Botox for Pound Ridge, NY

Longer on the road than in the chair

A full Botox treatment takes about 10 to 15 minutes, so from Pound Ridge the drive is the longest part of the visit. From the Town House on Westchester Avenue it is about nine miles to 182 Route 117 Bypass Road in Bedford Hills, roughly 19 minutes without traffic: Route 137, then Route 172 west into Bedford Village and past its green, Route 22 north and finally Harris Road. Nothing needs to heal afterwards, so you can drive yourself home the same way and carry on with your day.

Before the first injection

A first visit opens with a conversation about which lines bother you, which expressions you want to keep, and your medical history. Your injector then watches as you frown, squint and lift your brows, because the muscles behind those movements are what Botox works on. From that comes a map of exactly where each injection should go, how deep and how much. The skin is cleansed and can be numbed with a topical anesthetic, and the injections go in through a very fine needle, each one over in seconds.

How the effect arrives and fades

• Between days 3 and 10: the treated muscles start to relax.
• At about two weeks: the full softening is in place, and this is the time to judge it.
• After three to four months: nerve signals gradually return, movement comes back, and a maintenance visit renews the effect.

Relaxing the muscle smooths the creases already there and, because the skin above it folds less often, helps keep new ones from forming. Slight swelling, redness or a small bruise where the needle went in usually clears within a few days.

Your injectors

Two nurse injectors share Bellava’s Botox appointments. Nicole Cardwell, FNP-BC qualified as a registered nurse at Pace University and became a board-certified family nurse practitioner in 2016, after years in critical care. Grace Jacildo, BSN, RN has more than seven years as a registered nurse, over five of them in aesthetic medicine, and is studying for her nurse practitioner degree. Both treat to the standard set by the medical director, Donna D’Alessio, MD, whose own specialty, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, centres on muscles, nerves and movement.

Pound Ridge patients ask

Will Botox help a deep fold beside my mouth? Usually not. A fold caused by lost volume answers to dermal fillers, and many people plan the two together.

How safe is it? Botox has been FDA approved for cosmetic use since 2002 and has more than twenty years of clinical use behind it. Serious reactions are extremely rare when the dose and technique are right. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, the precaution is to wait until afterwards.

Do members save? Yes. Bellava’s membership carries a discount on Botox with the nurse injectors.

How do I book? Book Now opens Bellava’s online booking. Bellava encourages patients to enroll with CareCredit, and other financing options are listed.