Botox & Xeomin

BOTOX® has been used safely and successfully for wrinkle therapy since its 2002 FDA cosmetic approval. Botox Cosmetic, the proven wrinkle relaxer to soften and reduce frown lines, help lift brows and smooth crow's feet is now used for many other beauty treatments.

What can BOTOX® Cosmetic be used for?

• Frown or Worry Lines
• Periorbital Wrinkles (Crow's Feet)
• Bunny Lines
• Brow Lift
• Brow Asymmetry
• Drooping Mouth Corners
• Enlarged Masseter (Jaw) Muscle
• Vertical Lip Wrinkles
• Platysma Stranding ("Neck Banding")
• Hyperhidrosis - Severe Underarm Sweating

What are the overall advantages of using BOTOX®? 

• Temporarily reduces wrinkles without surgery
• No sedation or anesthesia is needed
• Reduces horizontal creases in forehead. Reduces frown lines.
• Minimizes the look of crow's feet and laugh lines.
• Effects are customizable
• Some patients report they no longer get migraine headaches

How does Botox work?

A few drops of BOTOX® are injected with a tiny needle into the muscle that creates a wrinkle. When BOTOX® is injected into a muscle, it blocks the nerve impulse from reaching that area, and as a result, the muscle weakens. As the muscle weakens, the skin overlying the muscle relaxes and the wrinkles in the skin gradually soften and often disappear. BOTOX® treatment does not affect normal facial expressions.

Botox temporarily blocks the signals that would normally tell your muscles to contract. If a specific muscle can't move, it can't cause a wrinkle and, in most cases, wrinkles are nearly invisible in a week. 

Treatment Procedure

• We will administer several tiny injections of BOTOX® Cosmetic directly into the areas you wish treated.
• The location of the injections will be determined by examining your ability to move certain muscles in the selected area. The location, size, and use of the muscles vary markedly among individuals.
• No anesthesia is required, discomfort is usually minimal and brief. Most people compare the sensation to a pin prick and treatment takes only a few minutes.
• You may see a marked improvement within 7 to 10 days. Improvement may continue for as long as several months, and could last up to 3 months*. Each patient has a different response. After that, the muscle action returns. When frown lines reappear, a repeat treatment is necessary to regain the results. * Results vary from patient to patient.

Additional FAQs

Are there any side effects?

Side effects of BOTOX® are minimal, with slight discomfort upon injection of the solution. This may be minimized by the use of a numbing cream one hour prior to the injection. Bruising at the sight of injection may occur. One percent of patients develop a slight lowering or ptosis of one eyelid and, also rarely, asymmetry of facial expression. These effects are temporary.

How frown lines and crow's feet are formed

Frown lines are the dynamic wrinkles between the brows caused by the contraction of corrugator and/or procerus muscles.  Crow's feet are the wrinkles around your eyes caused by smiling and squinting.

Movement of corrugator, procerus and orbicularis oculi muscles can cause the skin between the brows and around the eyes to crease. As skin becomes less elastic over time, repeated contraction of these muscles may create visible lines and wrinkles.

Men are becoming equal fans of BOTOX®, too. Erasing frown and worry lines give a more assured appearance and a special added psychological benefit. Seeing yourself "look" less stressed or angry actually triggers more positive emotions.

 

What is Xeomin?

The clean beauty trend is here. Xeomin^® (incobotulinumtoxinA) is a prescription medication injected into muscles and used to temporarily improve the appearance of moderate to severe frown lines between the eyebrows (glabellar lines) in adults. Xeomin^® contains botulinum toxin type A, a protein purified from the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.

HOW DOES XEOMIN^® WORK?

When you squint or frown, the muscles between your eyebrows contract, causing the skin to furrow and fold. Over time, as your skin ages and loses some of its elasticity, these repeated contractions can cause persistent frown lines. Botulinum toxin type A – the active ingredient in Xeomin^®– acts on nerve endings in muscles to prevent muscle fibers from contracting. By reducing these contractions, Xeomin^® can temporarily reduce the lines between your eyebrows.

IS XEOMIN^® PROVEN?

Xeomin^® was proven effective in two randomized, double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled clinical trials of 547 healthy, adult patients. The average age of patients in the study was 46 years. Patients received 20 Units of Xeomin^® and were classified as responders if they had a 2-grade improvement on a 4-point scale as assessed by the physician and patient. Using these criteria, treatment success was higher with Xeomin^® than placebo on Day 30 in both studies (60% and 48% vs. 0% for placebo in both studies). Based on these trials, Xeomin^® received FDA approval for use in glabellar lines in 2011.

WHAT SHOULD I TELL MY DOCTOR BEFORE TREATMENT?

Before receiving treatment with Xeomin^®, you should tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including whether you have a disease that affects your muscles and nerves, have allergies to any botulinum toxin product, or have experienced any side effect from any other botulinum toxin in the past. In addition, tell your doctor about your medical history and all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you have received any other botulinum toxin product in the last four months or in the past. Be sure your doctor knows exactly which product(s) you received and when you received them.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT DURING TREATMENT?

During treatment, which usually takes about 10-20 minutes, your doctor will inject Xeomin^® into the muscles in your forehead that cause frown lines between your eyebrows. No anesthesia is required; however, your physician may use a topical anesthetic or cold pack to reduce any discomfort.

WHEN CAN I EXPECT TO SEE THE RESULTS

You may begin to see visible smoothing as early as 3-4 days after injection. The median first onset of effect was less than a week. The maximum effect occurred at 30 days. The typical duration of effect was up to 3 months in clinical trials but may last significantly longer or shorter in individual patients.