Botox® Wrinkle Reduction Treatments
Botox can work wonders. Injection of minute amounts relaxes specific muscles and prevents frowning, crow's feet, and expression lines. The results are usually dramatic within 5 to 7 days. A single injection of Botox can relax muscles for as long as 3 to 6 months. Although the treatment is usually done on the upper one third of the face, there are many other less common areas where it is used. Botox is safe and effective and provides results that were previously possible only with extensive cosmetic surgery.
Not Just for Wrinkles...
In some cases Botox is also used to provide relief from Hyperhidrosis — perspiration in excess of that required for normal body temperature regulation. The condition usually begins in either childhood or adolescence. Although any site on the body can be affected, the most commonly affected areas are the palms, soles, and armpits
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How does Botox work?
Botox blocks impulses from the nerve to the tiny facial muscles that are related to expression lines. Botox relaxes the muscles so they do not contract. After treatment, the overlying skin remains smooth and unwrinkled while the untreated facial muscles contract as usual, allowing normal facial expression to be unaffected. Sensation of the skin is never effected, only the muscles.
How safe are Botox treatments?
Botox injections have been used safely and effectively for over ten years to treat many ophthalmologic and neurological disorders. Each year many thousands of patients receive Botox treatments for a variety of conditions. It is becoming an increasingly popular treatment for reversing the visible signs of aging.
What is the treatment like?
Using a tiny micro-needle, a very small amount of Botox is injected, very precisely, into several locations in the face. No sedation or local anesthetic is required and you can resume normal activities immediately. When injected in minute amounts, Botox works to relax those muscles that cause you to frown. Unlike collagen, there are no allergies associated with Botox. The injections take about 10 minutes, are relatively inexpensive (begin at $300), and the effect usually lasts from three to six months.
Are there any side effects?
The most common, although still unusual, side effect is mild bruising. This is more common in certain sites than others. When done carefully and correctly, other side effects such as weakness in unintentional muscles should not occur. The good news is that all side effects are reversible and temporary. The bad news is that there are generally no side effects and patients generally want to repeat the procedure in the future.