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BOTOX
Are forehead wrinkles, crow's feet, and frown lines causing you to look tired, angry and older than you feel? Botox is a quick and easy treatment, helping you to look rested and more youthful. Look as if you have just come home from a much needed vacation!
What is Botox?
Botox is a dilute, purified form of Botulinum toxin which is an extremely effective muscle relaxant. Although Botox is a toxin, there have been no serious side effects.
How does Botox eliminate facial wrinkles?
When Botox is injected into the superficial muscles of the face, it relaxes these muscles and prevents the wrinkle lines caused by squinting, frowning, and raising our eyebrows. Botox is ideal for improving and smoothing the skin between the eyebrows, the lines of the forehead, and the crow's feet area around the eyes.
Where is Botox used?
Botox is used on the face, only around the eyes and forehead so as not to affect a patient's smile. It is important to understand that Botox only relaxes the overactive facial muscles that cause wrinkles. Your skin will feel the same and you will have normal sensation in all treated areas. Muscles that are not treated and related to other expressions are not affected. How is Botox used? A small amount of Botox is injected into the muscle that creates a wrinkle. By injecting the Botox into a muscle, it blocks the nerve impulse from reaching that area and the muscle begins to weaken. As the muscle weakens, the treated areas begin to relax and the wrinkles in the skin soften and often disappear.
Does a Botox injection hurt?
Applying a topical anesthetic cream or ice compresses for several minutes prior to the treatment will effectively numb the area. When the Botox is injected, you may feel a slight stinging sensation that quickly subsides. Once the injection is complete, the nurse applies an ice compress and the discomfort disappears.
Is Botox safe?
Botox has an excellent safety profile. It has been used by neurologists and opthamologists for the past 17 years to correct facial tics and to relax the eye muscles responsible for lazy eye. These types of procedures require many times the amount of Botox that is used to treat facial wrinkles and have not resulted in any toxic effects to patients.
What are the advantages of Botox?
- Botox is a quick and effective way to remove wrinkles. A typical treatment takes 10 minutes. Results are seen within 4 to 7 days
- Little discomfort
- There is no "down-time". After the injection, you may resume normal activity or go back to work
- There is no physical evidence that you had a cosmetic procedure done
- There is no decrease in sensation or numbness of treated areas
- The effect of Botox is reversible-lasting between 3 to 9 months depending on the number of previous treatments
- A memory response may develop with repeated Botox injections if they are done every 3 months for approximately one-year. So, although the effects are not permanent, there may be a gradual lengthening of the time interval between treatments. This will mean fewer treatments to obtain the same effect!
- Botox is a nonsurgical approach to treat wrinkles
Who is the best candidate for Botox?
A wide range of patients benefit from Botox therapy. Typically, we treat patients from their 20's to 80's. Younger patients and patients with fewer wrinkles have the added benefit of preventing further etching of the skin caused by repeated squinting, frowning, and creasing of the forehead. Patients who have had laser resurfacing or a face lift also benefit by preventing repeated wrinkling of newly treated skin. Patients who are pregnant or have a neurological disease should not be treated.