Mabrie Facial Institute — Attraction in San Francisco

Just by calling the Mabrie Facial Institute you are transcended into a completely different world.  A world where old-fashion values of treating the patient as family and your best interest is their primary objective.  You are greeted by a friendly voice on the line, and you can rest assure that that voice is not only eager to assist you in your booking but is knowledgeable and can help guide you.

Once you get your appointment set up and go to the office you are in for an absolute treat!  First, the place is stunning.  It has an ultra-cool vibe that reflects the vivacious heartbeat of the office.  It’s modern, pristine, yet warm and welcoming.  You’ll meet Juanita, whose smile lights up the entire room and her kindness knows no boundaries!

You’ll be taken to a state-of-the-art treatment room and meet with one of the LVN’s.  I have been blessed to have worked with both Rochelle and Lindsey.  These women are absolute angels. Prior to treatment they walk you through protocols, they will take your before photos, and prepare you for treatment.  You will find them to be your cheerleader and the one to soothe you as treatment is occurring.  They are whip-smart and know their stuff so don’t be afraid to ask them questions as they know their stuff.

I have been lucky enough to have had treatment by Tiffany, Kimberly, and Dr. Mabrie.  Kimberly and Dr. Mabrie are both geniuses in their profession, with warm personalities and an artist’s touch.  I have had the bulk of my treatments with Tiffany, so this review is focused on my work with her.

When Tiffany walks into the room you immediately notice that she has a personality that is both caring and kind but commanding and masterful.  You know that you are in the hands of someone that is going to listen to you, who will understand what your goal is and accomplish it.  Working with the face is deeply personal and you want to be with someone that you trust, and Tiffany is that person.  She will outline the roadmap of how to get the look you want to achieve and let you know what is realistic, what isn’t; there is no pushing the limits and coming out looking like a cartoon here.  The goal is to enhance your natural beauty and Tiffany is magical.  The treatments are virtually pain free; they will numb you when necessary and she has a deft hand and a skilled technique that is quick and efficient.  The approach they use is a multi-step approach, so plan to visit a couple of times for a minor tweak or two after your initial visit.  It is worth it, believe me. Trust the process, they know what they are doing.

I encourage you to check out their website for tips and tricks for before care and after care, to learn more about the providers, the office, and the fun events they always have going on.  But the best place to learn about them is their social media pages:  Instagram or Facebook.  They have before and after photos, posts about procedures, specials and discounts and all kinds of other fun stuff.

I do not know how Dr. Mabrie has curated such an amazing staff, but he has truly created an office environment that is one in a million.  As a patient, I look forward to visiting and feel like I am coming home, and that is a good feeling when you are investing in what is your most recognized asset:  your face.  I hope you will take this review to heart and visit the Mabrie...

This place is predatory. I came in for under-eye fillers. Dr Mabrie startled me badly by squeezing my shoulder from behind while I was waiting for the bathroom, with no other interaction, before I had met him (though once I jumped and turned around to see who had grabbed me I did recognize him from his website)

He did a good job with the initial injection, but I was having mixed feelings about going back due to the shoulder grab and asked to switch to Kimberly for my second appointment.

In the second appointment they attempted to upsell me and change the price - I pushed back on that but that ended up being the main thing that was discussed.

Kimberly then proceeded to over-inject by a substantial amount, and the filler is quite lumpy and obvious. I had come in for my under-eyes and only enough elsewhere to get the best results with that, and was aiming for a very natural look. Instead I have prominent, lumpy, cheekbones I never asked for or wanted.

I do not trust them, so I will not go back for the enzyme to reverse it - and I spent too much money on the fillers (which apparently cost substantially more than other reputable injectors) to afford go to someone else to fix it. So far I am waiting it out. I still look like I’m on steroids, and it has been almost three months since the second appointment

I wish I had gone elsewhere or stopped after the first appointment - I was actually quite happy with the results of the first appointment.

I paid substantial money because it was my first time and I wanted to go to a place that would do a top quality job. Unfortunately I might have been better off using a Groupon at a med spa.

And at least in that case I would have had the cash to get someone to fix the results when they went wrong.

Edited to add follow up:

I'm now 6 months out and in addition to the over-filling, aggressive upselling, and startling interaction:

It looks like dermal fillers are not supposed to be used in people with active autoimmune diseases. I've been having what looks like an allergic reaction to the filler. Based on what I can figure out online that reaction was very predictable given my medical history and medication list, which is info I provided at my first appointment.

My cheeks have been itching and burning for several months now, I'm developing hyperpigmentation over the area which itches the most, and while both cheeks are still overfilled considering I never wanted cheek filler, one cheek did eventually settle down so it's not lumpy. The other side is still puffy, lumpy, and the filler outline is visible from the inflammation.

I'm now looking for someone trustworthy to reverse it, whether I can afford it or not for non-aesthetic health reasons. I'm also alarmed by apparently needing hyaluronidase, as I won't be able to get filler again to fix any parts of my natural face...

I came to MFI after discovering that there’s a non surgical alternative to rhinoplasty via fillers like Restylane. Given the nose is one of the most sensitive areas to do because of the different veins and arteries that end there, getting an experienced dr who has practiced non surgical rhinoplasty for an extensive period of time was important to me. This was also my first experience with fillers. Out of all the dr or medical spa/centers I could find online, Mabrie’s website had the most information/education, and case studies on non surgical rhinoplasties. Dr mabrie also focuses on the face only. The fact that they put in a lot of effort in educating and sharing details online makes them stand out and for me, shows that they care.

After reading reviews on here and Yelp, I decided to schedule a consultation. They are on pricier side BUT not by that much and if it’s your nose, you want someone experienced to do this given the risks relative to other areas of the face. Overall, the cost is way more accessible than surgical rhinoplasty which comes with a whole set of other risks and is not reversible.

When I arrived for my appointment, they took me in to wash my face, take 360 photos. The nurse who handled my case was really kind and wonderful. She explained how filler works and diff. Types of needles used etc. I like that they use a cannula for filler for sensitive parts of the nose. From my understanding, a cannula is better at maneuvering around blood vessels vs a needle will pierce through (not what you want). It also reduces bruising.

After a consultation, I chose to move forward with the NSR. They prepped my nose with lidocaine and about 20 min later I was ready. Procedure itself was fairly quick- it’s not that painful. You feel more pressure than anything else and most filler also has lidocaine mixed in to make procedure less painful. Dr.Mabrie addressed the problematic areas and was mindful of my request to not have my bridge be too angled and checked in middle of procedure if I wanted additional touch up at the bridge or leave it etc.

After the procedure, my nose wasn’t in any pain. It was inflamed for about 24-36 hours and the second day a lot of inflammation subsided and all needle pokes have healed. I applied red light and nir therapy to my nose to help with the inflammation. So far, my nose looks great and I’m excited for the touch up visit!

I will update my review in a few months once final...