Aesthetic medicine · HappyDERM, ul. Barlickiego 31/1u, Wrocław
Aesthetic medicine Wrocław
Botox for expression lines, hyaluronic acid for the lips, folds and tear troughs, the Sculptra and Crystalys tissue stimulators, skin boosters, mesotherapy, peels and lasers. Treatments are performed by Małgorzata Micał-Strąk, MD, PhD, a dermatologist and aesthetic medicine physician, in a dermatology clinic rather than a beauty salon. This matters when a “tired face” hides rosacea or discolouration that must be treated first.
Indications and the proposed approach
A “tired face” means a frown line and drooping mouth corners in one person, hollow cheeks and shadows under the eyes in another, and simply grey, dehydrated skin after winter in a third. Each of these problems has a different solution and a different price, so at the consultation we look at the whole face, not just the spot the patient points to. Below is our range with indicative prices from the price list.
Botulinum toxin (Botox)
Forehead, frown line, crow’s feet. One area 600–650 PLN, three areas 1300 PLN, Alluzience (ready-to-use solution) 1500 PLN. The effect appears after 3–7 days and lasts 3–5 months. We also use Botox to treat bruxism (1000–1800 PLN), excessive sweating of the armpits and hands, and migraine.
Hyaluronic acid: folds, cheeks, chin, tear troughs
From 1200 PLN per syringe. We rarely fill the nasolabial folds themselves; more often we lift the cheek that creates them. The tear trough is an area for an experienced doctor, because the skin there is thin and swelling occurs easily.
Lip augmentation and volumising
From 1200 PLN per syringe. At a first visit we usually inject no more than 1 ml. We would rather the patient came back after a month for “a little more” than waited half a year for too much to wear off.
Skin boosters, mesotherapy, peels
Profhilo 1600 PLN, Croma mesotherapy from 600 PLN, platelet-rich plasma 900 PLN, V-Carbon carbon peel 350 PLN, PQ Age 400 PLN. These treatments are for grey, dehydrated, finely wrinkled skin, not for volume.
Sculptra and Crystalys
Sculptra (poly-L-lactic acid) 2000 PLN per vial, Crystalys (calcium hydroxylapatite) 1800 PLN. They do not fill immediately but stimulate the skin to produce its own collagen. The effect builds over 2–3 months and lasts about two years. For people who do not want a “filled” face.
Discolouration, thread veins, scars: lasers
Dye-VL for thread veins and discolouration, Nd:YAG for spider veins on the legs, fractional Er:YAG for scars and wrinkles, a picosecond laser for pigmented spots and tattoos. Prices from 150 PLN for a single vascular lesion to about 1700 PLN for the whole face.
What the first visit looks like
There is no need to come to a first consultation with a decision already made. It is enough to know what bothers you. If the indications are clear and the patient is not taking blood-thinning medicines and has no infection, Botox and most hyaluronic acid treatments are performed at the same visit. Sculptra, lasers and treatments after earlier complications are usually planned for a separate appointment.
1. Conversation
What bothers the patient, since when, and what they do not want to change. We ask about earlier treatments, including those from years ago, because an old filler can remain in the tissues longer than promised.
2. Examination
We look at the face at rest and in motion, in good light, with a mirror in the patient’s hand. We check the asymmetries everyone has and point them out before the treatment, not after.
3. Plan and price
We say what will give the most for the least, in what order and at what cost. Sometimes the first step is a retinoid cream and sunscreen, with the treatment three months later.
4. Treatment and follow-up
Anaesthetic cream, photos before, the treatment, recommendations in writing. A follow-up after 14 days: a possible top-up for Botox, and an assessment of symmetry once the swelling has gone down for hyaluronic acid.
What to bring to the visit
- a list of medicines and supplements (aspirin, ibuprofen, vitamin E and omega-3 increase bruising),
- information about earlier treatments: when, where and which product, if known,
- a photo from 5–10 years ago, if you want to return to your own proportions rather than someone else’s,
- information about cold sores, keloids, pregnancy, breastfeeding and autoimmune diseases.
When we send a patient home without a treatment
Pregnancy and breastfeeding, active cold sores or an infection, an ongoing course of antibiotics, a fresh tan before laser treatment, unrealistic expectations (“I want to look like this photo”) and a rush before tomorrow’s event. In such situations we would rather lose a treatment than lose trust.
What guides our choice
The best compliment after a treatment is “you look well — have you been on holiday?”. To achieve that, we inject less than we could and add more at the follow-up. With Botox we leave some eyebrow movement, because a face without expression looks alien. With hyaluronic acid we prefer two syringes over two visits to three in one.
Sometimes the best decision is to say no. We do not perform a peel on a patient with rosacea until the skin has been treated. We do not fill the tear trough of a person with very thin skin under the eyes, because the swelling would last for months. This is the advantage of a dermatology clinic: we can tell when a problem needs treatment rather than filling.
A staged approach
The first treatment shows how the tissues react and how the patient tolerates swelling. The next one is planned only after the follow-up, not on the day of the treatment.
Before and after photos
We take them in the same light and position. After two weeks our memory of a face fails; a photo does not. We assess the result from the photos, not from a morning impression.
Ending treatment
Botox and hyaluronic acid do not make the skin dependent. If a patient wants to stop after two years, the face returns to the state it would have been in without treatments, not a worse one.
What to tell us before a treatment and when to call straight away
Fillers are a medical procedure with a rare but serious risk: injecting the product into a blood vessel can cut off the blood supply to a patch of skin and, in extreme cases, to the eye. That is why we inject slowly, in small amounts, know the anatomy of the facial vessels and keep hyaluronidase at the clinic, which dissolves hyaluronic acid within minutes. After Botox serious complications practically do not occur, but a drooping eyelid for a few weeks can, if it was injected too low. We talk about this before the treatment, not only once it happens.
Information to report before qualification
- blood-thinning medicines, including aspirin “for the heart”,
- autoimmune diseases, myasthenia, neuromuscular disorders,
- recurrent cold sores, a tendency to keloids,
- pregnancy, breastfeeding, a planned vaccination or dental treatment,
- permanent fillers or unknown products used in the past.
Urgent contact after a treatment — symptoms
- the skin at the injection site turns pale or bluish, or a mottled net-like pattern appears,
- the pain increases instead of easing,
- vision worsens, double vision appears or the eyelid droops,
- swelling increases rapidly after 48 hours or a fever appears.
You receive the doctor’s number on the recommendations sheet. The form on the website is not for emergencies; with visual disturbances call 112.
When to plan a treatment so the result is ready in time
Botox: 3 weeks before
The full effect appears after 14 days, the top-up is done at the follow-up and any small bruise has time to fade. Botox a week before a wedding risks the effect not having settled.
Hyaluronic acid: 4 weeks
Lip swelling goes down within a week, bruises within two, and the final shape is visible after a month. The tear trough can stay swollen longer.
Lasers and peels: autumn and winter
After a laser for discolouration and after a peel, the skin must not be tanned for 4–6 weeks. From October to March this is easiest.
Sculptra: 3 months
Usually 2–3 sessions every 4–6 weeks; the effect builds slowly. If you are thinking of a June wedding, start in February.
The aesthetic medicine physician at HappyDERM
Małgorzata Micał-Strąk, MD, PhD
Specialist in dermatology and venereology, doctor of medical sciences, aesthetic medicine physician. Injection treatments at HappyDERM are performed by a doctor, not a cosmetologist. Combining dermatology with aesthetics means in practice that acne scars, discolouration and thread veins are treated by the same person who earlier treated the disease that caused them.
Where and how to book
We perform aesthetic medicine treatments in Wrocław at ul. Barlickiego 31/1u, and selected ones also in Nysa at ul. Mariacka 10; reception will say what is available at which clinic. Reception: 573 290 488 or the form. Please say whether you want a consultation only or a consultation with a treatment, so that we can reserve an appointment of the right length. If your problem is first of all a skin disease, start with the page dermatologist Wrocław.
What patients ask before their first visit
Can I come for a consultation only, without a treatment?
Yes, and most new patients do. A consultation costs the same as a medical appointment (280–350 PLN). If you decide on a treatment at the same visit, it is charged according to the price list.
Botox or hyaluronic acid: how do I know what I need?
A simple test in front of the mirror: if the line disappears when you stop frowning, it is Botox. If it is also visible at rest, or the issue is a hollow, it is hyaluronic acid or a stimulator. Often both are needed, but not on the same day.
Will it be obvious that I have had something done?
If we do it well, no. People around you usually notice that you look rested. We inject conservatively and add more at the follow-up, because you can always add, while taking away is harder (with hyaluronic acid it is possible with hyaluronidase; with Botox you have to wait).
How long does the effect last?
Botox 3–5 months, hyaluronic acid in the lips 6–9 months, in the cheeks and chin 12–18 months, Sculptra and Crystalys about 2 years, skin boosters 4–6 months. Shorter in people who exercise a lot and have a fast metabolism.
Does the treatment hurt?
Botox means a few pricks with a fine needle, like a vaccination. With hyaluronic acid we use anaesthetic cream and products containing lidocaine; the lips hurt most, the cheeks hardly at all. Lasers and peels sting during the treatment and for an hour afterwards.
I had a filler elsewhere and I am not happy with it. Can you help?
Yes. We assess what was injected and where, dissolve it with hyaluronidase if necessary and plan a correction after 2–4 weeks. Bring everything you know about the previous treatment, even a receipt with the product name.
What this information is based on
- FDA, Dermal Fillers: indications, vascular risk, what must not be injected.
- American Academy of Dermatology, botulinum toxin: procedure, effects, safety.
- American Academy of Dermatology, fillers: preparation and how long the effect lasts.
Prices are indicative and come from the HappyDERM price list; the final cost depends on the number of syringes and areas. The type of treatment, the product and the scope are decided by the doctor after an examination. Results and healing times differ between patients.
Book a consultation and tell us what bothers you
We will agree the rest at the clinic. Wrocław, ul. Barlickiego 31/1u. If you would like a treatment at the first visit, tell reception.
Alma SpaDeep — radiofrequency and micro-plasma
For aesthetic medicine we use the Alma Beauty SpaDeep device. It allows non-invasive facial firming and body contouring with radiofrequency and fractional skin renewal and treatment of scars and stretch marks with the Pixel RF micro-plasma handpiece.