Injectable
Neurotoxin
Softening the lines of everyday expression, dosed for movement rather than erasure.
Request a consultationComplimentary · no obligation to treat
Appointment
45–60 minutes
First movement change
About 3 days
Full effect
About 14 days
Typically lasts
4–6 months
In detail
Why a neurotoxin?
Which product, and why
Several neurotoxins are approved in the United States and they are not interchangeable with one another. Which one is appropriate for you, and why, is discussed at your consultation — your history, the area being treated and how you have responded to treatment before all bear on it.
What it actually is
A neurotoxin is a purified protein that temporarily interrupts the signal between a nerve and a small, specific muscle. Where that signal is quieted, the muscle stops contracting as forcefully, and the skin folding above it gets a rest. Over the following weeks the crease it was making softens.
How fast, and how long
The approved neurotoxins differ from one another in how they are formulated, how quickly they take effect and how long they last. In general you can expect the first movement changes at around three to five days — some people notice it sooner — full effect by about two weeks, and commonly three to six months before you notice it fading. Individual duration varies with the product used, the dose, the area and your own metabolism.
What it treats — and what it does not
A neurotoxin treats dynamic lines — the ones that appear when you frown, raise your brows, or squint. It does not fill, it does not add volume, and it does not lift skin that has descended. A line etched deeply enough to be visible when your face is completely at rest is a static line, and it usually needs something else, or time, or both.
Where it is used
Treatment here covers the upper face — the glabella between the brows, the horizontal forehead lines, and the crow’s feet at the outer eye. A small set of smaller areas take careful, lower doses: a lip flip, bunny lines across the nose, dimpling of the chin, a gummy smile, and downturned corners of the mouth. Areas beyond those are not offered here.
Why the syringe matters
Delivery matters as much as product. Every injection here is given with an FDA-cleared metered-dose syringe. The plunger advances in fixed, calibrated increments with an audible, tactile click, so the dose is counted by feel rather than read off a graduation line, and attention stays on your face rather than on the barrel. It pairs with a 33-gauge needle for a finer, less painful entry (Aesthetic Surgery Journal). Preparation is needle-free. The system uses low-dead-space components, which the manufacturer states leaves less product stranded in the vial and hub.
Why treatment is quoted by area
The dose is chosen from your anatomy and from how you actually use your face, not from a standard chart. Treatment is quoted by area. Undertreating is easy to correct at a two-week review; overtreating is not, so the first appointment is deliberately conservative.
Who it suits
The concern this answers
- Frown linesThe vertical crease between the brows that makes you look angry or worried when you are neither. This is the area the product used here carries FDA approval for.
- Forehead linesHorizontal lines that show when you raise your brows, and are starting to linger afterwards.
- Crow’s feetFanning lines at the outer corner of the eye when you smile.
- A thin upper lipA lip flip — a small dose that lets the upper lip roll outward slightly, without any filler.
- Bunny linesThe fine diagonal creases across the bridge of the nose that appear when you scrunch or smile hard.
- Chin dimplingThe pebbled, orange-peel texture of a chin that tightens when you speak.
- A gummy smileA small dose that lets the upper lip travel a little less far when you smile broadly.
- Downturned corners of the mouthRelaxing the muscle that pulls the corner down, so the resting mouth reads as neutral rather than displeased.
Not the right treatment if
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- You have a neuromuscular condition such as myasthenia gravis, Lambert-Eaton syndrome or ALS.
- You have an active skin infection at the intended injection site.
- You have had an allergic reaction to a botulinum toxin product, or to any component of the product used here.
- You have a peripheral motor neuropathy.
- You are taking an aminoglycoside antibiotic, a muscle relaxant, an anticholinergic, or another medicine that affects nerve-to-muscle signaling. These can strengthen the effect of the toxin and need to be discussed before anything is drawn up.
- The lines that bother you are visible when your face is completely still — that is a different problem, and a neurotoxin alone will disappoint you.
The appointment
What actually happens
- 01
Medical history and assessment
Before anything is drawn up, your medical history is reviewed and your in-person assessment is performed at the appointment. Medications, prior treatments, autoimmune and neuromuscular conditions, and pregnancy status all matter.
- 02
Assessment at rest and in motion
You will be asked to frown, lift, squint and smile. Faces are asymmetric — almost every face is — and the plan accounts for yours rather than pretending it is symmetrical.
- 03
The plan, agreed out loud
Areas, approximate units and the intended effect are stated before consent is signed. If you want less movement lost than is being proposed, that is a legitimate request and the dose changes.
- 04
Preparation
The skin is cleansed with antiseptic. Injection points are mapped. The vial is opened in front of you and prepared immediately before use.
- 05
Injection
A series of small injections through an ultra-fine needle. Most people describe a brief tap rather than a sting. The whole sequence usually takes five to ten minutes.
- 06
Aftercare and the two-week review
Written aftercare, then a follow-up at about fourteen days to see the settled result. Small additions can be made then if they are needed.
Afterwards
The first two weeks
The first hour
You can return to ordinary activity straight away. Small raised bumps at the injection points settle within fifteen to thirty minutes. Pinpoint redness is common and brief. Bruising is possible, particularly around the eyes, and usually resolves within a week.
The first day
For the first four hours, stay upright and avoid rubbing or massaging the treated areas. Avoid strenuous exercise, saunas, hot yoga and facials for twenty-four hours. Do not lie face-down for a nap that afternoon.
The first two weeks
Nothing will look different for the first day or two. Movement usually begins to change from about day three, and the result is fully settled at about two weeks. Judging your result at day five is the most common reason people think their treatment did not work.
How long it lasts
How long it lasts varies with dose, area, metabolism and how strong the muscle was to begin with. People who exercise intensely sometimes find it wears off faster. Some people find that regular treatment over years means the muscle contracts less strongly and the interval stretches slightly. The evidence for that is limited, and repeated treatment does cause some muscle thinning over time, which is worth discussing.
Investment
What it costs
From $650
per appointment, quoted by area
Refresh & Refine — $650. Two small areas of facial movement, treated together in one private appointment: a lip flip, chin dimpling, bunny lines, a gummy smile, or downturned corners of the mouth. Treating two small areas together often reads as more balanced than treating a single one alone. Includes treatment of two small areas during one concierge appointment; additional areas or product are discussed and approved before treatment begins.
Upper Face Refresh — starting at $850. Forehead lines, frown lines and crow’s feet, planned around how your face actually moves, what you have had before, and how much natural expression you want to keep.
Treatment is quoted by area, planned around your anatomy and how you actually use your face. The products used here come in single-patient vials, opened for you and used only for your appointment. Robbie confirms the recommended areas, the final dose, the expected result, the risks, the aftercare and the exact price before treatment begins. The figure is agreed in writing. A two-week review can be scheduled.
A $40 comfort fee applies to injectable appointments. Red light therapy is included at no charge on every injectable appointment as a calming finishing step. It is only offered as an add-on to a booked treatment, never as a standalone concierge visit. Concierge appointments begin at $650. Treatments quoted below that figure are booked as part of a visit rather than on their own. Concierge visits within the service area — Fort Worth, Dallas, Highland Park, Arlington, Mansfield, Burleson, Cleburne, Alvarado and Keene — are included. Travel beyond it needs advance approval and may carry a fee, disclosed in writing before the appointment is confirmed.
Stated plainly
Risks and honest limits
Every injectable carries risk. These are stated here rather than buried in a consent form you sign in a hurry.
- Bruising and swelling at injection points, most likely around the eyes, usually resolving within a week.
- Headache in the first day or two, particularly after glabella or forehead treatment.
- Eyelid or brow droop — uncommon, caused by product spreading to a neighboring muscle. It is temporary and resolves over weeks. Eyelid droop can be partly offset in the meantime with prescription eye drops, used off-label for that purpose; brow droop cannot be treated that way and has to be waited out.
- Asymmetry — one side settling differently from the other. This is what the two-week review exists to correct.
- An unnatural or frozen look if too much is used. This is a dosing decision, not an inevitability, and with a product that lasts this long it is the reason first appointments here start low.
- Distant spread of toxin effect. Every botulinum toxin product carries a boxed warning about this. Symptoms can include generalized weakness, double vision, drooping eyelids, and difficulty speaking, swallowing or breathing, and have been reported anywhere from hours to weeks after injection. It is rare at cosmetic doses, and it is a medical emergency.
- A shorter result than you hoped. Some people metabolize faster and land at the lower end of the range. That is biological variation rather than a failure of the product or the treatment.
Questions
What people ask
Will I still look like myself?
That is the entire objective. The plan is built so that you keep expression and lose the line — you should look rested rather than treated. If you would rather have more movement than is being proposed, say so and the dose is reduced. It is far easier to add at the two-week review than to undo.
Does it hurt?
Less than you are probably expecting, and less than it used to. The syringe system used here has a 33-gauge ultra-fine needle with a friction-reducing coating. Needle tips do blunt with repeated passes, so needles are changed during longer treatments. Some people find the rhythm of the clicks a useful distraction. Most describe a brief tap, a second or two per point. Topical numbing is available if you would prefer it, and ice helps. The glabella tends to be the most sensitive area.
How soon can I go back to work?
Immediately. There may be small bumps for half an hour and occasional pinpoint redness. Bruising is the only thing likely to be visible, and it is not guaranteed to happen.
Is every area you treat FDA-approved?
Not every area. The product used here is approved for the frown lines between the brows; the forehead, crow’s feet and the smaller areas such as a lip flip fall outside that approval, which is established and widely practiced but worth knowing. Exactly which areas apply to the product used on you is covered in writing before you consent.
What is the clicking sound during treatment?
That is the syringe. It is a metered-dose device that releases a fixed, calibrated increment of product each time the plunger advances one click, with both a sound and a feel to confirm it. It is the only system used here. The practical benefit is that the dose does not depend on squinting at a graduation line, so attention stays on your face and on your comfort.
Which neurotoxin will be used on me?
That is decided at your consultation rather than in advance on a website. The approved neurotoxins differ in onset, in how long they tend to last and in how they behave in a given area, and their units are not interchangeable. Which one is appropriate for you, and why, is covered before you consent.
Is neurotoxin the same as filler?
No, and they are often confused. A neurotoxin relaxes a muscle so a fold stops forming. Filler adds volume where volume has been lost. They treat different problems and are frequently used together for that reason.
I was quoted a number of units somewhere else. Does that transfer?
No. Units are specific to each product and are not interchangeable between brands. One brand’s approved dose for the frown lines can be double another’s for the same effect, so a unit count or a per-unit price from another practice tells you very little here. That is why treatment is quoted by area, not by unit.
Can I have this in my own home?
Yes — that is how Ara Luna works. Product travels in a temperature-controlled case, a sterile field is set up on site, and everything used is single-use and opened in front of you. A sharps container comes and leaves with the practice.
What if something goes wrong after you leave?
You are given direct contact details, not a general voicemail. For a medical emergency, call 911.
Begin with a conversation
The consultation is complimentary, unhurried and carries no obligation to treat. If a neurotoxin is not the right answer for what is bothering you, that is discussed before anything is booked.
Complimentary · no obligation to treat