The words, defined plainly
Aesthetic medicine has a vocabulary problem: the words arrive before the understanding. These are the terms you’ll meet across this site, defined the way we’d explain them across a desk.
The visit, before you take it
What actually happens
Neuromodulator
The category Botox belongs to: purified proteins that rest specific muscles, softening the lines their contraction makes.
Biostimulator
A treatment that prompts your skin to build its own collagen. Sculptra is the best known. Slower than filler, longer-lasting, entirely yours.
Fitzpatrick type
The scale describing how skin responds to light. The first question of any responsible laser plan.
PRP
Platelet-rich plasma, a concentration drawn from your own blood, used to enrich healing in skin and hair treatments.
Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA)
The biodegradable material in Sculptra. It doesn’t fill; it signals your skin to produce collagen of its own.
Unit (Botox®)
The dosing measure for neuromodulators. Your written plan states an exact unit count, so the dose and the price are never a surprise.
Titration
Increasing a medication dose gradually, on a schedule your body can adapt to. The foundation of a responsible GLP-1 program.
Off-label
A lawful, physician-judged use of a medication beyond its FDA-labeled indication. Common in aesthetics, and always disclosed.
Hyaluronic acid (HA)
A substance your skin already makes, used in gel form as most modern fillers. Its defining virtue: it can be dissolved.
Hyaluronidase
The enzyme that dissolves HA filler. Its presence on a shelf is a safety standard; ask about it anywhere you go.
GLP-1
A class of prescription medications (semaglutide among them) that support meaningful weight loss under medical supervision.
Vascular occlusion
Filler’s rare, serious risk: product obstructing a blood vessel. The reason anatomy knowledge, technique and on-site hyaluronidase are non-negotiable.
Collagen
The structural protein that keeps skin firm. Production declines steadily with age, which is what biostimulators are built to counter.
Syringe (filler)
The standard quantity fillers are supplied and priced in. Plans are quoted per syringe, by area.
Contraindication
A condition or medication that makes a treatment unsafe for a specific person. Screening for these is what the consultation is for.
Medical director
The physician legally and clinically responsible for a practice’s medical care. At R.Ve, that is Dr. Osborne Williams, MD.
Fluent yet?
Bring the rest of your questions to the consultation.