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Botox is the world’s most famous facial anti-aging, anti-wrinkle injection
Botox is the world’s most famous facial anti-aging anti-wrinkle injection, but what most patients don’t know is just how versatile Botox can be. I encourage patients to come in for a consultation, so they can learn how Botox can help the fight against aging.
Leslie Forrester, R.N. B.S.N., aesthetic medicine educator, certified injection trainer and author.
The miracle wrinkle-eliminating neurotoxin
Who can benefit from Botox?
Primarily those who desire younger looking skin of face and neck. When combined with fillers, our doctors and nurses can effectively eliminate facial wrinkles, improve skin texture, improve skin clarity and eliminate that aged, sun damaged look of skin of face, neck and cleavage.
BOTOX treatments enhance and lift the skin of the face, where initial signs of aging are seen. The goal of the procedure is to enhance the definition, shape, volume and size of the areas around the eyes, nose, cheeks and/or chin.
How does Botox work?
Botox blocks a chemical liquid messenger known as acetylcholine, which is the main substance that allows signals to flow from nerve endings to the muscles. Therefore, when Botox blocks acetylcholine in the nerve-muscle junction plate, the muscle contraction is, in effect, weakened.
What is Botox used for?
For our purposes, Botox is used to reduce dynamic wrinkles on the face/neck and decolletage (cleavage). Specifically, Botox can treat the following:
- Frown vertical and horizontal lines, what is known as the “11 lines” between the eyebrows
- Forehead horizontal wrinkles
- Crow’s feet
- Vertical neck bands
- Bunny, wolf lines at the base of the nose
- Migraine headaches
- Excessive face and body sweating as armpit, hands, feet and forehead (hyperhidrosis)
- Provide a temporary breast lift
- Help female urinary incontinence “overactive bladder”
- Help male premature ejaculation
- Reduce inflammation and intensity of psoriasis plaques, including scalp psoriasis
- Reduce size of skin pores
- Help painful sex due to pelvic muscle inflammation
- Arthritis pain (dystonia)
- Lazy eye (blepharospasm)
- Spasticity after stroke (paralysis)
Frequently Asked Questions
None. Patients return to everyday life immediately after leaving our office.
BOTOX and Dysport are identical in function and endurance. They have a protein coating that comes off gradually once inside the muscles, exposing the active ingredient botulinum toxin. Xeomin, however, does not have a protein coat and its effects can be immediate. When Purtox becomes available, it too will have an identical function to that of BOTOX and Dysport.
Botox treatments every three to four month are optimal to avoid returning to your wrinkle baseline.
Results appear slowly over the two weeks following treatment. Relaxation of the facial muscles reaches its peak around two weeks post-treatment.
The procedure lasts somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes. There is no standard anesthetic used, just cold therapy with ice to reduce injection site swelling. Injection site swelling should be almost entirely gone before you leave the office.
The expert hands in our practice use tiny injection needles that are virtually pain-free.
Side effects are rare, but according to the medical literature, side effects include difficulty swallowing, speaking or breathing. Rarely, headaches, dry mouth, bruising, swelling, temporary discomfort can also occur.
Since this procedure is technique dependent, our experts at the Liposuction and Cosmetic Surgery Institute of Chicago achieve pleasant, natural and lasting facial rejuvenation with minimal number of units. Treatment that is too aggressive may lead to undesirable effects.
Yes. While one treatment will not permanently remove wrinkles, we offer special annual BOTOX and filler packages that will keep your wrinkles out of sight permanently through a series of injections over the course of the year.
Generally speaking, after 3 to 3.5 months the strength of the facial muscles start to return and by four months after treatment, the face muscles have returned to normal function.
A frozen expression is definitely a risk; however, the medical staff at the Liposuction and Cosmetic Surgery Institute of Chicago prefers a natural, relaxed, and rested look over a frozen gaze. We use a light touch to make you look younger and refreshed, but not expressionless.
What Should I Do Before The Treatment?
Wash Your Face Thoroughly To Remove All Makeup. All Patients Must Not Be Breastfeeding Or Pregnant. All Patients Who Have Any Infections Or Herpes Cold Sores Also Should Not Be Injected.
What Does Botox Cost?
About $12 A Unit. Occasionally We Have Event Specials For Our Vip Patients. To Become A Vip Patient, Simply Text Lipodoc To The Number 36000 And Confirm That You Would Like To Become A Vip.
What Should I Do After A Botox Injection?
Avoid Touching, Scratching Or Harshly Rubbing The Injected Area To Prevent Migration. Avoid Makeup For A Few Days To Prevent Contamination And Infection. Avoid Sun Or Vigorous Exercise For A Few Days. Avoid Staring At The Mirror Making Faces. This One Is Important: Avoid The Critique Of Your Friends. This Was Your Decision Alone, And It Should Not Be Affected By The Attitude Of Outsiders. Relaxation Is Best After Treatment.
Why Botox And Fillers Should Not Be Injected In Hair Salons, Nail Salons Or Beauty Spas?
Botox Is A Very Delicate And Precise Injection, But In The Hands Of Non-experts Or Untrained Or Improperly Medical Practitioners (Ie. Dentists, Nurses, Aestheticians) Who Do Not Have The Expertise Nor The Experience In Dealing With Any Adverse Effects, The Outcome Can Be Disheartening. Our Personal Advice Is Make Sure You Avoid Non-cosmetic Practitioners And Botox Parties In A Non-medical Site Like Spas. Worse Yet Is Hair Salons, Where Sterility Of The Environment Cannot Be Guaranteed. It Is Best To Trust The Botox Experts Of The Liposuction And Cosmetic Surgery Institute In Chicago.
When Do I Need Wrinkle Fillers Like Restylane And Juvederm In Addition To Botox?
Often Relaxing The Underlying Muscles Solves The Problem, But In Many Occasions, Especially In Men, The Wrinkles Are Permanently Ingrained Deep In The Skin Creating An Indentation. These Creases Create A Furrow, Which Must Be Addressed By A Soft Filler. These Are Commonly Hyaluronic Acid Fillers Like Juvederm, Restylane And Perlane. Radiesse, A Calcium Based Filler, Can Also Be Used.
Do Men Get Wrinkles As Much As Women?
Actually, Men Get Very Deep Wrinkles As A Result Of Having Heavier And Stronger Facial Muscles. This Leads To Stronger Sustained Facial Contractions And Eventually Deeply Ingrained Wrinkles. Many Of Our Male Patients Are Neurotoxin Patients.
What Comprises Botox?
Botox Is A Prescriptive Injectible Called Onabotulinumtoxina. In The World Of Medicine, We Simply Call It A Neurotoxin.
Why Do Some People Have More Wrinkles Than Others?
All Humans Have Wrinkles, But Those With Lighter Colored Eyes, Lighter Colored Skin, Those Who Smoke And Those Whom Are Exposed To Damaging Sunrays Without Sun Protection Are At Higher Risk Of Developing Early And Intense Wrinkles. Genetic Propensity For Wrinkles Can Also Play A Factor.
What Is The Difference Between Botox And Other Neurotoxins?
Botox, Along With Other Neurotoxins Such As Dysport And Xeomin, Are All Derived From Botulinum A, But They Are Manufactured Slightly Different By Different Manufacturers.
Allergan Manufactures And Distributes Botox. Ipsen Biopharm Manufactures Dysport In Europe. Galderma Distributes Dysport In The United States. Xeomin Is Made And Distributed By Merz In Germany.
How And Why Do We Get Facial Wrinkles?
Our facial wrinkles are the result of many, many years of constant folding of our skin, caused by the contraction of the numerous underlying facial muscles when we make faces (facial expressions) or while frowning, pouting, smiling, sneezing, yawning, gasping, and just about every other facial movement.
In the early stages of our lives, the wrinkles appear when we contract the skin on our faces. These are referred to as “dynamic wrinkles”. With the passage of time, the constant muscle contractions permanently stamp the wrinkles on our face and we begin to see the wrinkles even at rest. The aging process, combined with increased sun exposure, leads to the appearance of “permanent wrinkles at rest.”
