- Botox®Cosmetic
- Introduction
- How It Is Done
- Patient Photographs
- What to Expect After Treatment
- Complications
- Care After Treatment
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Fat Injection
- Restylane® and JuvédermTM
- Laser Skin Resurfacing
- Laser Facial Hair Removal
- Laser Vein Treatment
- Eyelid Rejuvenation
- Ideal NoseTM
- Submental Liposuction
- Ear Cosmetic Surgery
- Removal of Facial Moles
- Chin and Jawline Enhancement
- Laser Treatment of Birthmark
- Microdermabrasion
Botox®Cosmetic - Frequently Asked Questions
Q. When will it start working?
- It takes about two days to work.
Q. How long does the effect last?
- About four months.
Q. Is it true that Botox® can lift your eyebrows?
- Yes, it's possible. By paralyzing the muscles that act to pull down on the eyebrows (the orbicularis muscle), the muscle pulling the eyebrows up (frontalis) is able to do so more easily. So the eyebrows move up slightly. This is called a "chemical lift."
Q. Will Botox® help my smile creases or lip lines or do I need a filler?
- Lip lines ("smoker's lines") may be improved with small doses of Botox® in the upper lip. Smile creases ("nasolabial creases") are better treated with filler. Injection of filler also helps smoker's lines of the lips by plumping up the lip along its length. Individual deep vertical creases of the lip, "radial" lip lines, may be injected with filler simultaneously. Laser resurfacing is effective for lines around the mouth too.
Q. What can be done for the dimples on my chin?
- This is called "cobblestoning," one of my personal favorite names (along with "bunny lines"). This unwelcome dimpling of the chin is well-treated with Botox®, which reduces the muscle action responsible for this dimpled appearance.
Q. What about my neck?
- Many practitioners treat "platysmal bands" of the neck with Botox®. This does require a substantial (i.e. expensive) amount of Botox® and the results are modest. There can be serious complications from Botox® injection in this area, if it affects the deeper muscles responsible for speech and swallowing. I prefer surgical treatment.
Q. I am pregnant. Can I still have Botox®?
- There is simply no data on the safety of Botox® injection during pregnancy. Therefore, the manufacturer recommends that Botox® not be administered during pregnancy or to nursing mothers.
Q. Does it hurt?
- Yes, it does. I use the small 30-gauge needle, but you still feel a number of pinpricks. Fortunately, it only takes a couple of minutes to do.
Q. Does Botox® help crow's feet?
- Yes, it especially helps the "dynamic" wrinkles that occur when you smile. "Static" lines that are there all the time may be better treated with laser resurfacing.
Q. Can bruising occur?
- Yes, it is possible. But usually any bruising is a small area and will resolve within a week. Makeup may be used to cover it.
Q. If I keep having the treatments, does the interval between treatments get longer?
- The idea makes sense due to atrophy of the muscle from disuse. However, there is not a good scientific answer for this question. I have a number of patients I've been treating for years who seem to get by with less frequent treatments.
Q. Is it true that Botox® can treat migraine headaches?
- There is scientific evidence to support this. Anecdotally, I've had migraine sufferers who report much less frequent attacks, and less severe ones, after Botox® and endoscopic forehead lifts. This is particularly true of "frontal" migraines.
