Do Botox and a physical check-up go together? Apparently, they do and it's more common than we might think. A quarter-million more cosmetic procedures were performed in 2018 versus the previous year with the numbers rising in 2019. Dr. Maryam Mortezaiefard and Dr. Mina Mortezai saw the rise in requests to in their day to day patients for cosmetic procedures so they decided to integrate cosmetic procedures to their offerings. The two sisters held a full spread of board certifications and training in internal medicine and pediatrics before they began to specialize in cosmetic laser and aesthetic medicine.
"Traditionally physicians have stayed in practices that are within their specialties. With the increased popularity of non-invasive cosmetic dermatology procedures such as injecting neuromodulators such as Botox and dermal hyaluronic fillers, more and more medical providers in other specialties than dermatology and plastic surgery became interested in providing these services for their patients. Our training as physicians enables us to receive training and certification in doing these procedures and be quite proficient at them. In California, where the overhead for primary care medical practices is very high, providing these procedures to our patients is not only convenient for them, but also relieves some of the financial pressure of being able to go to a private medical practice. Many of our patients who initially come to see us for either medical or aesthetic care ultimately end up getting both as they build a trusting relationship with us. It is a win-win for both patients and the physicians who treat them," explains Mortezaiefard and Mortezai on why there has been a rise in integration of cosmetic procedures in regular practices.
The duo now regularly perform annual, sports, and school physicals; testing for diabetes, cholesterol, and tuberculosis vaccinations; treatments for hypertension, asthma, and allergies; women's health; male and female sexual dysfunction treatments; travel and osteopathic medicine; and a plethora of specialized alternative medicine such as vitamin therapy and manipulation treatment in addition to the cosmetic procedures. Their most common add on to their regular office visits tends to be Botox. Botox isn't just for fine lines anymore. We use Botox on patients with trabismus, an eye disorder some call "crossed-eyes" and blepharospasm which is a disease involving involuntary twitching of the eye muscles, chronic migraine headache treatments, overactive bladder causing urge urinary incontinence, cervical dystonia (neck muscle spasm), and severe primary axillary hyperhidrosis (excessive underarm sweating). Outside of these FDA approved indications, many injectors who are familiar and experienced in treating patients with botulinum toxin type A products, use them to treat any illness that involves severe muscle spasms or contractions, including large muscles of the back and legs or small ones such as the TMJ," say Mortezaiefard and Mortezai.
The increase in FDA approved uses for Botox has made the cosmetic procedure frequently covered by insurance which is why so many more general practitioners offer the treatment. So will medical practices become a one-stop-shop for everything? Potentially. ABM Medical also offers urgent care at their facility at a third of the price of a traditional emergency room. For ABM, they find that the trifecta has been very convenient for their patients and has made it easier for them to understand and treat on a longterm basis.
