What it's like to go to a drive-thru Botox clinic, with masks, needles, and temperature checks
Julia Naftulin  Â
- In some states, officials are now allowing elective procedures, including plastic surgery, to resume.
- Some plastic surgeons have reopened their offices, but Miami-based surgeon Dr. Michael Salzhauer decided to create a drive-thru clinic in his office's garage instead.
- Salzhauer, who is also known as "Dr. Miami," said the entire process takes five minutes and minimizes doctor-patient contact.
When non-essential businesses around the country shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, plastic surgeons' offices that offer elective procedures like breast implants and lip fillers closed their doors too.
Now that some states are once again allowing elective procedures, plastic surgeons can re-open their offices, and they are.
But when officials in Miami, Florida gave doctors the go-ahead on May 4, plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Salzhauer, otherwise known as "Dr. Miami," decided to take an entirely new approach to Botox appointments.
Instead of seeing patients in his office, he created a drive-thru Botox clinic where those in need of a refill or first-time injection can drive up in their car, take a temperature check, and roll down their window for an injection from Dr. Miami.
This is what it's like to get drive-thru Botox.
To make an appointment, patients sign up through an online portal. It costs $300 for each area a patient wants injected.
Salzhauer told Insider that every step of the process that would usually be done in-office, like consent forms, medical paperwork, and payment, is automated through the online portal before each patient's appointment.
On the day of the appointment, patients drive to the back of Salzhauer's clinic, which is located in Miami Beach, Florida.
Once they turn into the lot, the pull-in garage where Salzhauer injects his clients is unmistakable.
Salzhauer told Reuters he was inspired to create the setup after getting a COVID-19 antibody test at a drive-thru-style clinic.
Both Salzhauer and drive-thru Botox patients wear masks for the entirety of the appointment to prevent potentially spreading the coronavirus.
"The areas that we inject Botox are the upper face, exactly the parts of the face that aren't covered by the mask, so it's really ideal," Salzhauer said.
He also wears a protective jacket, face shield, mask, and disposable gloves while injecting patients.
The drive-thru is stocked with medical supplies including disinfectant wipes, needles, ice packs, and Botox.
Salzhauer also uses a tablet with a temperature check feature on himself and patients. If someone has a fever, he won't inject them.
Then, it's time to start the injection process. First, Salzhauer gives each patient an ice pack to cool the skin.
To prep a patient's skin for the needle, Salzhauer disinfects an ethyl alcohol wipe.
Finally, he injects them in their desired areas. In total, the whole process takes five minutes, according to Salzhauer.
Patients who've been to the drive-thru clinic say the experience was simple and similar to what they'd expect in an office.
Arman Ohevshalom, a 36-year-old Miami resident, told Reuters that the drive-thru was his first-ever experience getting Botox.
"It's very creative, and after seeing how they're running it I feel just as comfortable as I would in the office," he said.
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