Questions, answered plainly.

No. Bring the concern, not the treatment name. A consultation produces a written plan with a sequence and a total.

Yes. The full price list is available online. Prices are subject to change and are not inclusive of all services, products, and discounts.

500 N English Station Rd, Suite 101, Louisville, KY 40223.

Primary care is offered by Neighborhood NP, a separate sister practice in the same space.

Anything priced by unit, syringe, thread count, or treatment area depends on your anatomy and your goals, so a single number would be a guess. Filler varies by product and injection site. Microneedling and IPL vary by how many areas are treated. Lifting threads vary by thread count. You receive an exact total at your consultation, before anything is opened or scheduled.

Aesthetic and wellness services at LouWellSpa are cash pay and are not billed to insurance. Primary care through our sister practice, Neighborhood NP, accepts most major insurances, so a physical or a sick visit may be covered depending on your plan. Some medically indicated services may be eligible for HSA or FSA funds, which is worth asking your plan administrator about.

It depends on the service and on your plan. Medically indicated care is more likely to qualify than purely cosmetic treatment, but the determination belongs to your plan administrator, not to us. We can provide an itemized receipt for anything you pay for. Ask at checkout rather than assuming either way.

Because the two products are measured on different unit scales, not because one is cheaper. A treatment that takes 20 units of Botox takes roughly 50 to 60 units of Dysport. Comparing per unit prices between the two products is meaningless. Compare what the full treatment costs, which is the number your provider gives you before treatment.

No. The consultation is free. The medical management fee is $450. The program cost is the medical management fee plus the cost of medication. Medication is charged separately and discussed at your consultation. Initial labs required for the weight loss program are included in the medical management fee. Ongoing laboratory monitoring is an extra charge only if required and is not typically needed.

No, and we would be cautious about a practice that competes primarily on price for injectables. What you are buying is the judgment of the person holding the syringe, the quality of the product, and what happens if something does not go as planned. We publish our prices so you can compare openly, which is a different thing from matching them.

Book a consultation and describe what is bothering you rather than naming a treatment. Our providers map concerns to options, including telling you when the thing you asked for is not the thing that will fix it. Consultations run about 20 minutes and carry no obligation to treat that day.

Initial labs plus consultation are $199. After that the membership is $1,500 per year, or $150 per month with the first three months collected at initiation. The membership covers routine labs, testosterone delivered topically or by injection, and your visits. Pellet insertions are billed separately at $150 per insertion for men and $100 for women, in addition to the yearly fee.

The membership excludes the $199 initial labs and consultation, which is charged at the start, and it excludes pellet insertion fees. Advanced testing such as micronutrient panels, pharmacogenetics, telomere testing, and Nutrigenomix is priced separately, as are IV therapy, weight loss medication, and aesthetic services. Anything outside the membership is quoted before it is ordered.

Most people who respond notice changes in energy, sleep, mood, or libido between three and six weeks. Hot flashes and night sweats often improve within the first several weeks of estrogen therapy, with fuller effect over two to three months. Body composition changes take three to six months and track closely with training and nutrition. Some people do not respond enough to continue.

It depends on how adjustable you want your dose to be. Topical is applied daily, changes easily, and carries a transference risk through skin contact with other people. Injection gives predictable absorption and simple titration but requires needles. Pellets remove the daily task but cannot be adjusted once placed, involve a minor procedure, and cost extra per insertion.

No. Hormone therapy is not proven to prevent chronic disease and we do not present it that way. A monitored program treats hormone deficiencies that are causing symptoms while tracking modifiable risk factors such as body composition, blood pressure, lipids, and glucose over time. Those are worthwhile on their own terms. Claims that hormone therapy prevents illness go past the evidence.

Thyroid function is assessed as part of the hormone workup, because thyroid symptoms overlap almost completely with the symptoms that bring people in for perimenopause or low testosterone. If hypothyroidism is identified, treatment and monitoring are discussed at your consultation. Thyroid levels take roughly six weeks to stabilize after a dose change, so rechecks are scheduled at that interval rather than sooner.

No. Low testosterone occurs in women and can contribute to low libido, low energy, and a reduced sense of wellbeing, at doses that are a small fraction of male doses. Important context: there is no FDA approved testosterone product for women in the United States, so this is an off label use, and monitoring matters because excess dosing can cause unwanted hair growth or voice changes.

That situation is common and it is not dismissed here. A single value inside a reference range does not rule out a problem, particularly in perimenopause when levels fluctuate week to week. It also does not mean hormones are the cause. Iron deficiency, sleep apnea, thyroid disease, depression, and medication side effects are frequent explanations, and looking for them is part of the visit.

Expect a recheck roughly six to eight weeks after starting and after any dose change, since that is when levels have settled enough to interpret. Your provider then sets an ongoing schedule based on your therapy and safety markers, with at least an annual reassessment. Testosterone monitoring generally includes red blood cell count. Routine monitoring labs are included in the membership.

Yes, and it is better planned than abrupt. Topical and injectable therapy clears relatively quickly and symptoms typically return toward where they were before treatment. Pellets keep releasing until exhausted or surgically removed. Men should know that testosterone suppresses the body's own production, and recovery after stopping varies between individuals and is not always complete.

Yes, and it is common. Medical weight loss, IV therapy, and lab testing sit on the WELL side of the menu and aesthetic services sit on the SPA side, all at one address. Your provider sequences appointments so that treatments and lab draws do not interfere with each other. Each service is billed separately from the hormone membership.

Plain hydration is $99 for 500 ml and $119 for 1000 ml. Customized nutrient bags are $159 and $179, each buy 4 get 1 free. NAD drips run $250 to $725 for 250 mg to 1000 mg. QuickVita Boost is $75, or $275 for four. Injections are $30 each.

Plan on 30 to 60 minutes in the chair for a 500 ml bag and 60 to 90 minutes for 1000 ml, plus ten minutes for intake and vitals. NAD infusions run longer because the rate is kept slow to limit chest tightness and nausea. An injection visit is finished within fifteen minutes.

It reliably rehydrates, and it delivers nutrients when the gut is not absorbing them well. For people already hydrated and not deficient, evidence that vitamin infusions improve symptoms is limited, and much of the perceived effect comes from the fluid itself. That is why we recommend lab testing alongside it.

Not for simple hydration, but it is strongly recommended before a repeated nutrient protocol. Testing vitamin D, B12, iron studies, and a micronutrient panel tells your provider what to include, what to leave out, and when to stop. Lab testing is separate and starts at $30 for basic labs.

NAD is a coenzyme involved in cellular energy production and DNA repair, given at 250 mg to 1000 mg by infusion or 25 mg to 100 mg by injection. Many patients feel chest tightness, flushing, or cramping if it runs quickly, so the rate is kept slow. Human research is still early.

Zinc, vitamin C, and vitamin D contribute to normal immune function, and correcting a documented deficiency in any of them supports that function. That is as far as the evidence goes. We do not claim that infusions prevent, treat, or shorten any illness, and menus suggesting otherwise overstate it.

No. Detoxification is carried out continuously by your liver and kidneys, and no infusion assumes that function or accelerates it. Ingredients marketed under that heading are better described by what they are: glutathione, for example, is an antioxidant your body already produces. We list them by mechanism.

Anyone with congestive heart failure, significant kidney disease, or a medical instruction to restrict fluids should not receive elective infusions, because added volume carries real risk. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, iron overload conditions, and a clotting history require a conversation first. High dose IV vitamin C additionally requires G6PD screening.

The consultation is free. The medical management fee is $450. The program cost is the medical management fee plus the cost of medication. Medication is charged separately and discussed at your consultation. Initial labs required for the weight loss program are included in the medical management fee. Ongoing laboratory monitoring is an extra charge only if required and is not typically needed.

No. The consultation is free. The medical management fee is $450. The program cost is the medical management fee plus the cost of medication. Medication is charged separately and discussed at your consultation. Initial labs required for the weight loss program are included in the medical management fee. Ongoing laboratory monitoring is an extra charge only if required and is not typically needed.

GLP-1 receptor agonists imitate a gut hormone released after eating. That hormone signals fullness to the brain, slows stomach emptying, and influences insulin release in response to glucose. Dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonists act on that receptor and on a second incretin receptor, GIP, as well.

We do not publish that, and you should be skeptical of any clinic that does. Response varies considerably based on starting physiology, dose tolerated, medication, nutrition, activity, sleep, and other conditions. Your provider discusses realistic expectations for your situation rather than applying an average to you.

Nausea, constipation, reflux, burping, diarrhea, and fatigue are the ones most patients encounter. They tend to cluster in the days after a dose increase and ease as the body adjusts. Smaller slower meals, adequate protein and fluid, moderate fat and alcohol, and treating constipation early all help.

Anyone with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2, anyone pregnant, trying to conceive, or breastfeeding, and anyone with known hypersensitivity. A history of pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, gastroparesis, or an eating disorder requires careful evaluation first.

The medication works while it is being taken, so appetite signaling generally returns toward its prior baseline after stopping, and weight regain after discontinuation is well described. That is why an exit plan is part of the program. Some taper to a maintenance dose, some continue with habits built during treatment, some restart later.

Yes. Initial labs required for the weight loss program are included in the medical management fee. Ongoing laboratory monitoring is an extra charge only if required and is not typically needed. Your provider reviews your history and initial results before deciding whether medication is appropriate.

Online prescribing typically means a questionnaire, a shipped vial, and nobody following your labs, your dose tolerance, or your other medications. This program is built around evaluation, monitoring, and a provider who knows your chart. That is what makes dose adjustment and early problem detection possible.

Basic labs start at $30 and vary by test. The advanced hormone panel with consultation is $199, telomere testing with consultation is $399, micronutrient testing with consultation is $499, and both pharmacogenetics and Nutrigenomix are $599 with consultation. Every panel listed with consultation includes the visit where a provider goes through your results with you. Prices are subject to change.

For most people, no, if the goal is information that changes your care. Telomere length is a research grade biomarker: the measurement is real, but it is not diagnostic, results vary between laboratories and between repeat draws, and no treatment is proven to lengthen telomeres in a way that changes outcomes. We offer it as an interest based add on, not as a diagnostic, and we say so before you buy it.

No. Nothing on this page diagnoses, screens for, or rules out disease. These panels measure specific analytes or genetic variants, and results are interpreted alongside your history, symptoms, and exam by a provider. A number inside a reference range is not clearance, and age appropriate disease screening belongs with a primary care clinician rather than with elective testing.

The panels on this page are cash pay and we do not bill insurance for them. Elective and advanced testing of this type is often not a covered benefit regardless of who orders it. Neighborhood NP, a separate primary care practice in the same suite, accepts most major insurance, and medically indicated labs ordered there may be billable to your plan. Ask about receipts for HSA or FSA use.

Basic labs are individually priced standard tests such as a blood count, metabolic panel, lipids, thyroid function, or vitamin D, and you pay per test. The $199 advanced hormone panel is a broader set of hormone related markers bundled with a consultation to review them. If your question is a single value, basic labs are usually the cheaper and better answer.

No referral is required. The panels are ordered by a licensed provider here after a brief conversation about what question you are trying to answer, which is what keeps this from being a vending machine. If the panel you asked for does not answer your question, you will hear an alternative before anything is drawn.

For some panels, yes, particularly lipids and glucose based tests. For others, no. Fasting and timing instructions are given when you book, since several tests on this page are sensitive to time of day, menstrual cycle timing, or when you last took a medication. Follow the specific instruction you were given rather than a general rule you read elsewhere.

Tell your provider everything you take, because some supplements affect results. High dose biotin, common in hair, skin, and nail products, can interfere with certain lab immunoassays and produce misleading values, so you may be asked to pause it for a period beforehand. Never stop a prescribed medication on your own; ask the clinician who prescribed it first.

It can inform drug selection and starting dose for specific medications where published prescribing guidelines link a gene to a drug. It is most useful if a medication has failed you or caused side effects at an ordinary dose. It cannot predict whether a drug will work, it does not cover every medication, and it does not replace monitoring. The result is permanent, so it is tested once.

It is broader, not automatically better. Micronutrient panels are most valuable when there is a reason to expect deficiency, such as malabsorption, bariatric surgery, a restricted diet, or sharply reduced intake. Without a risk factor, checking vitamin D, B12, folate, and ferritin at basic lab pricing answers most of the practical question. Reference ranges for intracellular assays also vary between laboratories.

A provider does, at a visit included in the price of every panel listed with consultation. The review covers which values are outside range, which of those matter in your context, what is worth acting on, and what is statistical noise from measuring many things at once. You are not sent a PDF and left to interpret it on your own.

Your results are part of your medical record and handled under HIPAA. Two things are worth knowing before you test: genetic information can carry implications for biological relatives, and while federal law limits how health insurers and most employers may use genetic information, those protections do not extend to life, disability, or long term care insurance. Consider that in advance rather than afterward.

Botox is $13 per unit and Dysport is $4.25 per unit at LouWellSpa. Your total depends on how many units your treatment plan calls for, which is determined by the areas being treated and your individual muscle strength. Set treatments are priced as a package instead: the neck lift is $468, axillary hyperhidrosis treatment is $1,000, and a lip flip is $130. You receive your full cost before any product is opened.

Not unless you ask for that. The frozen look is a dosing outcome, not an inherent property of the product. Our default approach is a conservative dose that softens the depth of a line while preserving normal expression. You can add more at your two week follow up if you want a stronger effect, which is why we start low rather than high.

Most patients notice softening between days 3 and 5, and the full effect is present at about day 14. Dysport often shows up a day or two earlier than Botox. Judge your result at the two week mark rather than in the first few days, because the effect is still developing before then.

Typically 3 to 4 months for facial treatment. Underarm sweating treatment usually lasts considerably longer, often 6 to 9 months. Duration is influenced by dose, muscle strength, metabolism, and how physically active you are. Some patients find that consistent treatment over time lets them go slightly longer between appointments.

Both are botulinum toxin type A and both relax the treated muscle. Dysport typically has a slightly faster onset and diffuses a little more from the injection point, which can be useful across broad areas. Botox tends to stay more localized, which is useful for precise work. The per unit prices cannot be compared directly because the two products use different unit scales. Compare total treatment cost instead.

Neurotoxin injected into the masseter muscle can reduce the force of clenching, and many patients report less jaw soreness and fewer tension headaches as a result. Over repeated treatments it can also slim a jawline that has widened from masseter overuse. Whether it is appropriate for your jaw pain depends on the cause, so this is assessed at consultation and may warrant evaluation beyond what an aesthetic visit covers.

Most patients describe it as a series of quick pinches lasting a second each. The needles used are very fine. Ice, a vibration device, or topical numbing cream are all available. Topical numbing adds roughly 20 minutes to your visit, so mention it when booking if you want it.

No. Botulinum toxin is not administered during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, because there is not adequate safety data in these populations. Tell your provider if there is any chance you are pregnant. We can revisit treatment afterward.

A lip flip is a small amount of neurotoxin placed in the muscle around the upper lip so that the lip rolls slightly outward and shows more pink when you smile. It adds show, not volume, and lasts around 6 to 8 weeks. Lip filler adds actual volume and lasts far longer. A lip flip is $130 here, while a liquid lip flip using a half syringe of filler is $375. Some patients combine both.

Frequently, yes, and sequencing matters. Neurotoxin and filler are often placed in the same appointment. Energy based and resurfacing treatments are usually scheduled with spacing around neurotoxin so that heat and manipulation do not affect placement. Your provider will build the order into your plan.

Nothing bad. The effect wears off gradually over 3 to 4 months and your muscles return to their previous movement. Lines return to where they were, not worse than before. Some patients who have treated consistently for years find their lines are less deeply etched than they otherwise would have been, because the skin has been folding less.

Book at least two weeks ahead so the full effect is present and any bruising has fully resolved. Three weeks is more comfortable if the event is significant, because it leaves room for a follow up adjustment.

Dermal filler is $700 to $800 per syringe, with the exact figure depending on which product is used and which area is treated. A liquid lip flip, which uses a half syringe, is $375. Your total depends on how many syringes your plan requires, and structural areas such as the chin and jawline commonly take more than one. You receive the full cost at consultation, before any product is opened.

It depends heavily on the area. Lips typically hold 6 to 12 months because constant movement speeds breakdown. Nasolabial folds, marionette lines, and the under eye area typically hold 9 to 12 months. Cheeks, chin, jawline, and temples typically hold 12 to 18 months. Your metabolism, activity level, and the specific product all shift these numbers, so treat them as ranges rather than promises.

Yes. Hyaluronic acid filler can be dissolved with hyaluronidase, an enzyme that breaks the gel down. It is booked as its own appointment and priced as its own service. Dissolving is not perfectly selective, it can affect some of your natural hyaluronic acid nearby, and the area may look temporarily flat before it settles over a few weeks. Most patients then wait before considering any retreatment.

It can, and it is most often discussed in the lips, where product that has moved past the border creates a visible shelf. The contributing factors are well understood: too much volume, treating again before the previous product has resorbed, placement that is too superficial, and a product that is too soft or too firm for the tissue. Conservative volumes and adequate spacing between sessions substantially reduce the risk.

Not everyone is, and this is the area where we decline most often. Good candidates have a true hollow, reasonably thick skin, and little tendency to retain fluid. Poor candidates have puffiness that changes through the day, significant laxity, thyroid eye disease, or dark circles caused by pigment rather than shadow. In those cases filler can look puffy or bluish. Your provider assesses this in person.

Vascular occlusion is a rare complication in which filler blocks or compresses a blood vessel and interrupts blood supply to the tissue that vessel feeds. Signs include immediate severe pain, blanching, or mottled discoloration. It is treated urgently with hyaluronidase, which we keep on site. Anatomical training, careful technique, and cannula use in higher risk areas are how the risk is minimized, and it is why injector experience matters here more than price.

Most patients are comfortable being seen by day 3. Swelling peaks in the first 48 hours, and lips swell more and longer than any other area, sometimes a full week. Bruising, when it occurs, surfaces around day 2 and fades over 5 to 10 days, and it covers with makeup after the first day. Plan at least two weeks before a significant event.

Filler adds volume immediately by placing a gel that occupies space. Biostimulation adds nothing you can see at first, and instead prompts your own tissue to produce collagen gradually over weeks to months. Filler is the answer for a defined hollow or a specific contour. Biostimulation is the answer for overall thinning, crepiness, and diffuse loss across a larger area. Many plans use both for different jobs.

They do different things. A neurotoxin lip flip, $130, relaxes the muscle so the upper lip rolls outward and shows more pink, without adding volume, and lasts around 6 to 8 weeks. A liquid lip flip, $375, uses a half syringe of filler to add a small amount of real volume and hydration and lasts far longer. If your lips are thin at rest, filler is the tool. If they disappear only when you smile, the neurotoxin version may be enough.

Sometimes, and often not. One syringe is roughly a teaspoon of volume, which goes a long way in lips and very little across a jawline or a pair of cheeks. Structural areas usually need more than one, either in a single session or staged over several months. Your provider gives you an honest syringe estimate at consultation, including what a partial plan can and cannot accomplish, so you can decide how to phase it.

Sculptra is $750 per vial, or $3,200 for a package of three treatments covering five vials. How many vials your plan calls for depends on how much area is being treated and how much volume has been lost, and that number is set at consultation. Because this category works cumulatively, most patients are quoted for a full series rather than a single session, and you receive the total before the first appointment.

Plan on seeing nothing meaningful for the first month. Visible change commonly begins around weeks 6 to 8 and continues building through months 3 to 6 as new collagen forms. Any swelling in the first few days is fluid, not result, and it will subside. This slow curve is the normal behavior of the treatment, not a sign that it has failed, and it is why baseline photographs matter so much here.

A filler is a gel that occupies space, so it produces an immediate, visible, and reversible change in shape. A biostimulator adds almost no volume of its own and instead triggers your body to produce collagen over the following weeks and months. Filler is the right tool for a defined hollow or a specific contour. Biostimulation is the right tool for diffuse thinning, crepiness, and overall skin quality across a larger area.

Most plans run three sessions, spaced roughly 4 to 6 weeks apart, though the number depends on the agent, the area, and how much change you are after. Some patients need more, and patients with more advanced volume loss usually do. Your provider sets the series at consultation and reassesses at each visit against your photographs rather than simply completing a preset count.

PRFM is prepared from your own blood. LouWellSpa uses the Selphyl system for PRFM, primarily Selphyller plasma gel (heated PRFM). Tear troughs and the tired-eye concern, "I look tired," are a focus of the consultation. Your provider determines whether this option is appropriate for you. Learn about Selphyller plasma gel.

No. Hyaluronidase reverses hyaluronic acid fillers only, and it has no effect on poly L lactic acid or calcium hydroxylapatite. Both biostimulators break down on their own schedule instead, generally over one to two years. This irreversibility is exactly why sessions are dosed conservatively and spaced properly, and why we would rather do a fourth session than overtreat at the second.

Massage keeps the injected particles evenly dispersed through the tissue while they settle, which lowers the chance that they clump and form a palpable nodule. The common convention is five minutes at a time, five times a day, for five days, but your provider will give you the exact schedule for your treatment. It is the one part of this treatment that is entirely in your hands, and skipping it raises a risk you would rather not take.

The neck, chest, upper arms, abdomen, and knees are the areas hyperdilution is most often used for, because the complaint there is usually thin, crepey, loosening skin rather than lost shape. Diluted product is spread through a broad plane to encourage collagen and elastin production without adding contour. As with the face, change is gradual over months and the degree of improvement varies from patient to patient.

Not on scalp that has been fully bald for years, because the treatment stimulates existing follicles rather than creating new ones. It is best suited to thinning areas where miniaturized hairs are still present, such as a widening part or early to moderate loss. Results vary considerably, some patients see little change, and no outcome is guaranteed. Candidacy is assessed in person, and an underlying medical cause should be ruled out first.

Usually one to three tubes, depending on the treatment area, drawn the same way as a routine lab. The draw itself takes a minute or two and feels like any blood test. Processing runs while you wait, which is why PRFM appointments are longer than the other treatments on this page. Tell your provider if you have a history of feeling faint during blood draws so you can be positioned accordingly.

Yes, and combining them is common, because they solve different problems. Neurotoxin handles movement lines, filler handles defined volume, and biostimulation handles overall tissue quality. The sequencing and spacing depend on which areas overlap, and energy based or resurfacing treatments are usually scheduled with a gap around injectable sessions. Your provider builds the order into a single plan rather than treating each in isolation.

Sculptra results are commonly reported to last up to about two years after a completed series, hyperdilute Radiesse about a year, and PRFM a shorter period with periodic maintenance. These are typical ranges, not commitments. Duration depends on your age, general health, how many sessions you completed, and how well your tissue produces and retains collagen, so individual outcomes differ significantly.

It depends on what you want to change. Texture and dullness respond to dermaplaning, facials, and DiamondGlow with no downtime. Brown spots and redness usually point to IPL. Scarring, pores, and fine lines point to microneedling. Laxity points to Morpheus8. Uneven tone points to a peel. Most plans combine two or three of these over several months rather than relying on one.

Pricing starts at $75 for a dermaplane and $125 for a PCA peel. A facial is $135, DiamondGlow is $175, and a VI Peel for face and neck is $325. Microneedling runs $350 to $500, IPL runs $300 to $700, SkinVive is $750, and Morpheus8 runs $1,000 to $1,500. Ranges reflect the area treated, and packages lower the per treatment cost.

Facials, dermaplaning, and DiamondGlow have essentially no downtime. You may be slightly pink for an hour after extractions, and skin is more sun sensitive for a few days after a dermaplane. Those are the treatments to book close to an event. Peels, IPL, microneedling, and Morpheus8 all involve visible peeling, redness, or marks, and should be scheduled at least two weeks out.

Not here. IPL targets melanin with light and cannot reliably separate a sun spot from the surrounding pigment in naturally deeper skin, which creates a real risk of burns, hypopigmentation, and hyperpigmentation. We do not perform IPL on higher Fitzpatrick skin types. Chemical peel protocols and microneedling, which is mechanical rather than light based, suit a much wider range of skin tones and are discussed at consultation.

Both create micro channels to trigger collagen production. Morpheus8 adds radiofrequency energy through insulated needles to a set depth, so it heats tissue below the surface as well. That deeper thermal effect makes it the stronger option for laxity and established scarring. Microneedling costs less, has shorter downtime, and is often the right starting point for pores, fine lines, and general skin quality.

Most clinical treatments here are recommended as a series. Microneedling and Morpheus8 are typically three sessions four to six weeks apart. IPL is typically three sessions three to four weeks apart. Peels are often a series of three to six. Facials, dermaplaning, and DiamondGlow are ongoing maintenance every four to six weeks. Your provider sets the number after assessing your skin.

Topical numbing is applied for roughly 30 minutes beforehand, and most patients describe the treatment as pressure with some vibration rather than sharp pain. Bonier areas such as the forehead and along the jaw are more sensitive than the cheeks. Afterward the skin feels hot and tight, similar to a sunburn, for about a day. Morpheus8 is more intense and adds a sensation of deep heat.

Yes, with more discipline about sun protection. Sun exposure on recently treated skin is the most common cause of an unwanted pigment result, so daily broad spectrum SPF 30 or higher, reapplication, and a hat are required for at least four weeks after a peel, IPL, or resurfacing treatment. If an outdoor stretch is coming up, tell your provider and the schedule gets built around it.

SkinVive is a hyaluronic acid microdroplet injected just under the skin surface to improve smoothness and how skin reflects light. It is not a volumizing filler, so it adds no shape or lift, and it is not a resurfacing treatment, so it does not exfoliate or address pigment. That is why it sits apart from the rest of this menu. It is $750 and is repeated rather than done once.

Melasma needs a deliberately gentle plan, because heat and light can worsen it. Aggressive resurfacing and IPL are usually the wrong first move. A typical approach starts with medical grade home care and sun protection, then adds a superficial peel series if the skin is tolerating it. Melasma is managed rather than resolved, it tends to recur with sun and hormonal change, and expectations are set accordingly.

Usually yes. Retinoids and exfoliating acids are typically paused three to seven days before peels, microneedling, IPL, and Morpheus8, then restarted once your skin has finished healing, often about a week afterward. Your provider gives you specific dates in writing beforehand. If you take oral isotretinoin, say so, because resurfacing and energy based treatments are deferred in that situation.

Usually yes, with preparation. Resurfacing can reactivate herpes simplex, and a reactivation on freshly treated skin can leave a lasting mark, so tell your provider about your history at consultation. Antiviral prophylaxis started before treatment and continued afterward is standard in that situation, prescribed after evaluation by a licensed provider. An active outbreak means rescheduling until it has fully resolved.

Book any peel, IPL, microneedling, or Morpheus8 treatment at least four to six weeks before the event, and finish a series two to three months out so collagen driven change has time to show. In the final week, stay with a facial, dermaplane, or DiamondGlow. Do not try a new clinical treatment for the first time inside a month of an event.

Smooth threads are $200 to $450, or a package of 3 for $500 to $1,100. Lifting threads are $600 to $3,200, and a consultation is required before treatment is booked. The range on lifting threads is set by thread count and the areas being treated, so a single jawline vector sits near the bottom and bilateral mid face and jawline work sits near the top. You get your number in writing at consultation.

No. A facelift is surgery that releases and repositions deeper structures and removes excess skin. PDO threads pass an absorbable suture through soft tissue to reposition it and to stimulate collagen. The change from threads is modest and temporary, while surgical results are structural and far longer lasting. They are different procedures with different outcomes, and threads are not a lower cost version of surgery.

Longevity is typically measured in months rather than years, and it varies substantially. The thread itself dissolves over a period of months, and what persists after that is the collagen laid down along its path. Some patients are satisfied for close to a year, others notice softening considerably sooner. Thread type, count, placement, tissue quality, age, and weight change all affect it. Any fixed guarantee of duration is not credible.

Smooth threads, also called mono threads, are plain filaments with no barbs. They stimulate collagen across the area they are placed in and improve firmness and crepey texture over two to three months, but they do not lift, because there is nothing on them to grip tissue. Barbed lifting threads have cogs that engage tissue so it can be repositioned along a planned vector. They are different treatments at different prices.

Local anesthetic is injected at the entry points and along the planned thread path, so the placement itself is felt as pressure and pulling rather than as sharp pain. The anesthetic injection is the sharpest part. Afterward expect soreness, tightness, and tenderness with chewing and head turning for several days. Most patients manage with over the counter pain relief and ice, following what their provider recommends.

Most patients are socially presentable between day three and day seven, with makeup covering residual bruising. Smooth threads recover faster, often within one to three days. The activity restrictions last longer than the visible recovery does: about two weeks of sleeping on your back with your head elevated, soft food, no wide mouth opening, no facials or facial massage, and no strenuous exercise or heat.

Because candidacy cannot be judged from a photograph or a phone call. A lifting thread needs tissue of reasonable quality to engage and a realistic vector to move it along, and skin thickness, degree of descent, prior filler, and prior surgery all change the answer. Some patients are better served by filler, biostimulation, energy based tightening, or a surgical opinion. The consultation also produces your thread count and exact price.

Frequently, and combination plans are common, because threads reposition tissue while filler restores lost support and neurotoxin addresses movement. Sequencing and spacing matter, and your provider builds the order into the plan rather than performing everything at once. Existing filler in the treatment area must be disclosed, because previously placed material changes both the technique and the risk profile.

Polydioxanone is broken down by the body through hydrolysis and cleared over a period of months, so threads are not removed in normal circumstances and nothing permanent stays behind. Removal is only considered when there is a problem, such as a thread that has become visible or palpable, has begun to extrude toward the skin surface, or is associated with infection. Report any of those to your provider promptly.

Not in the way filler can be dissolved. There is no reversal agent for polydioxanone. A thread can sometimes be removed surgically if it is causing a problem, particularly in the early period, but that is a corrective procedure rather than an undo button. This is one reason candidacy assessment and conservative planning matter more here than on treatments that can be adjusted after the fact.

Entry points are small and are typically placed within the hairline or in a natural crease where possible. Most patients have pinpoint marks that fade over a few weeks. Temporary dimpling or gathered skin along a thread path is more noticeable than the entry points themselves and usually settles as swelling resolves. Patients with a history of keloid or hypertrophic scarring should raise it at consultation, because it changes the recommendation.

Probably not, and this is where threads are most often oversold. Significant skin excess, heavy jowling, and pronounced neck laxity need tissue removed rather than repositioned, which is a surgical procedure. Threads work best on mild to moderate early descent in tissue of reasonable quality. If your assessment points toward surgery, your provider will tell you and suggest an opinion from a facial plastic surgeon instead of selling you threads.