Here in southern Minnesota, we’re not likely to walk past a Joan Rivers look-alike on the way into the mall.
But that doesn’t mean the fresh-faced ladies we are walking by haven’t had work done. With all the advancements in procedures and products used, more people feel that Botox, fillers and chemical peels are safe and gentle enough to try.
Deb Wersal of Mankato was one of those people last year at the med spa Skin Essentials, which had opened just months before in Mankato. Wersal went in to get a scar fixed on her face, which was a result of a fall in her home.
The scar was too fresh to fill in. But since she was already there, she thought, “Why not try a couple of other things?”
Lisa Montag, owner of Skin Essentials, gave Wersal a Botox treatment in her forehead, and she had filler put in on the lower part of her face to fill in wrinkles. She also received a microdermabrasion treatment, a non-invasive skin resurfacing process that removes dead and flaking skin cells.
The result was absolutely fabulous, she said.
“I saw results pretty much the next day,” she said. “Apparently, according to friends of mine, they say it took 10 years off.”
The word “Botox” used to be much scarier than it is now, Wersal said. But even though it’s become much more common, people still are a bit weary of having a foreign substance injected into their face.
“I think they’re afraid of the word ‘Botox,’” she said. “I wouldn’t have tried this if it wouldn’t have been for the scar on my face.”
Botox is a neurotoxin protein that is one of the most poisonous naturally occurring substances in the world. But in minute doses, it can be quite beneficial, both to treat muscle spasms and as a cosmetic treatment.
Botox, the effects of which last about six months, is meant to be used from the nose up, Montag said.
Montag — who has had a Botox treatment between her eyes on her forehead where the dreaded “11” wrinkles begins to show up typically when women are in their 40s — said the Botox blocks nerve impulses to muscles, making it difficult to frown.
Frowning is possible with a Botox treatment, but the muscle feels fatigued much quicker.
“You can’t frown (at first),” Wersal said. “You can’t really move it. But that all comes back.”
Montag, who was a nurse practitioner in a clinic before opening Skin Essentials, said Mankato has a market for Botox and other treatments, such as fillers. She typically performs between two and four filler treatments per week. All of her products are FDA approved, and she spent three years researching them before using them, she said.
Radiesse filler is used from the nose down, and is meant to fill in the smile lines between the lips and cheeks, to make cheeks more plump and youthful, and to fill in scars. Juvederm injectable gel filler is used to make lips more plump and to fill in lip lines.
Lip injections have become wildly popular among Hollywood stars, such as Jessica Simpson and Jessica Beil, which could be part of the reason popularity has grown across the country, including in smaller cities like Mankato.
But Montag thinks many women simply do not enjoy the appearance of growing older. Still, even though the media and society suggest looking younger than your actual age is the way to go, cosmetic procedures have a stigma attached.
Montag offers a back door for patients who want anonymity, and many prefer to keep their visits to Skin Essentials a secret. Montag said clients don’t want to be thought of as vain, which is the root of the stigma, she said.
If vanity keeps some people from trying a cosmetic procedure, cost is likely another deterrent because people don’t realize that most of the procedures are affordable, Montag said.
A chemical peel — a chemical solution causing the top layer of skin to peel off to improve and smooth the skin texture — is $100-$130. A microdermabrasion treatment — a non-invasive skin resurfacing process that removes dead and flaking skin cells — is $80. And a Botox treatment can run between $200 and $800, depending upon the amount used.
Montag uses the minimal amount to achieve a more natural look. The point of Botox is not to go overboard, she said.
“At a relaxed state, I can’t see the wrinkles,” she said. “I don’t completely freeze a face.”
She also errs on the cautious side with fillers.
“There’s only one Angelina Jolie,” she said.
If a woman wants a dramatic change to her lips, Montag will do the injections in stages, adding a little at a time. Women also have 72 hours after the injection to manipulate the filler if they’re not satisfied with the appearance.
“You’re my face walking out of here,” Montag said. “Do I want a duck lip? No.”
There can be side effects for all treatments. Every patient reacts differently, Montag said.
The most common side effects for fillers include injection site redness, swelling and tenderness, lumps and bruising. Common side effects with Botox include temporary eyelid droop, nausea, tenderness, swelling, bruising and redness.
Wersal said her side effects were minimal. She plans to go back soon to get her scar fixed. She’s also not opposed to trying Botox or fillers again.
“It’s not painful in any way, shape or form,” she said. “It lasted way longer than I thought it would.”
Other services Skin Essentials provides include acne treatments, facials, massage, makeovers and makeup classes beginning in April.
Montag works with a surgeon in the Cities who comes to Mankato by appointment to give consultations on tummy tucks, breast augmentation surgeries, liposuction and other procedures.