The Cosmetic Uses of Botox
When a low dosage of Botox is injected into the facial muscles that create wrinkles, those muscles relax. That relaxed state prevents the muscles from contracting and creating the facial wrinkles, frown lines, furrows and creases.
The facial muscles respond very well to Botox treatment. Specifically, Botox eliminates and/or reduces:
- Forehead frown lines and Crow’s feet around the eyes
- Down turned corner of the mouth and lip lines
- Furrows between brows
- Neck lines, Jaw clenching and wrinkles
There are also other medical uses of Botox – it can be effective in treating chronic migraine headaches, hyperhidrosis (a condition causing excessive underarm sweating) and certain types of muscle spasms.
The Botox process is a 15 minute procedure and is fast, easy and minimally invasive. Following is an explanation of the process:
Examination – The doctor will begin with a careful examination of the area you want to treat. During part of this exam, you will move certain facial muscles per the doctor’s request. This is so that the physician can identify the spot where a Botox injection will produce the best results.
Prep-work – No anesthetic is required for Botox. However, an ice pack may be used to cool the area to be treated. This keeps any discomfort to a minimum.
Treatment – After the exam and patient preparation, the doctor precisely injects the Botox into the pre-determined point. This part of the process lasts just one to three minutes. Any discomfort is minimal and of a short duration. Your normal activities can resume immediately.
You will begin noticing results within two to five days and the treated area may continue to improve for as long as a week. Usually, the results last for three to four months. If you regularly receive Botox injections, that might stretch out to as long as six months. Wrinkles that are “dynamic” (i.e. present only when the muscle is contracting) can completely disappear in one treatment. Lines that are fixed will improve with one treatment, but depending on their depth, may take several treatments to disappear completely or may need filler or additional skin treatments.
Different Injectables
Injectable fillers have been extensively used and are safe for filling in deep wrinkles, and augmenting facial areas that have experienced soft tissue loss or descent with aging. There are a variety of fillers that our physicians use and they will make treatment recommendations based on individual needs and desired results.
JUVEDERM injectable gel is a smooth gel filler your doctor places under your skin to instantly smooth out wrinkles or folds around the sides of your nose and mouth. JUVEDERM can also be used for forehead lines, crow's feet, acne scars, vertical lip lines and lip plumping.
Radiesse is an injectable filler composed of calcium hydroxyappepetite. The procedure is similar to JUVEDERM and results can last up to 6 months or longer. Radiesse is used to fill in deep wrinkles and can augment the cheek area.
FAQ's
We have all seen photos of celebrities who have been treated with Botox and have unnatural appearances ranging from brows lifted too high to too low, or a frozen face appearance. The effect of Botox Cosmetic is primarily dependent on three important factors: The qualification and experience of the person providing the treatment, the dose of Botox that is injected – the amount of muscle contraction disruption depends on the amount of Botox that is administered into the particular treatment area, and the dose has been injected correctly into the appropriate treatment area to achieve the desired effect. The goal of our physicians when performing Botox Cosmetic injections is to provide the most natural-appearing result as possible to meet our individual patient’s goals in a realistic manner.
Dr. Moore, the founder of Premier Plastic Surgery states, “my goal when treating a patient with Botox Cosmetic injections who wants to correct horizontal forehead creases is not to totally eliminate them but rather soften them while preserving the patient’s ability to elevate their brows, thus avoiding a “frozen face” look. My goal is not to erase every line and wrinkle from a patient’s face. I advise my patients that it is best to focus on those wrinkles or creases that play the largest role in making you look tired or worried. With this treatment approach, patients are very pleased with their natural, rested, refreshed appearance while avoiding the over-treated appearance that you can get by either using too much Botox in an area or not completely understanding the anatomy of the facial muscles and inappropriately injecting Botox in an area that may cause an unnatural look.”
- have a disease that affects your muscles and nerves (such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis [ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease], myasthenia gravis or Lambert-Eaton syndrome)
- allergies to any botulinum toxin product
- had any side effect from any botulinum toxin product in the past
- a breathing problem, such as asthma or emphysema
- swallowing problems
- bleeding problems
- weakness of your forehead muscles, such as trouble raising your eyebrows
- drooping eyelids
- any other change in the way your face normally looks
- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if Botox Cosmetic can harm your unborn baby.
- are breast-feeding or plan to breast feed. It is not known if Botox Cosmetic passes into breast milk.