By Sarah Hitchcox, BSN, RN

You already have the screenshots of what you want from your Botox procedure. Here’s how to turn desires into questions that a nurse can effectively answer at your consultation.

The consultation starts before you get in the chair: photos on the phone, questions in the notebook.

Start With the Folder You Already Have

You probably have a folder of screenshots, a saved collection on Instagram, or a photo of a friend from a wedding. Most people arrive for a first Botox visit and simply show me their face in person, along with their photos. That’s not a problem. The pictures are useful. The work is turning them into questions.

At Sarah Hitchcox Aesthetics, I perform every Botox treatment myself, and the consultation before it is free at both of our Knoxville-area offices. The better your questions, the more we can get out of that conversation together.

Sort the Photos Before You Sort the Words

Open the folder and split it into two piles. instead of “want” and “don’t want,” try these:

• Photos where you like a specific area: the forehead, the space between the brows, the corners of the eyes.
• Photos where you like the overall feeling but cannot point to a spot.

The first pile turns into questions quickly. The second pile is harder, and that is fine. “I like how rested she looks” is a starting point, not a dead end. What do you notice first when you look at that face? The brows? The eyes? Write that down.

Learn the Names for What You’re Indicating

Botox is a neuromodulator. It temporarily blocks nerve signals to specific facial muscles so they do not contract as deeply, which visibly softens the lines on the skin. That is why our website highlights the specific areas of the face, not whole faces.

Before your visit, read the treatment page for the practice you are considering and match your photos to its list. On mine, the areas listed are forehead lines, frown lines (the “11s” between the brows), crow’s feet, bunny lines, chin dimpling, brow lift, gummy smile and lip flip.

Now go back to your photos. Is the thing you circled a forehead line or a frown line? Is it the brow position? Once you can name it, you can ask about it directly.

Write Three Questions Per Photo

Keep it short. For each picture that made the cut, write:

1. What am I looking at? (“Her forehead is smooth but she can still raise her eyebrows.”)
2. Is that a Botox area? (Check it against the list.)
3. What do I want to know about that area on my own face?

Bring the photos, too. A consultation at my office includes assessing your muscle strength and facial anatomy, and a picture of what you like helps me explain what would translate to your face and what would not.

Questions the Treatment Page Raises on Its Own

Some questions come from reading, not from photos. A few worth adding:

– Botox, Dysport or Jeuveau? We carry more than one neuromodulator and recommend based on your anatomy. Ask which one and why.
–  How long is the appointment?  Botox appointments with me take 10 to 20 minutes. The consultation is a separate conversation, so plan for both.
–  Which office?  Bearden or Farragut for us. Write down the one you booked and the suite number.

If you are comparing more than one West Knoxville injector, Botox Knox Med Spa  lays out its Botox, Dysport and Jeuveau services the same way, with lip flip and masseter treatment listed by area, so the photo-to-list exercise works there too.

Two Things to Leave in the Folder

• A photo of someone else’s face with the expectation of the same face. It is a description of a preference, not a plan.
• A non-FDA treatment you saw on social media.

The One-Page Version

Before you leave for the appointment, you should have:

– The photos you kept, with the area named on each.
– Three questions per photo.
– Your product, timing and office questions.
– The name of the person you are meeting. At my practice, that’s me, Sarah Hitchcox, BSN, RN.

Then close the folder. The photos got you to the questions. The conversation does the rest.