What's the Real Difference Between Good Botox and Bad Botox?
Good Botox means you still look like yourself. You can raise your eyebrows. You can show surprise. You just don't have deep lines anymore. Bad Botox is when your coworker asks if something is wrong because your face doesn't move. The difference comes down to who is injecting you and how well they understand facial anatomy. I've been injecting Botox for over 30 years, and I am (Dr. Mirrafati) the one that injects it, not a nurse that had a weekend course on botox injections. The biggest mistake providers make is treating every face the same way. A 35-year-old woman from Irvine who wants to soften her "eleven" lines needs a completely different approach than a 55-year-old who wants to lift her brows. Same product, different technique, different units, different injection points. Also the age of the patient has a lot to do with it.
Where I Inject and Why It Matters
I look at how your face moves before I pick up the needle. I'll ask you to frown, smile, raise your eyebrows, and squint. Every face has a pattern. Some people are forehead dominant. Others crinkle around the eyes first. Your injection plan should match YOUR face, not some template from a weekend training course. The most common areas are the forehead lines, the frown lines between your eyebrows, and crow's feet. But I also treat bunny lines on the nose, chin dimpling, and neck bands. For my Irvine patients who clench their jaw, Botox in the masseter muscle can slim the face and stop headaches.
The Frozen Face Problem and How I Avoid It
This is my take: most frozen faces happen because the injector used too many units in the wrong places. More Botox does not mean better results. I'd rather start conservative and have you come back for a touch-up in two weeks than overdo it on day one. You can always add more. You can't take it away. I use between 20 and 60 units for most patients depending on the treatment areas. If someone tells you they need 80 or 100 units for your forehead alone, get a second opinion.
Getting Here From Irvine
We're at 3140 Red Hill Ave in Costa Mesa. From Irvine, that's usually 12 to 18 minutes depending on traffic. Take the 405 north and exit at Red Hill, or come up Jamboree and cut over. Most Botox appointments take 15 to 20 minutes. Some of my Irvine patients come during their lunch break and go right back to work. No downtime. You might have a tiny red dot at the injection sites that fades in an hour.
What Botox Costs at Our Practice
We charge by the unit. No knockoffs, no diluted product. During your consultation I'll tell you exactly how many units you need and what it'll cost before we start. We also offer a membership discount that makes ongoing treatments more affordable since Botox is something you'll want to maintain every three to four months. Although the prices can change due to the rise in the cost of the product and the supplies but for now the cost is $9.5 per unit for non-members and $7.5 per unit for members
Book Your Appointment
Call (714) 544-8678 to schedule. If you've never had Botox before, I'll walk you through everything so you know what to expect. If you've had bad Botox somewhere else, bring photos and we'll talk about how to fix it. I've corrected a lot of other people's work over the years. Our Costa Mesa location is only 10 minutes away from almost anywhere in Irvine.
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