There’s a new bar in town.
But instead of shots of tequila or whiskey, customers can choose shots of Botox, Juvederm, Dysport, a “Super Vitamin B12” cocktail and a variety of other anti-aging injections.
Skinjectables Anti-Aging Bar, which opened Monday at St. Philip’s Plaza, boasts being Tucson’s first walk-in Botox and dermal filler bar.
“The Botox bar has been popping up in California,” said Katie O’Brien, a physician assistant in dermatology and co-owner of Skinjectables. “So we thought it would be cool to bring that into Tucson.”
Tucson is no Los Angeles, but O’Brien said there’s a “huge population that gets aesthetic services” as people look to nonsurgical ways to fight outward signs of aging.
Every detail of Skinjectables goes along with a bar theme — minus alcohol — to give clients a hip, trendy atmosphere. The receptionist desk is made out of a bar, complete with bar stools. “We have a shot menu and a happy hour,” O’Brien said. “It’s kind of tongue-in-cheek. Everything we’re doing is trying to lend itself to the bar scene.”
Patients can also book Botox parties, where groups receive injections, at Skinjectables or at their homes.
While the trend is spreading, the American Academy of Dermatology urges caution against receiving injections outside a medical establishment, especially when alcohol is involved.
“I think there is a danger in making things that are medical treatments, that could potentially have serious side effects, nonmedical,” said Zakia Rahman, a board-certified dermatologist and assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Stanford University. “In some ways, it’s good to reduce fear of treatments, but people should be aware of the actual side effects. ... It should be done in a way that is most safe for the people you are treating.”
Rather than going the med-spa route, offering all kinds of treatment, Skinjectables is trying to create a niche for itself, which O’Brien says is cosmetic injections.
“When people think of coffee, they think Starbucks,” O’Brien said. “We want people in Tucson to think of Skinjectables when they think of Botox or fillers. We wanted to get away from the overdone med-spa concept where they offer every possible service. We want to be the experts.”
While the walk-in nature of Skinjectables may sound new, it is not unusual for patients to walk into physician offices to have these types of procedures done, said Dr. Stephen A. Goldstein, associate professor of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Arizona. “The key is to make certain patients are able to follow up, especially in case problems develop.”
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that patients see board-certified dermatologists or a certified physician for any type of anti-aging work, including injections. “The issue we see with these type of places is there may not be a physician or dermatologist on-site,” said Dr. Anthony M. Rossi, a board-certified dermatologist with the academy.
“Some people don’t think of it as a medical procedure, but it is” Rossi said. “Somebody is putting a needle in your face. ... You are getting a surgical procedure, even though it’s Botox. We try to educate our patients to go to a board-certified physicians, including dermatologists and plastic surgeons.”
If injected incorrectly, results can be uneven facial anatomy, uneven muscle paralysis, and, in some cases, the neurotoxin can spread. For example, misplacement of neurotoxin in the forehead area can lead to a drooping upper eyelid or heavy eyebrows, Rossi said.
The most common problem of improper injection is an undesired result or appearance, Goldstein said. “You can get lumps, which are common in the lips or under the eyes. Also around the eyes you can see swelling and puffiness when in the wrong place or if the wrong filler is used.”
However, nurse practitioners, nurses and some assistants are well trained in these procedures, Goldstein said. “The biggest concern for any procedure is to make certain that somebody is able to take care of complications.”
Skinjectables does have a physician on-site for consultations with staffers. And everyone on the staff is trained at the level of registered nurse or above, with training in advanced injectables, O’Brien said. “Everybody has been affiliated with this industry for quite some time,” she added. O’Brien has been administering Botox and dermal fillers for more than 11 years.
Whether a patient chooses a med spa, doctor’s office or Botox bar, the most important thing is education “so a consumer knows exactly what they’re getting and who’s treating them,” dermatologist Rahman said.
Included in that education is making sure an establishment is using FDA-approved Botox and filler. “Make sure and do your homework. ... It is literally a toxin going into your body and, when not done in a proper way or not using FDA-approved products, it could be really serious,” she said.
