Have ya’ll noticed anything different about me the over the last couple weeks? Probably not, unless you look real close 😉
I got botox and Juvederm fillers for the very first time! And I’m SO excited to share my experience with you all because if you can’t already tell, I am obsessed!!
I met with the team at Optimal Self MD for the first time a few weeks ago, and it was an amazing experience from the very beginning. First of all, everyone that works there is beautiful and so nice. They invited me in and told me all about the the company, the doctors and their backgrounds, and the huge variety of services that they provide. I was so impressed by everything! One of my favorite things about Optimal Self MD is that they are the only practice in Greenville, SC to offer BOTH wellness and aesthetic services. I love that they not only help patients to look their best on the outside, but also to feel their best on the inside.
Dr. Katherine Birchenough is a certified functional medicine doctor, and she focuses on the wellness side of the practice. She takes the time to identify the root cause of whatever health problems you may be having, and creates individualized health plans for her patients. This ranges from functional medicine to personalized nutrition plans, to IV therapy, and more!
Side note – Have any of you tried IV therapy before? I’ve heard amazing things about it, but I get SUPER queasy with IVs. I mean, I nearly pass out from getting my blood drawn for 10 seconds (embarassing) but who knows, maybe one day.. Comment below if you’ve tried it!
On the other side of the practice is Dr. Shawn Birchenough. He is a certified plastic surgeon and specializes in aesthetics. He can do it all.. from surgical and non-surgical procedures to facial rejuvenation, body contouring, and so much more. More detail on this here!
What stands out about Optimal Self MD is that Dr. Shawn performs the aesthetic procedures himself, unlike most practices who use nurses or other licensed employees to administer things like botox and fillers. I don’t know about ya’ll but if I’m having something injected into my face, I want it to be done by someone who REALLY knows what they’re doing!!
When I went in for my procedures, I was so excited! A little nervous that it would hurt, but not one doubt that it would turn out looking great. Dr. Shawn gave me a mirror and and a “plastic surgery 101” lesson, which was extremely helpful in understanding how and why the procedures work the way they do. I always thought that botox was only used to fix wrinkles, but it is also used for wrinkle prevention (yes, please!) I didn’t want anything that would change the way my face looked, but would just enhance it!
We decided to go with a little botox at the base of my eyebrows to even them out (one was slightly higher than the other) and to smooth out the area in between my brows (no more crinkly face!) We also did Juvederm fillers in my cheeks, and a tiny bit in my upper lip to make my lips symmetrical. They wiped my face down with alcohol pads, put an ice pack on my forehead, applied some numbing cream to my face and lips (I was looking real good at this point) and as soon as it set in, I was ready to go! The entire injection process only took a few minutes.
So the big question – Did it hurt? Not at all (for me at least – but everyone has different pain tolerances.) The botox was super quick and it felt just like plucking eyebrows. The cheek fillers I couldn’t feel at all which was kind of weird (not complaining though!) The lip filler is supposed to be the most painful because the area is so sensitive, but the numbing cream helped a ton and I had such a small amount injected that it wasn’t painful to me. They also gave me a breast implant to squeeze during the injections, so that may have helped too haha!
The photo below is right before botox injection – you have to scrunch your face up so it so it may look like I’m in pain but I promise I’m not!
And for the results!! The Juvederm (cheeks and lips) results are immediate and oh my gosh ya’ll.. I couldn’t stop looking in the mirror! I absolutely LOVE how everything turned out!! Botox takes a few days to kick in and I’m also extremely happy with how it turned out. My resting face is naturally a little scrunched (which can make me look angry when I’m not) and I love that the botox takes that away without making me look any different.
Overall I could not be happier with my entire experience and results – HUGE thank you to the entire Optimal Self MD team!! They took such good care of me throughout the entire process. If you are in the Greenville area, I highly recommend checking them out for any of your wellness and aesthetic needs. They really can do it all!!
Lastly, here are a couple before (left) and afters (right.) Obviously these were taken on different days/times so the lighting is a little different, but you get the idea. Comment below and tell me what you think! And I’m always happy to answer any questions 🙂
