Botox Cosmetic is a purified form of botulinum toxin type A. Injected in very small amounts into specific muscles, it reduces how strongly those muscles contract, and the lines that repeated contraction has been folding into the skin soften as a result.
It works on dynamic lines — the ones that appear when you frown, raise your eyebrows or smile. The three areas it is most commonly used for are the frown lines between the brows, horizontal forehead lines and crow’s feet at the outer corners of the eyes. Lines that are etched in at rest, and loss of volume, are a different problem and need a different answer; we will tell you which you have.
The vertical lines between the brows that deepen with concentration.
Horizontal lines from raising the brows, treated conservatively so the brow still moves.
The fan of lines at the outer corners of the eyes when you smile.
We start with a consultation. You will be asked what bothers you when you look in the mirror, we will watch your face move, and we will go through your medical history — Botox is a prescription medicine, not a beauty product, and there are neuromuscular conditions, medications, pregnancy and breastfeeding that make it unsuitable.
The injections themselves take about ten minutes. The needle is very fine and most patients describe brief pinches rather than pain. You can go straight back to work. We will ask you to stay upright for a few hours and to avoid rubbing the area or a hard workout that day.
Nothing happens immediately. Movement starts to soften around day three to five, and the full effect settles at about two weeks — which is when we would rather see you again to check it than have you wondering. The effect wears off gradually, and most patients come back every three to four months. Results vary from person to person, and they vary with dose, with muscle strength and with how long you have been having it.
Side effects are usually minor: small bruises, a headache in the first day or two, tenderness at the injection points. Less commonly, a temporary droop of an eyelid or brow can occur if the product spreads beyond the target muscle. It resolves on its own, but it is the reason placement and dose matter and the reason we would rather be conservative on a first treatment.
We stay current with the research and the technology so that every patient is offered care we would want for our own families, with a plan built around your medical history and your goals.
When you become our patient you are treated like family. You are never a number, and you will always be told plainly what a treatment can and cannot do for you.
Modern, evidence-based methods and high-quality products.
We review your full history and build the plan around you.
Not if the dose is right. We would rather start conservatively and add a little at your two-week review than overtreat you and have you wait three months for it to wear off.
Commonly three to four months, though it varies with the area, the dose and the person. Very active muscles tend to come back sooner.
Most patients describe a few brief pinches. The needle is very fine and the whole thing takes about ten minutes.
Softening usually starts at three to five days and settles by about two weeks. Do not judge the result before then.
Movement returns and the lines come back as they were. It does not make anything worse than it would have been.
Anyone pregnant or breastfeeding, anyone with certain neuromuscular conditions, anyone with an infection at the injection site, and anyone who has reacted to a botulinum toxin before. We review your history at the consultation.
Come and talk to us first. A consultation does not commit you to treatment.