BOTOX® Injection

Perhaps you've wondered, while watching the evening news or your favourite sitcom, why certain people, and celebrities in general, do not seem to age as fast as the average person. Are these people naturally endowed with wonderful skin that retains its youthful appearance when we show our age in the lines and wrinkles that criss-cross our faces and necks? Or do they perhaps know of some magical fountain of youth or magic potion that keeps them from looking their age? Believe it or not, such a magical substance has now become a reality. Its name is BOTOX®.

BOTOX® has a wide range of medicinal and appearance-enhancing uses. The most popular use, nowadays, is the cosmetic smoothing of so-called frown lines, crow's feet, and looseness around the neck. These unsightly conditions that come with age, far from being impossible to remedy, can actually be reversed. No one wants to look as if they are squinting or frowning all the time. Everyone wants to look his or her best. BOTOX® gives people, no longer just celebrities, the option of looking their best.

In contrast to expensive, time-consuming, and potentially dangerous plastic surgery options, BOTOX® is an economical, fast, and safe alternative. BOTOX® is the cosmetic name given to botulinum toxin. This truly magical substance, if taken in large doses, causes food-poisoning. In small amounts, however, it has the power to do what a whole host of wrinkle creams promise but never actually deliver: reduce the signs of aging. The procedure for BOTOX® therapy is completely non-surgical and involves no incisions or any kind.

What it does involve is a series of small injections with a tiny needle. In order to ensure patient comfort, the area to be injected will receive a numbing agent, which will dull sensation in that area. Sedation or anesthesia of any kind is not necessary. The patient will then be injected with very small amounts of BOTOX® in the areas identified by the patient and doctor as in need of treatment. The number of injections will vary depending on the extent of the treatment desired. The patient is first asked to contract the muscles in the area being treated so that the surgeon can determine the proper location for the injection. Next, the BOTOX® will be injected directly into the tissue of the muscle. It's as simple as that. In fact, the entire BOTOX® injection session takes between 10 and 30 minutes. BOTOX® will begin to work just 72 hours after receiving the initial injection. The results last 3 to 6 months before another session is required.

Before receiving BOTOX® injections, the patient should ensure that no alcohol has been consumed one week prior to treatment. Also, no anti-inflamatory medicines such as Tylenol and aspirin should be taken beginning two weeks prior to treatment. After treatment, the patient should not lie down for at least four hours, nor should the patient massage the muscles that underwent treatment as this lessens the effectiveness of the BOTOX® injections and can cause the BOTOX® to spread into unintended areas. Also, a side-effect of not the BOTOX® but the injections themselves could be very slight bruising in the area that was treated. Such bruising, however, if noticeable at all, can easily be covered by make-up.

Injections should be performed only by a physician who is trained to administer the treatment. There is little to no recovery time needed and most patients return to work the same day as receiving a BOTOX® injection. BOTOX® is extremely safe to use for the treatment of facial wrinkles. There have been no reports of allergies, anaphylactic, or systemic reactions. It has been used in a safe and effective manner at much higher doses for patients with neuromuscular disorders for more than 15 years.