What is Botox®?
Botox is a popular non-surgical cosmetic treatment that temporarily freezes facial muscles and reduces fine lines and wrinkles. Botox is a quick and safe plastic surgery procedure that smoothes lines between your eyebrows, on your forehead, and around your eyes. Botox is a natural, purified protein that prevents nerve impulses from reaching targeted muscles and inhibiting muscle movement in the face. The muscles can then relax, resulting in a smooth appearance and helping to prevent the further definition of wrinkles and allowing your skin to smooth out.
Where is Botox administered?
Botox is most often used in the forehead, in the brow area, and around the eyes. However, we also use Botox for a variety of other cosmetic purposes:
- Treating the “bunny lines” that crinkle around your nose when you smile or laugh
- Softening the tiny lines that appear just above your lip (lipstick lines)
- Softening and preventing the appearance of the downturn on the sides of your mouth
As part of the aging process, the skin on the neck can become thinner causing the neck bands to protrude through the skin. Botox will minimize the appearance of these bands for a more youthful neckline.
For those who have a smile that shows excessive gum—what is referred to as a “gummy smile”—Botox can be injected into the lip area to relax the muscle so that less gum appears in a smile.
Botox is also FDA approved for the treatment of Hyperhydrosis (excessive sweating). Many people suffer from excessive sweating in their underarms or in their palms. Botox provides relief with one quick treatment and results last between 6 and 8 months.
Depending on what area you are wanting to be treated with Botox will determine how many units you will need. Botox is priced by units due to the fact that everyone is unique and may need a different amount of Botox administered depending on the area, gender, size, and the strength of your facial muscles. Units vary in cost depending on where you go for your Botox and your units can range anywhere from 2 units in some places on your face to up to 30 in other places.
What does the healing process look like?
There is generally little to no downtime when it comes to Botox. After your session, you will most likely see some redness and swelling around the injection sites. Though rare, some clients have a headache after injection. It is recommended that after your botox has been administered that you avoid rubbing your face to avoid the botox migrating to unwanted areas of your face and experiencing side effects from that.
How long does Botox last?
You will start to see results in just 3-10 days. Using Botox consistently will help prevent permanent wrinkles from forming. Results from Botox can last for 3-6 months. With continued use, the muscles will get weaker over time, allowing you to extend the time period between treatment intervals. If you choose to discontinue the use of Botox, the lines will gradually return over time and you will begin seeing fine lines again.
When used correctly Botox can dramatically reduce early and moderate signs of aging by minimizing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles or reshaping the eyebrows. Botox can be used to weaken certain facial muscles to reduce crow’s feet wrinkles, elevate the brows, help turn up the lips and soften your chin pad. It can also be used if you experience excessive sweating and can be administered to your palms and armpits. A consultation with Dr. Barr will help you determine how many units you will need and will help you determine the best place to receive your Botox injections. Botox results take anywhere from 3-10 days to be seen and will last for 3-6 months before you should be seen for your next session. Requiring little to no downtime, Botox is a great option if you are self-conscious of certain features and can even help eliminate or limit chronic headaches and migraines. Facial plastic surgery is a great way to change the way you look with minimally invasive procedures such as Botox.
