I keep hearing that lash extensions are going out of style and natural lashes are in, but you can’t tell me you don’t feel like your most amazing self when you get your lash refill! I don’t think I have ever felt prettier than when I had my eyelash extensions. My eyes looked bigger, more lifted at the outer corner, and I needed very little makeup to look put together. I had my eyelash extensions for 4 years and was so used to them, that when I started getting allergic reactions to the glue, I was devastated! Eyelash extensions were the one thing that I kept doing for myself after I had my first child, so having getting rid of them felt like I was letting go of the one self care regimen that I still allowed myself. I don’t think I will ever be able to get lash extensions again, but I want to let you know how you can take care of your lashes so you can enjoy them for years to come.

I used to think that washing your eyelashes caused more lashes to fall out and all I ever wanted was good lash retention. Little did I know that not regularly washing your eyelash extensions is not only gross, but can cause irritation and even dermite infestation! The less I washed, the more inflamed my eyes got and the more swelling I got during my lash refills. This process went on for a couple years until my eyes were constantly itchy and I made the decision to remove my eyelash extensions.

So how can you maintain your lashes?

I recommend washing your eyelashes every night with diluted baby shampoo after taking off all of your makeup. Make sure you are not using an oil based makeup remover, as this can unnecessarily cause eyelash extensions to come off your natural lashes.

You can dry your lashes by applying a clean tissue to the base of them and when they are dry, I recommend brushing them with a clean eyelash spooley to prevent clumping of the lashes.

As always, I would finish with a hydrating eyecream.

Enjoy your lashes and I will be watching with massive amounts of jealousy from afar! 😂

Hello and welcome to what we shall call the golden rules of Tret!

So you’ve heard all about Tretinoin on your social media but how do you use it? As you have likely heard, there are specific dos and don’ts to Tretinoin use because it can cause some irritation, but with these rules, you should be off to a great start! Remember, Tretinoin is a marathon and not a sprint. The whole goal is to use this cream LONG TERM so we want to make it comfortable and tolerable for you. Using this cream the wrong way can lead to a lot of irritation and irritation causes inflammation which causes aging- that is the opposite of our goal! So here are the golden rules of Tret:

1. Tretinoin comes in different concentrations- 0.025%, 0.05% and 0.1%. My recommendation is to start with the lowest dose to see how you tolerate it. If you do not have a lot of irritation, you may consider moving on to a higher concentration for your next tube but as long as you are using your cream regularly, you will see the benefits of Tretinoin.

2. When you first start using Tretinoin, it is important to start slow. Do a patch test to see how your skin reacts. If you do not have much irritation, you can progress to using Tretinoin once or twice a week at night. If you tolerate this, then you can increase your use to every other night, and if this goes well that you can use Tretinoin nightly.

3. Make sure you apply the cream to clean dry skin. Initially, when you first start using Tretinoin, I would recommend waiting at least 10 mins after washing your face until your skin is very dry. Putting Tretinoin on moist skin can lead to a lot of irritation and I do not recommend this!

4. When you apply Tretinoin, don’t overdo it! Apply a pea-sized amount to your whole face- a little goes a long way. When you first start using this cream, I recommend avoiding the more sensitive areas- around your eyes, your smile lines, the top lip, and the area around your nostrils. You can gradually progress to using a small amount of Tretinoin in these areas as you get more used to it.

5. Use cream on top of the Tretinoin to decrease skin irritation. As you progress with your Tretinoin use, you may choose to wait an hour before putting on cream to get the full potency of the Tretinoin.

6. Make sure you are only using Tretinoin at night as sunlight can be a strong irritant. In the daytime- use sunscreen! Do you know what’s not fun? A sunburn on top of already sensitive skin.

So there you have it! You are now off to a good start and on your way to beautiful skin!

1. A good cleanser-I know we have all heard this before, but your cleanser matters! Getting your makeup off and the oil and dirt from the day is important to prep your skin for serums and creams you should be using after cleansing. A popular "trend" right now is double cleansing, but did you know that if you remove your makeup with a wipe or makeup remover and then wash your face with a cleanser, then you essentially are already double cleansing. The whole point is to make sure that you aren’t sleeping in any residual makeup and that your nighttime creams have the best chance of absorbing onto a clean palette.

But wait-where does exfoliation come in? Well, for many, it’s part of the cleansing step. I have a favorite face wash that I use, and it is an exfoliating cleanser. Are you ready for this? Proactive I have been using it since college, and I really love that I never have breakouts, which means I have fewer blemishes on my skin. I am not sponsored by Proactive, I just really love what it has done for my skin. If you get stubborn breakouts, this face wash is something you may consider.

2. A good hydrating cream: If I could go back to my 20s, I would smack myself across the face with some face cream. I think one of my biggest skincare whoopsies is that I thought I didn’t need to use face cream because I had oily skin (yes, past tense). I thought creams made me more oily. And yes, in general, having oily skin protects you from wrinkles more than if you have dry skin, but a cream is still very necessary! Think of all skin care as maintenance. Wouldn’t you rather keep that 20-year old skin looking fresh and youthful instead of trying to pedal backwards to erase fine lines in your 30s and 40s? Yeah, Me too. I wish I read this article in my 20s.

3. Tretinoin: Alright, alright, I get it. Tretinoin is likely all over your IG, TikTok, and #SkinTok, but what is it really and is this a new miracle cream? Tretinoin is a retinol cream. Retinols are topical vitamins A that come in a variety of formulations, some of which are available over the counter and others (such as Tretinoin) that require a prescription. what makes it a prescription is the concentration of the product. Retinol/vit A helps in cell turnover, meaning that with months and years of use, it can increase the collagen and elasticity of your skin, decrease fine lines, and lighten blemishes. It sounds amazing! Why isn’t everyone using it? Well, some just don’t know about it, some know but don’t know how to use it correctly, and some can’t use it due to pregnancy. So I will do a separate blog on Tretinoin and how to use it, so if you are interested in adding this step to your regimen, please read the Tretinoin blog.

4. Sunscreen: You know what else I'd slap on my face in my twenties? A hefty dose of sunscreen. Was it just my school that judged how good your spring break was by how tanned you were when you returned to class? Who else had a free tanning bed in their college apartment complex that they utilized before going out every weekend with their girlfriends? It was almost a competition to see who could get the best tan, and in order to achieve that beautiful glow, sunscreen was frequently left out of the equation. "Big NO." Not only does sunscreen help fight wrinkles and age spots, but it also helps protect you from skin cancer. Melanoma is a beast and you do not want to meet her. I will leave it at that. If you take nothing else from this blog, no more tanning beds and no more being out in the sun without sunscreen.

5. Botox: It was bound to happen. I can’t do a blog without mentioning the magic of neuromodulators! Ah, Botox. This little injection eases the fine lines around your eyes, smooths your forehead and takes away the frown lines between your brows. But how does it do it? Botox, Dysport, Xeomin, and Jeaveau are all neuromodulators that act on the muscle to weaken it. When injected in the right spots, it can take years off your look by decreasing the movements that wrinkle your skin. If you raise your brows, do wrinkles form on your forehead? Neuromodulators would relax that motion so the wrinkles don’t form. So what does this mean? Botox is PREVENTATIVE. It prevents your skin from forming deep lines that are due to muscle movement. What else does this mean? If you already have deep wrinkles that are present at rest (not lifting your brows or furrowing them, or squinting your eyes- just your natural face resting), then Botox may not get rid of those wrinkles, as Botox targets the MUSCLE and not the wrinkle itself. If the wrinkle is present when the muscle is relaxed, paralyzing the muscle will have minimal effect on that stubborn wrinkle. If Botox is something you want to try, I do not recommend waiting until your 60s to try it. By then, wrinkles have already formed, and you will not get the full preventative benefit from your treatment. However, if you do have some wrinkles already, Botox can help soften them.

So what have we learned here? Botox is part of your skin care. It prevents you from creasing your skin and maintains your youthful skin for future years. We would love to see you in our MediSpa to help you achieve this!

Ok, so you have followed us for a while, seen the results, and now you’re ready to come in and rejuvenate your look. But where do you start?

Should you do Botox? Fillers? Both?

Have no fear- we’ve got you covered.

Botox (and its cousins Dysport, Xeomin, and Jeaveau) relaxes the muscles so they can’t contract and fold your skin. Look in a mirror and lift your eyebrows. Now furrow them (make an angry face). Now squint with your eyes. Do wrinkles form when you make these movements? These are mobile wrinkles, and they depend on the direction of muscles to develop them. If we inject a little bit of Botox in these muscles, they will not move, and your skin will not wrinkle- hence the reason Botox is regarded as a preventative treatment… it prevents skin wrinkling!

Fillers are used more to treat volume loss. They quite literally “fill” an area, and just like Botox, they can produce a natural result. Of course, we all know that people use filler to have the plump lips they have always wanted, but did you know that fillers are often used to bring back the look you used to have when you were younger? Around our 30’s we start to develop bone loss, and that’s not just in our hips and back. It’s in our faces too! The bone loss in the apples of your cheeks and around your cheekbones can make you develop looser-looking skin, which can cause “jowls,” and you can even develop wrinkles around your nose and mouth, called smile lines. Putting filler in the cheekbone area can help fix these issues. Even the jaw loses bone volume with age, so putting a little filler in the chin and the angle of the jaw can lift the skin to its prior natural location.

Still not sure what you need? Relatively basic rule of thumb that is GENERALLY true is that Botox is mainly for the upper face, and filler is more typical for the lower face. And if you STILL aren’t sure which treatment would benefit you, we would love to see you in our MADE medispa to evaluate you.

As I’m sitting here writing this, I am picturing my handsome hubby in the middle of a HOT Houston summer sitting on a outdoor patio (cause covid) having brunch… and his shirt is drenched with sweat! We have all been there. You put on your favorite outfit for a sunny Sunday funday and one hour in, the sweat stains show. I say no more! Botox can fix this! 

Excessive sweating is a condition called hyperhidrosis and typically affects the armpits, but can also affect the pals, soles, and groin area. Botox can treat all of these areas, and the most popular of these areas are the armpits. A little Botox injected superficially in the armpit area can prevent armpit sweat for 6-9 MONTHS! That’s half a year of good smelling clothes and dry looking armpits. Ummm, yes please! And don’t worry, we do numb you before this simple injection so the process will be pain free. 

 I am getting the numbing cream ready as we speak cause my hubby is not ruining any more of his shirts mmmmmkay? Now who’s gonna do me? 

I recently did my brother’s girlfriend’s Botox and got the same reaction from my brother as I get from most men- “ugh, whatever, I guess it’s ok. I just don’t think she needs it. This seems unnecessary.”

Cut to two weeks later, and he is SO pleasantly surprised with the results that he wants me to do HIS Botox… Well that’s a 180! What happened? He realized that his girlfriend’s skin looks smooth, refreshed, and like porcelain…. And now he wants some too! And this is typically what I see in clients and their loved ones as they realize what Botox really does. 

Botox, and neuromodulators in general, tend to have such a stigma about them. Many people don’t realize the difference between neuromodulators and fillers, so they think they will look unnatural. I am here to tell you that it’s simply not true. By relaxing the underlying muscles of your face, neuromodulators smooth your skin like a really good night cream. There is pretty much no down time and no puffiness. They do not make your face look “overdone” and when done by a professional, can make you look wrinkle free and years younger! Just make sure to start getting this quick procedure before the deep wrinkles set in as it is preventative. 

How long will my neuromodulator treatment last?

Topically neuromodulators last 3-4 months but this varies per patient. It depends on the patient themselves, how quickly they metabolize the product, how much they work out, and how much product we inject. It also depends on what kind of results you want. On your initial treatment, if you get a larger dose of modulators, it will last longer. Some people prefer this and like a more significant decrease in the motility of their eyebrows. If you want a very mild treatment with a smaller dose of neuromodulators, you will likely have to come in sooner to get a touchup. Think of neuromodulators such as botox, Dysport, and Xeomin as a tank of gas. If you want a full treatment, then in two weeks when your treatment fully kicks in, that would be like a full tank of gas.

After the initial injection, the Neuromodulator slowly wears off. So at two months, you may have half a tank of gas-which means that your skin wrinkles a little bit when you move your eyebrows or smile, but it is not back to its original state and the “gas tank” is not yet empty.

Some clients prefer to keep that gas tank full and come in every couple of months to get a touchup so that they can remain completely wrinkle-free. Some people wait 3 to 4 months for that gas tank to completely empty before they come back in for another treatment. It all depends on the client and what their goals are.

So what do I personally prefer? It depends on the area I’m injecting and the circumstance. Last summer I knew that I wanted to have another baby, and before we started that adventure, I did a full dose of Botox in my forehead and around my eyes. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to get Botox while pregnant so I wanted to last a long time. As far as doing areas of injection, I usually do a very low-dose at the top of my forehead and have to re-inject it more frequently, and I do a heavier dose between my eyebrows because that muscle is very strong, but as a result that does tend to last me a lot longer. So I know that if I do a more mild treatment, I’m only getting my “gas tank” half full and will need to refill it sooner than if I did a full treatment in the first place, or started with a “full tank.”

Hey, MADE Dolls! We are back again with all the info you crave about Botox! We all know that Botox is for wrinkle prevention (or we SHOULD all know this cause by now, I’ve gone hoarse from screaming it at the top of my lungs), but did you know there are other uses for botox too?

Let’s discuss!

1. Did you know that Botox can be used for changing the structure of your features? We can perform masseter injections for jawline slimming, bunny line injection to decrease wrinkling around nose, platysma bands injection to get rid of lines on the neck, injections for nasal flaring and to lift the tip of the nose, as well as brow lift, chin dimpling, and injections to make a gummy smile... well, less gummy. Was that a run-on sentence?

2. Hyperhidrosis- Botox can be used on your armpits (yes, armpits! And yes, we numb you!) for excessive sweating. Typically about 50 units of Botox is injected per armpit and the results last from 6-16 months.

3. Torticollis- Cervical Dystonia, or torticollis, is a spasm of muscles in the neck that can cause the neck to twist to one side. Botox can be used to relaxed these contracted muscles to alleviate the symptoms.

4. TMJ- The tympanomadibular joint is the jaw joint and it can have a lot of discomfort with overuse of jaw muscles. This can happen with jaw clenching or grinding teeth at night. TMJ syndrome commonly affects women in their 3rd decade, especially during times of stress- Cut to ME at the age of 27, one month before my wedding... ouch! Your girl would either not be able to fully open her mouth or would get stuck with her mouth open- fun! If you’re having the same symptoms and they haven’t gone away with more conservative treatments, you may be a candidate for TMJ botox!

5. Migraines- The treatment for migraines using Botox was discovered when patients who were getting Botox for cosmetic reasons also noted that their headaches had resolved! It is now a widely accepted treatment for migraines... with the added benefit of decreases wrinkles!

6. Spasmodic Dysphonia- This condition is caused by spasming of the muscles in the larynx and can cause trouble speaking. Injection of Botox into these muscles can alleviate the problem and restore a patient’s voice.

7. Blepharospasm- This condition is caused by spasms on the muscles around the eye, causing blinking and closing of the eye. It can be treated with Botox for symptom alleviation.

So to recap- Botox relaxes the muscles, so conditions which are caused by overactive or spasming muscles, like the ones mentioned above, can be improved with the muscle itself being treated with Botox to promote it’s relaxation. Ok there you have it! Botox is not just to preserve your skin and look 10 years younger, it can be used for treatment of medical conditions! If you suffer with any of these conditions, come in for an evaluation and ask your injector if they perform these procedures. 

We love our grandmas and all their wisdom that comes with their age, and as much as we want to be just like them when we’re older, some of us want to do it without the wrinkles, amiright?

Luckily, we have a magic potion that our grandmas did not- Neuromodulators! (aka botox/dysport/xeomin). Remember, neuromodulators are for preventative treatment! They prevent wrinkles, so you want to start coming for injections once you see wrinkles beginning to form when you raise your eyebrow, furrow them, or squint your eyes. So IF you’re hoping to get Botox at some point in life. don’t wait until you’re your grandma’s age to start getting this treatment, as that will already be too late! 

For those of you who are new to neuromodulators- they are an injected substance that weakens specific muscles of the face to decrease muscle movement and wrinkles. This makes for beautiful porcelain like skin if performed by the right injector.

If you’re going to take the plunge and get your first neuromodulator treatment- congratulations! This can be really exciting but also nerve wracking as you are getting into this world and don’t know what to expect as far as results, pain, finding a provider, and the overall experience. So I will address all these concerns now.

1. Choosing a medispa- in Texas, it is a law that a doctor has to evaluate you prior to any treatments at a medical spa. This means you should be choosing a legitimate medispa which has a doctor evaluate you first. Many medispas such as MADE Beauty Medispa has the actual doctor do the injections also, but if you do go somewhere where a doctor does not perform injections, please at least make sure that a doctor will initially evaluate you. Once you get an evaluation, you can see if you feel comfortable with the doctor and if your goals align with theirs.

    We live in the era of social media, most medical spas should have an Instagram page, website, or a Facebook page which demonstrates before and after pictures of the injector’s work. Make sure you visit different Medspa pages to see if their work aligns with your goals for neuromodulator injections.

2. Pain- Most injectors use tiny insulin needles to inject neuromodulators into your face. These are the smallest needles available and don’t cause a lot of pain. The treatment itself feels like a tiny little pin pricks in your face. At MADE Beauty Medispa we always have numbing cream that we can apply prior to treatment if you are nervous about pain level. Just let us know when you schedule your appointment, as you will need to get there about 30 minutes early so the numbing cream can have a chance to work.

3. Results- as mentioned above, you should initially be evaluated by a physician who will talk you through how many units of neuromodulator you will need and which product they recommend on using. They will specifically address what areas they think need to be treated on your face and where they see wrinkles forming. One of the biggest things is to mention what concerns you have. Some patients want Botox in their forehead, but don’t really care about their crows feet. Some people want specific procedures like a brow lift, a lip flip, or injections for chin dimpling. Some patients have a preference for dysport, Botox, or xeomin, and some will use any of these three because they essentially all have the same type of result, but different products last a different amount of time for different clients.
   
   

4. What to expect during this experience- you are going to a medical spa. That means that this should be a pleasant experience! You are spending your hard earned money on procedures that most people pay for out-of-pocket and not with insurance. Go to a spa where you enjoy your time! Make sure the front desk worker treats you kindly, you have a connection with the doctor, and you have the same goal as your injector. At MADE Beauty Medispa I’ve enjoyed building a rapport with my patients. I have a connection with every one of my clients and it’s a very personal interaction. They can always get a hold of me through social media or on my phone if there are any questions before or after the procedure. If this is something you’re looking for and you live in Houston Texas, I would love to see you in my medical spa! However, if you don’t live here, you can find medical spas in other cities which also offer this kind of personal attention- you just have to look!
   
   

5. Before and after your treatment-listen, we all want the absolute best results, so follow these simple guidelines for your neuromodulator treatment. These guidelines also are important prior to and after injection of fillers.

   Before your treatment avoid NSAIDS and alcohol to decrease bruising and bleeding (which is generally very minimal with this treatment). You can also take arnica to prevent bruising. It comes in a pill form and is sold over the counter at pharmacies, and patients should start taking it several days prior to treatment and continue taking it for a couple days after treatment. Arnica also comes in a Cream that you can use after treatment. 

   Afterwards, avoid exercise, NSAIDS, excessive heat for 24-48 hours to ensure less bruising. It is recommended to avoid facial massages and laser treatments for 1-2 weeks to make sure the neuromodulator stays put and does not move where it is not intended to be. Do not lay down for 6 hours post treatment so the product does not move!
   

Botox and xeomin fully kick in at 2 weeks, and dysport kicks in at 5 days. This means that at around this time is when your treatment is the strongest. Think of it as a full gas tank that slowly loses gas over time (typically 3-4 months). Since the treatment fully kicks in around two weeks, Make a 2 week follow up appointment right after your initial injection so that your injector can reevaluate you and make any necessary touch ups. It’s important to know that a touchup does not necessarily mean that something went wrong. Some people need a little bit more Botox, some people have natural asymmetry in their face or their muscles which can be touched up on the follow up appointment. Make sure you take before pictures with your provider so you can compare your after pictures! This is very important on the follow up visit since the end result is sometimes subtle if you do not have a photo to compare to.

And that’s the most basic advice I have for you MADE Dolls who are hoping to take the leap into the world of aesthetics. If you have any other questions specific to you, please message me on social media- madebeautymedispa and drbotoxbarbie on IG! 

Hi, my little MADE Dolls! I have been getting questions from social media and from my current clients about what you can and can not do after a Botox treatment, so I want to address it right here and now.

First off, I want to start by saying what I have said over and over again but still get negative responses from people who have never tried a treatment such as botox, dysport, or xeomin (from here on, called neuromodulators)....
NEUROMODULATORS ARE NOT FILLERS! Louder for the skeptics in the back! They are a preventative treatment for reducing wrinkles- ergo, they do NOT make you look older. They work by weakening the nerve impulse to the muscle, therefore weakening the muscle itself. Neuromodulators do not fill a space, do not make your face look puffy, do not make your cheeks or lips bigger... they strictly affect the strength of the muscles in your face so that you don’t form as much wrinkles as you would without the treatment. That being said, you have to go to a skilled professional, if you want a beautiful result.

Whew! Glad we got that out of the way lol. Ok! Now on to the fun stuff :)
Many people want to combine skin care with neuromodulators, as they should! I tell my clients to think of neuromodulators such as Botox as part of your skin care. You use creams and facials to make your skin look its best, and you use neuromodulators to prevent your skin from wrinkling.

Neuromodulators come in a powder form and are mixed with sodium chloride solution before injection into your face. That means that the actual product injected into your face is a liquid and can move if manipulated with massage or pressure to the face. For this reason I would highly recommend waiting several days (preferably 1-2 weeks) before getting any sort of facial. The same goes for peels, laser facial treatments, and microdermabrasion. You are, however, allowed to get facials prior to your Botox/dysport/xeomin (neuromodulator) treatment. I also advise my patients not to wear headbands, hats, or sunglasses that may push on the area of injection for 24-48 hours after the treatment.

Other things that you would want to avoid after a neuromodulator treatment is excessive heat, exercise, alcohol for the next 24 hours to prevent bruising. Also I would recommend stopping NSAID (ibuprofen, aleve, naproxen, Morton, etc) use several days prior and several days after the treatment also to prevent bruising. To even further prevent bruising, you can take Arnica tablets several days prior to your treatment and for several days after your treatment. Arnica also comes in a cream, which you can apply to the injection area to minimize bruising.

It is also recommended not to lay down for about six hours after your treatment so the Botox does not move. You very much want the Botox to stay where it is injected to they have a nice, even, beautiful outcome. Massaging your face, or laying down on your side can you give the risk of an asymmetrical result of the product is liquid and can move. So there you go! This is the quick nitty-gritty about pre-and post neuromodulator treatment care from your favorite MADE doctor. Please let me know if you have any other questions!

Love you, MADE Dolls!
Dr. Botox Barbie