Sugar Land, TX – Anytime there’s a big event here in Houston like the Rodeo, the Super Bowl, or the World Series, men and women both want to look their best.
After a long time without big gatherings, people are coming out this week, dressed to impress.
Dr. Sherry Ingraham, a dermatologist at Advanced Dermatology, said this week is all about “baseball and Botox,” fueling an already booming industry, thanks to the pandemic.
“The zoom boom is real,” Ingraham said.
After everyone was staring at their own face through computer cameras while in quarantine, or focusing on their eyes alone because of masks, Ingraham said she’s had hundreds of patients come in for cosmetic procedures like lasers, fillers and Botox.
“[The eye] tends to show if we’re dehydrated the most. If you were out in an Astros game, had a couple of drinks, had a little caffeine, you didn’t sleep, it really is noticeable. Even patients in their 30s and 40s, they’re coming in saying, ‘What can I do for my undereye?’ So, we’re doing a lot of resurfacing under the eyes. We’re doing filler under the eyes, but especially a little Botox around the eye to open up the eye,” Ingraham said.
In the last two decades, cosmetic surgeries have been on the rise 446%, according to the National Institutes of Health. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reported an increase of 446% in cosmetic procedures since 1997 and an overall increase of 8% in 2007, with a 17% increase in men undertaking cosmetic surgery.
How should you prepare to get something done?
Ideally, Ingraham said patients should come in six months before a big event.
Botox around the eyes and lips can give you results fast, but beware of bruising, especially at the lip injection site.
“If you have a party that night, you may be a little swollen. Some people like the way it looks swollen. You may also get a little bruising, but you can cover it up with lipstick,” she said.
Bruising is exactly why she does not recommend fillers under the eye right before a party.
Annie Durbin was in the office before Game 2 of the World Series, specifically looking to enhance her look before seeing friends.
She said Botox has the perfect amount of pick-me-up.
“There hasn’t been one time that I’ve had Botox done that somebody hasn’t commented on just how I look well-rested, which always makes me feel really good because I’m not very well-rested,” Durbin laughed.
How to avoid bruising
Ingraham said to eat pineapple to avoid bruising because pineapples contain bromelain. You can take supplements of bromelain or Ingraham said you can get the same amount from eating pineapples every day after the procedure to avoid bruising.
She also recommends stopping aspirin, fish oil and drinking alcohol a couple of weeks before because those may make you bruise as well.
