.
Typically laser hair removal treatments will not work on gray or white hairs. This is because the laser works on the hair follicle underneath the surface of the skin and the heat from the laser is absorbed by darker colored hair follicles. If the hair is white or
gray the laser is unable to “see” or work on / heat up the follicle to stop the hair from growing.
Some possible side effects of laser hair removal treatment are discomfort, swelling, redness, blistering, herpes simplex outbreak, infections, scarring, and skin lightening to name a few.
You should get treatments appoximately 4-8 weeks apart depending on the body area
being treated. We usually recommend waiting 6 weeks on average between treatments.
Botox Treatment:
All of these different neurotoxins (Botox, Dysport, Juveau, etc…) work the same way to
relax your muscle that they are injected into causing less movement in the area of
injection. This decreased movement in the muscle will typically cause the fines lines in
the area to decrease over time. You may notice some of the very small lines go away
completely or just decrease slightly in size, depending on how deep they are, when the
medication starts working after a treatment. Different companies make different brands
to use, but they are all very similar in how they act in your body.
We suggest it can usually take up to about 5-7 days for Botox to start working in someone after the treatment, but we find that Dysport usually starts working within 3-5 days after your treatment. Either neurotoxin can start to work faster in some people and take a little longer in others. With both of these products we tell people they should give it 2 full weeks before making any adjustments if you feel they are needed in case the mediation is just taking a little longer to work for you.
We usually tell people to expect the neurotoxin (Botox, Dyport, etc…) to last about 3
months on average. However, this is just an average. These medications can last a little
longer in some people or a little less time in other people. How long it lasts for is going
to depend on multiple things such as: how many units of the product were injected at
each injection site, lifestyle habits (exercise regularly,…), genetic factors (may just be a
fast metabolizer of the product), if you have been continuously being retreated with the
Botox or Dysport (can help it to last longer), as well as other things. Keep in mind that
the products don’t just work completely and then disappear at the 3 month mark. They
will slowly start being less effective over time until they are completely worn off
eventually.
Yes. You can certainly switch between the different products if you would like to. Some
people prefer to stay with whichever product they feel works best for them personally, and some people prefer to switch between products every now and then. If you have
tried one brand and think it may not have lasted as long as you expected it to, you can
always switch and try the other to see if it works better for you.
The majority of people can get Botox or Dysport with no problems. However, It is not recommended that anyone with a neuromuscular disorder get any of the neurotoxins
available on the market. Also, if you are allergic to any of the components in the products such as albumin (all of the neurotoxins), or cow’s milk protein (Dysport), you should not get the product. Definitely speak with one of our staff members to make sure one of our products are right for you.
You don’t have to do anything before coming in for a treatment. However, if you wanted to lessen the time of your visit a little you could be sure to come in without any makeup, creams, etc… on any of the areas you are planning on getting treated that day.
Dermal Filler Treatment:
Dermal fillers that we use are of a gel consistency that have hyaluronic acid in them. We all have hyaluronic acid in our bodies so don’t be too alarmed by that term. The gel is injected underneath your skin to create lift in your skin that will help to decrease, or in some
cases completely remove, either fine lines or deeper lines. Dermal fillers are also used to raise or give definition to areas such as your lips, cheeks, chin, jawline, laugh lines,
frown lines, under eyes, and many other areas.
As with any type of procedure there are risks involved with getting dermal fillers. There are many people who receive dermal fillers everyday without any issues whatsoever, but there are some people who should avoid getting dermal fillers. If you have an allergy to any component of the filler you would not want to receive that type of filler. If you have a history of severe allergic reactions to medications, we do not recommend that you get dermal fillers injected. You may not want to get dermal fillers if you are allergic to bees because you may not be able to use the product to reverse your dermal filler if you did have a severe complication with it. There are many other items to discuss which would be done during your consult with us to be sure you are a good candidate for receiving dermal fillers.
We recommend not taking anything that can cause you to bleed more (anticoagulants) for 2 weeks before your procedure as long as you have checked with your medical provider to be sure it is okay to stop the medication, vitamin, herbal supplement, etc… If you do not stop taking the medication you will be at a much higher risk of bleeding and bruising during and after your procedure and may not want to get the procedure done. We recommend not wearing any makeup, creams, etc… in the area to be treated when you come in for the procedure, but if you do, it will be removed before the procedure is started.
You should not press firmly or mess with the area too much for the first few days after your treatment while the dermal filler gel if firming up some. You should not go into a
hot tub or sauna within the first 48 hours after your procedure. Try not to lay on the area that was treated for the first few days after the treatment if possible. If you get your lips done no pursing your lips, no using a straw, hard kissing, etc… for a few days after the treatment. It depends somewhat on the area being treated as to what the post procedure recommendations are. We provide everyone with post procedure instructions to explain what you should be careful of after your dermal filler treatment.
Weight Loss:
Semaglutide is a Glucagon-Like-Peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. Semaglutide was originally manufactured to treat people with type-2 diabetes under the trade name Ozempic. Eventually it was noticed that the medication was causing weight loss in people who were taking it and was started being used for weight loss. The medication trade name for weight loss is Wegovy. Semaglutide is the generic name of the medication and is what is being produced in compounding pharmacies to be used.
Tirzepatide acts slightly differently than Semaglutide in that is works on 2 different receptors in the body instead of one receptor. Tirzepatide works as a Glucagon-Like-Peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist as well as a Glucose-Dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide (GIP) receptor agonist in the body. The trade name of Mounjaro was originally produced for type-2 diabetes and later the manufacturer came out with the trade name of Zepbound specifically for weight loss. Tirzepatide is the generic name of the medication that is produced by compounding pharmacies to typically be used for weight loss purposes.