BOTOX® Cosmetic has been shown to be effective at diminishing the appearance of wrinkles around eyes, smoothing over furrows on the forehead, and softening creases between the brows.

What is BOTOX® Cosmetic?

BOTOX® Cosmetic treats facial wrinkles in the forehead, between the eyes, and in the "crows feet" areas (upper third of the face). The substance is botulinum toxin and it works by weakening the muscles of facial expressions. Once the resting tone of the treated muscles are weakened, the pull of the muscles relaxes and the overlying skin flattens. By physiologically weakening the muscles, wrinkles are lessened naturally. BOTOX® also works well with soft tissue fillers such as Restylane, Radiesse and AlloDerm.

How long does BOTOX® last?

Injection of this material into the small muscles between the brows, in the forehead, and at the corner of the eyes cause those specific muscles to halt their function (be paralyzed), thereby improving the appearance of the wrinkles. This paralysis is temporary, and re-injection is necessary within three to 10 months. Options for alternative treatments include injections of either collagen or free fat, or the surgical excision of the muscles, usually through a brow lift.

How is it used?

BOTOX® Cosmetic is freshly prepared on the day of injection. Once prepared, the medication needs to be used within 12 hours, as the potency diminishes with time. Because of the short shelf life and the cost, BOTOX® Cosmetic is not available every day in our office. In order for the treatment to be cost-effective, more than one patient must be treated on the same day. Using a very tine needle, small amounts of BOTOX® Cosmetic are injected into the muscles to be paralyzed. Depending on the areas being treated, five to 15 needle pricks (or more) may be required. Discomfort is minimal and last only a few seconds.

Are there side effects?

Occasionally, the needle may puncture a small blood vessel during the injection and a black and blue area may develop. Such areas can last five to 10 days and may require makeup to cover.

If any of the Botulinum toxin reaches facial muscles not being treated, partial weakness of that muscle may last for several months. For this reason, you are requested not to massage the injected areas for 12 hours following injection. If an untreated area experiences muscle weakness, the only "treatment" is to wait for the effect of the toxin to wear off in several months.

There are no recognized permanent side effects of BOTOX® Cosmetic. Complications are rare but may include paralysis of nearby muscle, resulting in its temporary loss of function (e.g., a drooping eyelid). BOTOX® Cosmetic has been used safely in the treatment of muscular facial spasms for approximately 15 years.

How would a patient know that the BOTOX® being used is the real thing?

In 2005, three cosmetic surgery patients in Florida were hospitalized for suspected botulism poisoning. These incidents should remain isolated events, so long as patients do their homework before consenting to any "wrinkle relaxing" injections.

BOTOX® Cosmetic is an expensive material. Unfortunately, some disreputable manufacturers and individuals will sacrifice patient safety in order to cut cost and increase profit. These inferior and unsafe materials are often sold to anyone willing to pay.

Such cheap alternative "wrinkle relaxing" materials are a growing underground market that will not affect you if you do your homework. You can guarantee that your cosmetic surgery Centre is using the right material by asking to see the label on the bottle. All BOTOX® Cosmetic boxes and bottles have a hologram on the label to ensure authenticity. When choosing a physician to do your BOTOX® treatment, make sure that he or she is a licensed physician who uses BOTOX® Cosmetic and no other substance.

For more information on BOTOX® Cosmetic, contact our plastic surgery staff at The Centre, P.C. We offer BOTOX® Cosmetic to medical spa patients in Elkhart and South Bend, Indiana, Michiana and the Southern Michigan area, and Chicago. BOTOX® is a registered trademark of Allergan, Inc.

 

Elkhart Office

RiverPointe Medical Building
500 Arcade Ave., Suite 300
Elkhart, IN 46514
Phone: 574-296-9100
FAX: 574-293-1511

Chesterton Office

Duneland Health & Wellness Institute
810 Michael Drive, Suite K
Chesterton, IN 46304
Phone: 219-395-9200
Fax: 219-926-3534

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