7 Ways To Maximize Your In-Office Treatment Appointment Right Now

Nowadays, in-person doctors’ appointments have more considerations than ever. With abundant telehealth offerings and stay-at-home orders encouraging patients to remain inside, it’s easy to access healthcare from the couch. But when patients do decide to opt for an in-office appointment, it’s a good idea to make every moment with your provider count. “No one has time to go to their plastic surgeon [or dermatologist] multiple times,” says Roxanne Grawe, MD, a board certified plastic surgeon in Powell, OH. “With kid’s activities, work, and running errands, it is impossible to make multiple visits — and that was before coronavirus pandemic precautions.”

To help you make the most of your time in the office, we asked the experts how to safely stack skin, face, and body treatments for maximum results in minimum time. In addition to saving you another trip to the office, opting for multiple treatments at once also concentrates downtime. Here are some of the most popular combos of the moment.

1. Skincare Treatment + Botox + Filler

The “burger, fries, and a shake” of cosmetic treatments, this combination is one of the most common — and one you may have already tried. “Many patients stack their skincare treatments with Botox® and fillers,” Dr. Grawe explains. Her Ohio office schedules patients with an aesthetician first for treatments such as Hydrafacial® or dermaplaning, then sends them to a doctor’s procedure room for injectables like Botox® that tackle upper facial wrinkles. “Then, if they decide to get their lips plumped, we can do that too,” she says. “We have seen an increase in these types of facial balancing treatments during the pandemic, since you can don your mask during your swelling or bruising phase.”

2. Liquid Facelift

In Dr. Grawe’s office, she often combines a variety of injectable neurotoxins and fillers for a non-surgical facial makeover known as the liquid facelift. Aimed at creating better facial balance, the patient and doctor will sit together in front of a mirror as the patient describes their concerns. “It may be that the lower eyelids appear hollow and they want to look well rested, or that they don’t like their forehead wrinkles,” Dr. Grawe says. “We look at the entire picture — how the nose fits with the chin, how the cheek bones project, or if their upper lip and bottom lip are balanced — then the treatment plan takes shape.” Depending on the patient’s desired results, each combination of neuromodulator and filler will be different, but the goal is typically to create a more youthful and refreshed look, without looking “fake” or overfilled.

3. Chemical Peels + Ultherapy

“Now, patients will bundle additional treatments into their routine Botox® and filler appointments,” says Lesley Rabach, MD, a double board certified facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon in New York City. Before the injections, Dr. Rabach’s patients often stack chemical peels or Ultherapy® in one appointment, instead of coming back for these toning and tightening services later. With all these treatments at once, a patient can leave the office with skin that’s deeply exfoliated, plumped, and tightened.

4. Laser Skin Treatment + Laser Hair Removal + Kybella

Once the numbing cream is on, might as well make the most of it, right? Dr. Grawe’s patients often opt for laser skin treatments and laser hair removal in one fell swoop. “We can do BroadBand Light treatments for brown spots, which are very popular during these wintery months when our tans have faded, then do laser hair removal with the same laser,” she says. On top of the laser work, patients can also add on facial fillers or Kybella® injections to melt excess fat around the chin, neck, and jaw.

5. EmSculpt + EmTone

“For patients seeking body contouring, a common combination therapy we use in our office is EmSculpt and EmTone™,” says Dendy Engelman, MD, a board certified dermatologist in NYC. EmSculpt, she explains, is a non-invasive toning and strengthening treatment that uses electromagnetic energy to stimulate the muscles, causing 20,000 muscle contractions in 30 minutes — far more than possible in a typical exercise routine. That’s easy to combine with EmTone™, which uses targeted thermal and mechanical energy to smooth cellulite. “Combining these therapies maximizes the results in the areas treated by addressing the underlying muscles with EmSculpt and the overlying tissue with EmTone™,” she says. Since both tackle the body, it’s also easy to stack them on top of any facial treatments, making for a head-to-toe appointment.

6. PRP + Microneedling

“There are treatments that I combine for patients because they will actually see better results with the combination,” Dr. Engelman notes. One such combo is platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and microneedling. PRP treatments utilize plasma from your own blood, spun in a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets, and then injected back into the treatment area (which can include face and scalp) to trigger the body’s natural healing process and boost collagen production. Microneedling, meanwhile, uses a device made up of fine needles to create micro-wounds in the skin, which also stimulates collagen growth and can improve the appearance of scars and wrinkles. PRP and microneedling work well together, she says, because “the micro-injuries to the skin from microneedling heal will more quickly thanks to the growth factors in our own PRP.”

7. Eye & Lip Surgery + Jawline Contouring

“There has been a surge of patients who are opting for more than one surgical procedure at once, so as to have the same surgical downtime and healing process,” Dr. Rabach shares. She routinely performs blepharoplasty on the upper and lower lids to address drooping eyelids. “Many patients who once would opt for either upper or lower blepharoplasties are now having both done at the same time,” she says. She’s also had patients combine eyelid surgery with lip lifts and jawline contouring, all of which require local anesthesia.

The Takeaway

As you can see, some of these combinations work together for one desired result, others tackle different areas of the body, and some put numbing cream to good use. While our experts have seen high levels of patient satisfaction with the pairings above, think of your appointment as a chance to choose your own adventure. Talk to your own doctor about how to stack and combine treatments to best serve your aesthetic goals and needs.