Botox is a quick and effective way to smooth pesky facial wrinkles. It works by temporarily blocking nerve signals to certain muscles. The purified form of botulinum toxin used by licensed healthcare providers is safe, and it’s been regulated for decades.
The medicine can also be used to treat cervical dystonia, overactive bladder, and lazy eye. Call your doctor immediately if you experience drooping of the eyelids or other severe side effects. Contact House of Aesthetix now!
In its cosmetic form, Botox (botulinum toxin type A) is an injection that temporarily reduces wrinkles and other facial lines. It works by blocking nerve impulses that cause muscles to contract. It can help smooth out frown lines, crow’s feet around the eyes, vertical lines across the forehead, and thick bands in the neck.
A small amount of the drug is injected into the targeted area through a fine needle. It is a fast, simple procedure that requires no downtime. The results of a Botox treatment appear within several days and typically last up to four months, depending on the amount of product used and how often the injector treats you.
The Botox treatment process begins with a short consultation to determine if you are a good candidate for the treatment. Then, the doctor will mark the areas to be injected and use a topical anesthetic to numb the area. You may experience some slight discomfort or a tiny twinge during the actual injections, but it’s generally quick and painless. If you’re a candidate for the treatment, you should let your doctor know if you have any allergies or medical conditions that might affect the success of the procedure. You should also avoid rubbing or touching the area where you’re getting injected.
You may experience a variety of mild side effects, including redness or swelling at the injection site, and bruising. If you’re taking certain medications, such as blood thinners or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, you could develop a sensitivity to Botox that makes you more susceptible to bruising and other complications.
Botox was first developed by ophthalmologists in the 1980s to treat muscle spasms around the eyes. The treatment has since been adapted for use on the face and is now one of the most popular nonsurgical cosmetic treatments in America.
In addition to reducing dynamic wrinkles, Botox can also be used to treat chronic migraines and muscle spasms in the neck. When used as a treatment for spasms, it can alleviate the pain and stiffness of cervical dystonia, a condition where muscles in the neck contract in an uncontrolled way.
It’s Effective
When people think of Botox, they often picture the wrinkle-free faces of celebrities or people who are called out in tabloids for having too much “work done.” But what is less well known is that it has a number of medical uses as well. Injections of botulinum toxin (the active ingredient in Botox) block nerve signals that control muscle movement, causing the muscles to relax. This diminishes unwanted facial lines and wrinkles and helps treat medical conditions like dystonia causing involuntary contraction of facial or body muscles leading to a fixed position or repetitive movements; focal limb dystonia affecting hand or arm movement such as writer’s cramp; and blepharospasm causing uncontrollable blinking.
It’s also used to treat certain neck spasms and headaches, including migraines. Injections are usually spaced about three months apart to maintain results. Migraine sufferers who receive treatment every three to four months see significant reductions in how many days per month they experience migraines.
The FDA has approved the use of botulinum toxin for cosmetic reasons, including reducing the appearance of wrinkles around the eyes and forehead. It is effective for crow’s feet, frown lines and the glabellar line between the eyebrows, or “hooded eye.”
Injections of botulinum toxin work by blocking the nerve signals that cause muscles to contract. This paralysis of the injected muscle reduces dynamic wrinkles that appear when you smile, frown, or squint. Injections are relatively quick and easy to perform, and the results take effect in about a week.
The effectiveness of Botox depends on the skill and experience of your injector. An inexperienced or careless injector can create excessive paralysis in the face, leaving you with a frozen or unexpressive expression. You should only get your injections from a doctor who is trained in the anatomy of the face and the effects of the neurotoxin on the muscles.
If you get frequent touch-up treatments, your results can last longer because the muscles are being trained not to contract and create wrinkles. However, if you haven’t received touch-up treatments in a long time, the neurotoxin can wear off more quickly and your wrinkles may return.
It’s Safe
When it’s injected by a professional, Botox is very safe. It’s derived from the botulinum toxin type A, which is made by the same bacteria that produce botulism, a life-threatening food poisoning agent. However, it’s been purified and formulated into a very weak neurotoxin to be used for medical conditions like muscle spasticity and excessive sweating.
It’s also been approved for cosmetic use, which is what most people think of when they hear the word “Botox.” Injections are performed in a doctor’s office and usually take 15 to 30 minutes to perform. Your health care provider may numb the area before injecting. They do this with anesthetic applied to the skin or by using ice and massage (a method called vibration anesthesia).
Once the area is numb, your health care provider makes a tiny hole in your skin with a needle and injects Botox into it. Depending on what you’re being treated for, your health care provider will do the injections differently. For example, you might need more than one shot when treating your hands for hyperhidrosis, while you’ll probably only need a single injection for migraines.
After the injection, there can be a small amount of redness or swelling at the site, but these effects usually disappear within an hour. There’s also a possibility of bruising, which is why it’s important to get your injections from an experienced doctor, like those at Quinn Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Center in Kansas City.
If a person gets injected with counterfeit Botox or it isn’t handled properly, the botulinum toxin can spread beyond the site of injection and cause serious side effects, such as weakness in the muscles and trouble breathing. But this is extremely rare for patients getting Botox for medical reasons or for cosmetic purposes. In fact, a study published in 2020 found that the FDA had only 36 reports of serious Botox side effects related to cosmetic use and 33 from therapeutic uses. That’s a pretty low number considering how much the drug is used and how widespread it is. It’s important to note, though, that you shouldn’t get Botox if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.
It’s Affordable
Unlike some other cosmetic procedures, including surgical facial enhancements, Botox treatments are not covered by health insurance. However, a patient’s medical plan may cover some of the cost of related office visits and the prescription medication needed to administer the injections. In addition, patients who receive Botox as part of a treatment package at a dermatology practice or med spa may benefit from more attractive pricing than the individual cost of the neurotoxin.
Nevertheless, it’s nearly impossible to walk down a city block or suburban strip mall without seeing signs in med spa and hair salon windows offering the popular anti-aging treatment at seemingly reasonable prices. What was once a hush-hush anti-aging “tweakment” for celebrities and those with means is now a household name, with twenty-somethings throwing Botox parties and getting preventative injections to stave off aging.
As Botox’s popularity has increased, so too have the number of clinics and med spas that offer the treatment. While this is great for consumers, it’s important to remember that not all botulinum toxin providers are equal. Experienced board-certified specialists like dermatologists and plastic surgeons typically cost more than general physicians because of their years of training, expertise, and proven track records.
The type of botulinum toxin also matters; some brands, such as Dysport and Xeomin, may be cheaper than Botox and last just as long but provide more predictable results. Other factors that influence the price of botox include the location where the procedure is performed, the size of the treatment area, and whether the injections are delivered by a physician or an aesthetic nurse or physician assistant.
A patient’s final decision often depends on a combination of these factors, along with the availability of discounts or rebates from the manufacturer. For example, some med spas offer monthly specials or buy in bulk from the manufacturer to save on the per-unit cost.
It’s also important to keep in mind that unit pricing isn’t always an accurate way to compare costs because the strength of a single botulinum toxin unit can vary significantly from one brand to the next. A low unit price could mean that the injector is using a lower-strength formulation of the product.