*Peggy in no way endorses the products shown as advertisements
Aging is an inevitable fact, and the costs associated with trying to delay the process can often break the bank. Gone are the days when aesthetic procedures and plastic surgery were only for the rich and famous. In 2019, nearly 1.5 million cosmetic procedures were performed in the United States, and according to the Aesthetic Society, Americans spent over nine billion dollars on plastic surgery in 2020.
Despite today’s challenging economy, people still want to look good, and worldwide, they are turning to plastic surgeons and skilled injectors like Peggy Pruchnicki to enhance their appearance to look good, feel better, and boost their confidence.
Peggy Pruchnicki is the owner and operator of Simply Radiant, a state-of-the-art med spa located in Las Vegas, NV. Peggy holds a master’s degree in Nursing. She furthered her education by attending conferences and taking intensive training courses to become a skilled injector and an anti-aging specialist. Under her supervision, the experienced beauty and medical team at Simply Radiant specialize in making you look and feel your best. This popular med spa provides a warm and welcoming environment for their clients and offers the latest skincare products, procedures, and services at affordable prices that will help enhance your natural beauty, improve your wellbeing, and increase your self-esteem.
No Strings Attached E-News sat with Peggy for an in-depth interview to learn about the current trends and products that are changing the face of the beauty industry.
NSAEN: What are some of the latest anti-aging treatments and techniques?
Peggy Pruchnicki: The latest and best techniques are any products or 
treatments that stimulate collagen. I like the Exosomes skincare; it’s an excellent treatment for skin regeneration. It focuses on healing the deep layers of the skin to reverse the effects of aging. I also like PRP (platelet-rich plasma). This therapy uses injections of your own platelets to improve volume, tone, and texture of the facial skin and decrease the appearance of wrinkles. Microneedling is also an amazing technique that will help improve imperfections like acne and make your skin look younger. You go into the facial skin with about five to ten sterilized needles, and you make microchannels; you’re stimulating the collagen and elastin and stimulating reproduction of the skin cells, and then what I like is to do the platelets so that you can push them into those tiny channels — you’re putting collagen, stem cells, and growth factor in there, so it helps tighten up the skin and brings that glow back. These treatments and techniques are a good place to start.
NSAEN: What do you think about coupon services for Botox and other injectables?
Peggy Pruchnicki: I don’t like them! Botox and other injectable neurotoxins are not a moneymaker; they are expensive! For example, if you see Botox discounted at $100, understand that the product costs much more than that for us to purchase, so if someone can turn a profit from that, chances are the product could be diluted or fake.
NSAEN: How much training do you need to become a skilled injector?
Peggy Pruchnicki: Injecting is a skill set. You take classes to learn how to inject, and the more you do it, the more you improve your skill.
NSAEN: Who is allowed to inject?
Peggy Pruchnicki: Dermal fillers and injectable wrinkle relaxers like Botox and Dysport must be injected by a registered nurse or higher; anyone else injecting is breaking the law.
NSAEN: What do you recommend for those annoying crow’s feet?
Peggy Pruchnicki: The majority of the time, it’s Botox for the crow’s feet. Sometimes you have to stimulate the collagen with a PRP, using your own blood platelets and plasma, and that will make the skin healthier because a lot of times, those lines are caused because your skin loses its elasticity.
NSAEN: For collagen stimulation, besides the fillers, is there anything you can take internally to help with that, like powdered collagen or collagen pills?
Peggy Pruchnicki: We tend not to have as much collagen as we get older; there are many contributing factors like stress, so yes, some of those pills and powders will also help.
NSAEN: Will you please explain a “lip flip.”
Peggy Pruchnicki: A lip flip is different from the fillers. It’s when you put Botox or a neurotoxin above the lip. It relaxes the lines, sometimes referred to as the “smoker’s lines,” and even if you don’t smoke, chances are you still drink out of a straw, so again, it relaxes those lines and the muscles a little bit, so the actual lip flips; comes up showing a little more lip and this should last about four months whereas fillers last nine months to one year.
NSAEN: I recall how painful lip fillers are, but it sure makes your lips look great!
Peggy Pruchnicki: That‘s why we have good topical numbing creams to ease the pain.
NSAEN: What are some of the dangers/risks/side effects of going to someone for injectables who might not be properly trained?
Peggy Pruchnicki: Besides blindness, swelling, facial distortion, and a host of other issues, if you inject filler and it goes into an artery, it blocks blood flow to that area of the face and causes Ischemia which damages the skin, and it turns blue. The skin can die, so then you have to have surgery to repair it. So there are risks involved, which is why it is so very very important to be sure you are going to someone licensed to administer Botox and fillers.
NSAEN: What cosmetic enhancements give you the biggest bang for your buck?
Peggy Pruchnicki: I think fillers do. I really love fillers, and while I don’t know if they give you the ‘biggest bang for your buck,’ they last nine months to a year, and fillers give you instantaneous results. You come in, and you can literally see the results the same day.
NSAEN: Before and after an injection, what are some of the dos and don’ts?
Peggy Pruchnicki: Don‘t lie down for about 4-6 hours. No facials, and do not 
rub or massage the treated area. No working out or strenuous activity; you don’t want to cause any basal dilation like sweating because it makes the vessels expand, so maybe the neurotoxin will spread, and then you could get a droopy eyebrow or eyelid; it can cause it to go places you don’t want it to go. You want them to stay where you put them. Also, don’t wear restricted headgear, only use light makeup if at all, reduce your exposure to strong sunlight, and avoid excessive alcohol 24 hours before injections to prevent getting bruised.
NSAEN: Can you tell us about black market Botox; it sounds pretty scary. Is it real Botox?
Peggy Pruchnicki: Unfortunately, you never know. That is why it is so important that you get your Botox and fillers from someone reputable, accredited, skilled, and has an active medical license—that way, you know what you are buying from them is the real thing. The Botox and fillers must be FDA approved in the state where you are getting your injections.
NSAEN: What is the difference between Botox and Dysport?
Peggy Pruchnicki: That‘s a good question, and a lot of people ask me that. They are both neurotoxins. I always say the difference is between Coke and Pepsi but that the manufacturers have to change it a little bit so they can sell it as a unique product, but they do the exact same thing. Botox tends to take a little longer before you see results like 7-10 days; Dysport 5-7 days. My preference is Dysport.
NSAEN: If you’ve been getting Botox for years and years and you feel that it no longer seems to be working as effectively as it once did, can your body build up a resistance to it?
Peggy Pruchnicki: Yes, it happens occasionally. Your body doesn’t react to the neurotoxin as well; it can happen with Botox and Dysport. But there is also Xeomin, a different type of product because it uses a different molecule that is genetically different so that if you build a resistance to Botox or Dysport, 90% of the time Xeomin will work.
NSAEN: What does Christie Brinkley have to do with Xeomin?
Peggy Pruchnicki: She is their brand ambassador/spokesperson.
NSAEN: When I hear the word “toxin,” and Botox being a toxin, how is that safe to put this into our bodies?
Peggy Pruchnicki: It’s actually such a small amount of toxins – 40 to 50 units in the face, so it’s not harmful. You can also safely use Botox for stomach spasms, certain muscle spasms, headaches, sweat glands for excessive sweating, and in the bladder to treat incontinence or an overactive bladder.
NSAEN: Facelift vs. fillers… so fillers can replace fat, plump up, and smooth out, but they can’t tighten the skin, so when is a facelift recommended?
Peggy Pruchnicki: The majority of people do not want to go under the knife or go to the expense. They have come up with new ways to tighten the skin. Again, with collagen and the stimulators, some of the fillers you dilute them a different way and inject it underneath the skin and it will tighten it up. It won’t be as good as a facelift, but you will get a lot of improvement. For example, it will give you a better jowl line and lift your cheek a bit.
NSAEN: What is threading exactly? It looks painful.
Peggy Pruchnicki: Threading is suture material, the same suture material that surgeons use when you get your appendix taken out. It’s a minimally invasive procedure that can help tighten skin on the face. The sutures stimulate collagen, and they put little hooks on the sutures to liven up the skin. The thread can last 4-6 months, and then they dissolve underneath the skin. The procedure is very, very tricky, and you have to have skills to perform this procedure.
NSAEN: Is there an age limit when injectables stop working?
Peggy Pruchnicki: It depends on the individual, how well they have maintained their skin, their hormones, the amount of collagen they have left, if they are taking collagen supplements, etc. Some people may be prone to more wrinkles than others; again, it depends on the individual. It’s harder when you’re older to get the correction you want, but the benefits of Botox and fillers will last longer if you take care of your skin. Laser peels and skin resurfacing will also help by getting rid of the creases.
NSAEN: What is a laser peel?
Peggy Pruchnicki: A laser peel is a laser that burns off the top of your skin. You can control how deep it goes, so when you get, let’s say, the lines above your lip, you can do a laser peel. I don’t go that deep, but still, there is some downtime and a few days of redness because you’re taking away a layer of your skin, but the new skin that forms during the healing process will give the skin a tighter, younger looking surface. There are some plastic surgeons who do go deep, and the downtime is 7-10 days. You apply Aquaphor to help the skin heel because that new skin is almost like baby skin. Laser peels help revive the skin by getting rid of some of the old skin.
NSAEN: How is a laser peel different from light therapy?
Peggy Pruchnicki: With a laser, you are burning, you can smell the smoke and the skin — you’re burning. With light therapy, you’re just topically putting a light treatment onto the skin to stimulate collagen.
NSAEN: How often do you recommend facials?
Peggy Pruchnicki: Typically every six weeks.
NSAEN: What about microdermabrasion?
Peggy Pruchnicki: Microdermabrasion treatments help to gently exfoliate surface layers of skin using abrasion and suction. It can help with fine lines and wrinkles, enlarged pores, and hyperpigmentation.
NSAEN: What is dermaplaning?
Peggy Pruchnicki: Dermaplaning will remove that thin dead layer of skin and that fine facial hair. I always recommend that brides do this before their wedding because their makeup will go on so smoothly. It’s the perfect procedure before an event.
NSAEN: What kind of facial products do you recommend?
Peggy Pruchnicki: My favorite product is Epionce. The skincare line is based on botanical ingredients and formulated without paraben and sulfate-free, there’s no fragrance or gluten, and it’s not tested on animals. My aesthetician got me on it about four years ago, and she made it a simple routine because I don’t like doing ten different steps at night. There’s Retinol in it, Vitamin C, it exfoliates a bit — and there’s lots of research behind these. You pay more money for a medical-grade 
product, but you get the results you want. My skin looks gorgeous; I love the way it looks. I’ve tried lots of products, and I always go back to Epionce.
NSAEN: Now that the city is no longer on lockdown, have you seen an increase in people coming back for their skincare maintenance, etc.
Peggy Pruchnicki: Yes. We saw an immediate increase as soon as we opened back up, and since then, it has been non-stop.
NSAEN: What type of services do you offer for men… are they interested in facials and fillers?
Peggy Pruchnicki: In recent years, men have become increasingly interested in taking care of their skin and enhancing their appearance. Men tend to get some of the same treatments as women, especially now since so many have to look for new positions; they want to look their best for interviews.
NSAEN: Thank you for your time and sharing your insights, Peggy; it has been a pleasure talking with you!
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Peggy Pruchnicki, Owner/Operator
5568 S. Fort Apache Road, Las Vegas, NV 89148
Monday through Saturday from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
(702) 803-3008
www.simplyradiant-lv.com/
