Like almost everyone, twenty two year old Andy has looked in the mirror and wished he could change some things about his face.
Investigating cosmetic surgery options is something Andy has thought about before, but he thought it was probably too expensive an option to consider.
“I have a persistent wrinkle on my forehead,” Andy shared before we head off to meet Dr. Patrick Briggs.
The night before Andy was asked to take some selfies of his face and send them through to the clinic with some notes about what worried him. “It’s half way across, I don’t want it to become a full wrinkle.” Andy shared.
“I’m also worried about some pitted skin near the side of my nose.” he said.
OUTinPerth set up a consultation Consultation between Andy and Dr. Briggs’ to see if muscle relaxant treatment was an option for Andy’s increasingly furrowed brow.
At Dr. Briggs clinic in Subiaco his friendly staff take Andy through to a small photographic studio and shoot a number of close ups of his face. Then we went in to meet Dr. Briggs.
The doctor carefully outlines the risks associated with Botox treatments. While the procedure is not permanent there are a range of outcomes that may eventuate. As everyone’s muscles are different there is an element of ‘best guess’ in what dosage each individual needs. Too much could result in a lack of facial expression, not enough may not achieve the desired results. Dr. Briggs openly explains that it’s not unusual for it to take a few treatments to get everything ‘just right’.
As Andy discussed his thoughts about his own facial features we turned to the area around his nose. Andy highlighted that he has several broken capillaries around his nose. He revealed that he’s noticed his father has a similar feature and he’s worried that this will become more noticeable as he gets older. Dr. Briggs suggests that IPL laser treatment would be an option to improve this area.
As the doctor closely examined Andy’s face closely he highlighted that Andy’s forehead has some significant sun damage. The doctor highlights that this should be concerning to someone of Andy’s age. Across the top of his forehead there is a slight change in pigmentation, a series of lighter and darker spots.
Dr. Briggs’ recommendation is that we should all be wearing sunscreen as part of our daily skin care routine, especially people like Andy who hail from a Northern European background.
As Andy and Dr. Briggs chat Andy opened up about his concerns and Dr. Briggs politely asked him a series of challenging and thought provoking questions.
As the discussion progresses Dr. Briggs suggests an array of treatment pathways for Andy to consider. Every door is a possibility ranging from doing nothing, to wearing more sunscreen and investigating a procedure. The time frames that these can be applied are also on spectrum from taking no action, to waiting a few years or acting now.
Andy decided that for the moment he’s not ready to try out the botox option, but it’s something he might consider in the future.
“I’m a little bewildered, my priorities around my looks have suddenly changed.” Andy said after the consultation.
Andy said he appreciated Dr. Briggs’ direct manner. “What I’m going to look like when I’m older is something that crosses my mind more and more.” Andy said. “I’ve started to think more about my skin and I quit smoking.
“Meeting Dr. Briggs was such a catalyst to re-evaluate my thinking… I feel a lot less worried about the wrinkle on my forehead, I’m not too worried about the sun damage because there is action I can take, and I’m interested in what I can do about the area around my nose.” Andy said.
To find about more about Dr. Patrick Briggs visit his website.
Graeme Watson
Dr. Briggs is a supporter of OUTinPerth and regularly advertises in our magazine.
