What Does Botox® Treat?

Facial lines associated with muscle activity are known as “dynamic wrinkles” (“dynamic” here refers to “motion”). These are lines that develop in smooth, but particularly expressive areas of the face, such as the forehead. Over time, as muscles pull facial skin into the same position over and over, the resulting folds grow more visible. Eventually, everything from webs of fine wrinkles to severe furrows can appear with each scowl or look of surprise.

Since Botox® curbs muscle activity, it is ideal for addressing dynamic wrinkles. The US FDA has cleared the prescription injectable for treating three specific cosmetic concerns: horizontal forehead lines, frown lines between the eyes (often called “11s”), and crow’s feet. Our team also uses Botox® for an FDA-cleared medical use: to address excessive sweating, known as hyperhidrosis.

In fact, the injectable has a history of medical applications that outnumber its cosmetic uses. Some other practices use Botox® for migraines to help manage the chronic condition. Hospitals can also inject to reduce certain muscle spasms and help incontinent patients improve bladder control.

The range of diverse applications is possible only because Botox® has been thoroughly studied and rigorously tested, with years of trials and research devoted to ensuring both its safety and its efficacy.

 

Who is an ideal candidate for Botox®?

Adults who want to get a refreshed appearance, but who don’t want plastic surgery (due to cost, risk, required downtime, or other factors), are ideal candidates for Botox®. While women make up the largest group of patients who choose this treatment, men are a growing demographic.

At the hands of an experienced injector, BOTOX® treatments are customized to create results that can create an overall more youthful-looking face or simply reduce key lines in order to make a patient appear well rested and relaxed.

 

What is a Botox® Session Like?

Before any patient receives a Botox® treatment with our providers, they lead a consultation to hear specific cosmetic concerns and determine the best course for addressing them. Patients who want to know more about the treatment can ask questions during this face-to-face meeting, as well as get details on Botox® cost, expected results, minimizing risk and complications, duration, and more.

With Botox® established as the best option for smoothing out facial lines, our providers will prepare the skin, then make injections in the precise areas necessary to target wrinkle-causing muscles. A full treatment requires only a few injections, each of which can be described as feeling like a small pinch to the forehead or temple— depending on the treatment area or areas chosen.

The entire injection process takes only about 15 minutes.

Our providers draw on their experience and techniques to minimize any signs of treatment, so patients can enjoy a full range of movement in their non-treated areas. This means you will still be able to make expressions that convey any emotion you want to show.

 

What Happens After Botox® Treatments?

Any area where an injectable treatment is administered—Botox® or otherwise— can appear slightly red, swollen, or bruised for hours or longer after a session. This discoloration and swelling will fade, leaving the skin looking as clear in tone as it did before the injections.

You may notice a change in the treated skin within a matter of days, but the most desirable results can take up to 10 days to become visible. Wrinkles will gradually grow less severe, until the treatment area sits at rest and preserves a look of smooth, younger skin despite frowning, scowling, squinting, winking, and more.

The effects tend to last about four months, with every patient’s body reacting in a slightly unique way. Some enjoy results that last a little longer, some less. You will see and feel muscle activity gradually restored in the treatment area—with deepening furrows and wrinkles to match.

Botox® is safe for repeat treatments, giving patients the opportunity to maintain their desired look long term.

An especially effective treatment for frown lines related to muscle motion is a neuromodulator known as Xeomin^®. We use the injectable for patients who want to temporarily relax the telltale 11’s that develop between their eyes.

 

Like its fellow neuromodulator Botox^®, Xeomin is an FDA-cleared treatment for dynamic wrinkles, which form due to the repetitive contractions of facial muscles. With each scowl or squint, specific muscles pull the overlying skin into folds. Over time, these lines become increasingly pronounced. By relaxing the muscles, the lines appear less severe and the skin has a smoother and more youthful appearance. Results take a matter of days to be visible, with the maximum effect seen a week or two later. The smoother skin lasts for months, after which muscle motion returns and the lines grow more pronounced again. Maintenance injection sessions can preserve the younger-looking brow—and may eventually “train” the facial muscles to be less active for a long-term benefit.