I have been dedicated to aesthetic medicine in Bogotá for years, and a part of my work that does not appear on social media is what happens when someone arrives at the consultation not because they want to start a treatment, but because something went wrong elsewhere.
I am not sharing this to point fingers at anyone. I share it because each of those cases taught me something, and because the best way to help future patients is to share, with honesty and without judgment, the patterns I see repeating.
Here are the five most frequent mistakes I see in patients who arrive seeking correction.
In short: Bad aesthetic medicine results are rarely unavoidable accidents — in most cases there are preventable factors: choosing by lowest price, not researching the professional, omitting relevant medical information, not respecting post-treatment instructions, or having unrealistic expectations. Recognizing these patterns is the first step toward making more informed decisions.
Mistake 1: Choosing the center by the lowest price
This is, by a wide margin, the most frequent mistake. And I understand it — aesthetic medicine treatments have a significant cost, and the temptation to find something similar at a lower price is completely rational.
The problem is that in aesthetic medicine, price reflects concrete things:
- The cost of the product used (a Juvederm or Botox syringe from Allergan has a market price that cannot be ignored)
- The training of the injecting professional
- The time dedicated to the pre-treatment evaluation
- Post-procedure follow-up
When a price is significantly lower than the market range, something in that list is being cut.
What I see at the clinic: patients who bought a “Botox + fillers + hydration” package at a price that seemed excellent, and arrived with asymmetric results, fillers placed in incorrect planes, or toxin that seemed not to work (possibly diluted or with compromised cold chain).
My recommendation: Compare prices, yes — but compare within the reasonable market range (for Bogotá, review the ranges I described in previous posts). Below that range, the question is not “why is it so cheap” but “what are they cutting to be able to be this cheap.”
Mistake 2: Not researching the professional before the consultation
It is not enough for the place to have a nice appearance or many Instagram followers. Before having something injectable placed in your face, it is worth knowing:
Are they a physician? In Colombia, aesthetic medical treatments (Botox, fillers, biostimulators) must be performed or supervised by physicians. Though this is not always enforced in practice, it is an important safety standard.
Do they have specific training in aesthetic medicine? Aesthetic medicine is a subspecialty. A general practitioner without specific training may have access to the products but lack the anatomical knowledge and technique needed.
Do they have experience in the specific procedure you are seeking? Injecting the periocular zone requires different preparation than injecting cheeks. Experience in one zone does not automatically translate to another.
What I see at the clinic: patients who discover, after treatment, that whoever injected them was a beauty technician under “remote” supervision of a physician who never appeared, or a physician with very little injectable experience.
My recommendation: Before the consultation, research the physician’s profile. In Colombia, you can verify medical registration in the RETHUS (Registro del Talento Humano en Salud). If information about the professional is diffuse or evasive, that is a warning sign.
Mistake 3: Not reporting all medications and health conditions
This mistake is very common and patients generally do not make it with bad intention — they simply do not know that certain medications or conditions can affect treatment or increase complication risk.
What is frequently not reported:
Anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents: Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), ibuprofen, high-dose omega 3, vitamin E, warfarin — all increase the risk of bruising with injectables. If known in advance, measures can be taken (suspend if the physician indicates it and it is safe, or plan for the expected result).
Antibiotics: Some antibiotics can potentiate the effect of Botox. The physician needs to know this.
History of oral or facial herpes: If there is a history of herpes, facial fillers can trigger an outbreak. Antiviral prophylaxis can and should be prescribed beforehand if the physician is informed.
Autoimmune diseases, clotting problems, known allergies: All are relevant information for treatment.
What I see at the clinic: patients who arrived with extensive bruising because they were taking high-dose omega 3 they never mentioned, or with herpes outbreaks post-filler that could have been prevented.
My recommendation: In the pre-treatment consultation, report EVERYTHING you take — prescription medications, supplements, vitamins, contraceptives, everything. If in doubt about whether it is relevant, ask. Better excess information than a lack of it.
Mistake 4: Not respecting post-treatment contraindications
Injectable treatments have post-procedure restrictions that are important and that some centers do not explain well (or patients do not remember because they were not clearly explained to them).
The most frequently violated:
Intense exercise in the first 24–48 hours post-Botox: Heat and increased blood flow can mobilize Botox before it properly fixes in the muscle, producing unwanted diffusion.
Massage or pressure on the filler area in the first 24–48 hours: Can displace the product from the plane where it was placed.
Intense sun exposure post-filler or post-Botox: Solar heat can enhance inflammation and, long-term, accelerate hyaluronic acid degradation.
Long flights immediately post-filler: Pressure decrease can exacerbate edema. I recommend waiting at least 48–72 hours.
Thermal treatments in the treated area immediately post-Botox or filler: Sauna, heat massages, RF or laser treatments over the recently treated area.
What I see at the clinic: patients who went to the gym 3 hours after Botox (“because the doctor didn’t say anything”), or who took a 14-hour flight the day after filler.
My recommendation: Ask for written post-treatment instructions. If they are not given, ask explicitly. If the answer is that “there are no restrictions,” be skeptical.
Mistake 5: Having unrealistic expectations for the treatment
This is perhaps the most difficult mistake to address because it is usually shared responsibility — the patient for their expectations, and the physician for not having managed them correctly in the consultation.
The most frequently miscalibrated expectations:
Immediate results from Botox: Botox does not produce immediate effect. Results start becoming visible at 3–5 days and are maximum at 10–14 days. A patient who evaluates the result the next day and thinks it did not work, and seeks “more” elsewhere, can end up with excess toxin.
Permanent results: No non-surgical aesthetic medicine treatment has the permanent results we might wish for. Botox lasts 4–6 months, hyaluronic acid 6–18 months. This is not a treatment defect — it is biology.
The treatment that resolves all problems at once: A cheek filler does not also eliminate under-eye bags or tighten the neck. Each treatment has its specific indication.
Results identical to those of another person: Anatomy is individual. The same product and technique produce visually different results on different faces.
What I see at the clinic: patients who arrived with a photo of an influencer (“I want to look like this”) without understanding that the influencer has a different bone structure, or that the photo possibly has filters, or that it reflects years of accumulated treatments not visible in that photo.
My recommendation: In the consultation, ask directly: “What can I realistically expect from this treatment?” If the answer includes exaggerated promises, that is a warning sign.
The prior consultation: the best quality assurance
All the above mistakes have a common denominator: they could have been prevented with a good prior medical consultation.
A serious evaluation consultation includes: sufficient time to evaluate your case, space to ask all your questions, an honest explanation of what the treatment can and cannot achieve, and a clear plan of what will be done and why.
If a consultation lasts 10 minutes and ends directly with “shall we proceed?”, something is missing in that process.
If you are
Frequently asked questions
The first step is to contact the physician who performed the treatment to report the problem — in most cases, the first correction attempt should be made by whoever performed the procedure. If this is not possible, or if there is a serious complication (intense pain, skin color change, vision loss), seek urgent medical attention. For unsatisfactory results without serious complications, wait for the product's reabsorption time or seek a second medical opinion.
Yes. Hyaluronidase is an enzyme that effectively dissolves hyaluronic acid. At our clinic we perform filler corrections with hyaluronidase to undo unsatisfactory results or correct complications. Hyaluronidase acts within 24–48 hours and allows starting over.
Botox is naturally reabsorbed in 3–4 months. If the result is unsatisfactory (excess Botox, asymmetry, eyebrow drop), it is generally necessary to wait for the effect to partially reabsorb before making corrections — though some cases can be partially improved with additional injections in complementary areas. Always individualized medical evaluation.