Botox – Brandish Clinic

Botox^®

The most popular injectable around the globe

What is Botox?

BOTOX is the most commonly used injectable across the entire globe! It’s used for a wide variety of cosmetic treatments due to its powerful effect on smoothing facial wrinkles and lines. Botox is also used for a multitude of other medical treatments such as migraines and excessive sweating.

Botox is produced by clostridium botulinum bacteria. The active component is Botulinum Toxin, Type A, which is a neurotoxin responsible for the relaxation of muscles involved in wrinkles and smoothening of lines in the skin. It is also the component responsible for the treatment of many medical conditions indicated by Botox.

The advancement of science and medical treatments with Botox has allowed us to use this muscle-relaxing toxin safely and powerfully! Botox cosmetic has been used safely for decades and is extremely effective in smoothing wrinkles and lines for a more youthful appearance. It also has many medical uses, such as for conditions like chronic migraines.

Botox for Wrinkles

Wrinkles are generally thought to be either static, due to decreasing skin collagen structure, or dynamic, due to muscle activity beneath the skin. Though static wrinkles may respond better to dermal fillers, botox can be very effective against both types of wrinkles. As muscles beneath the skin undergo frequent contraction, such as with smile lines or crow’s feet, frown lines, or forehead lines, etc., the skin in these areas can wrinkle. Botox’s ability to fully relax the underlying muscles helps even out these wrinkles and smoothen the skin. This is why Botox has long been one of the most popular cosmetic procedures in the world – its ability to quickly turn back time and produce beautiful results consistently. Read more about facial volume loss.

Botox for Contouring

Botox can also be used for facial contouring. With age and other hereditary factors, certain facial muscles can become more pronounced. An example is the enlargement of the masseter muscle of the jawline in women. This can lead to a wider facial jaw profile, contributing to a more masculine appearance of the female face. In this case as well as in similar cases, botox injections can target muscles to relax and help contour the areas that may be creating unwanted angles in facial profiles. As the Botox temporarily paralyzes these muscles, they lose bulk and are therefore less pronounced. This makes botox a powerful tool for slimming down the face and creating a more youthful, feminine look. Other areas, such as the jawline itself, chin, and neck can also be treated with botox for tightening and contouring to produce a more defined youthful jaw profile.

Botox for Skin Tightening

Another great application for Botox is skin tightening. As we age, some areas of the face tend to droop, sag and loosen. One culprit of these changes is the pulling of certain muscles. For example, the platysma muscle that runs from midface down the jawline into your neck can cause a sagging jawline. Using botox in the platysma muscle allows it to relax against the jawline, reducing the drooping while tightening the neck and bringing back youth to your facial profile.

Botox for Hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating

Botox can also effectively treat hyperhidrosis. Hyperhidrosis is the scientific term for excessive sweating. Sweating, as an autonomic response in the body, is controlled by the nervous system. As a neurotoxin, which blocks neural signals, Botox offers a great way to block the nervous system responses that cause overactive sweating in the areas affected by hyperhidrosis. Although retreatment may be needed, results can last up to one year.

Botox for Brow Lift

Botox is also a great non-surgical approach to a brow lift. There are several muscles in the upper face that interplay in the placement of the brows. As highly expressive features of the face, our eyebrows, and the surrounding areas are susceptible to forming wrinkles, lines and drooping. These wrinkles are often a result of contractions in the many muscles beneath the affected areas that naturally pull the brows downwards. Luckily, Botox can be administered to these muscles around the eyebrows, relaxing them, and creating a brow lift. Additionally, by relaxing these muscles, the other forehead muscles can pull more freely on the brows, smoothing out the wrinkles and lines around them and between them, while lifting the brows to brighten the eyes.

Botox for Neck / Chest Anti-aging Treatment

Botox is great for anti-aging treatment, but not just on the face! The neck, chest, or décolletage areas are important upper-body areas affected by wrinkles and lines. Sun damage and aging skin, through the loss of collagen and skin elasticity, can occur in these areas similar to the face. Botox also works synergistically with other modalities such as skin photorejuvenation or IPL and dermal fillers to improve the skin texture and reduce wrinkles in these areas. The result is even, smoothed skin, restoring the youthful glow to the neck, chest, and décolletage!

There are MANY Botox Applications!

There are a wide variety of uses for Botox. It works even better and with greater longevity when combined with other effective treatment modalities such as dermal fillers. Here’s a generally-comprehensive list of applications for Botox:

Cosmetic

Frown lines or Glabellar lines
Crows Feet
Under-eye lines
Bunny lines or nose wrinkles
Forehead wrinkles
Eyebrow lift
Corners of the mouth

Gummy smiles
Lip lines or smokers line
Marionette lines
Jaw slimming
Chin
Neck
Underarm

Medical, FDA-approved applications:

How long do results last?

Botox takes anywhere from 1-3 days to start working and takes approximately 2 weeks to reach its peak effect.

The typical duration of Botox treatment is 3-5 months. This variation depends upon the strength/condition of the muscle, to begin with, and the dose of Botox used (more corrective dosing = longer-lasting effect, if indicated).

What should I expect with the treatment?

To start, you and Dr. Brandish will develop an individualized treatment plan to determine if Botox is the best tool for the desired result. She is an expert injector with an artistic eye and years of experience using neurotoxins such as Botox to contour the face and turn back the clock.

Before the treatment, Dr. Brandish may use topical numbing agents to minimize discomfort with the injection. Botox is injected with a very small needle that is important to reduce any mild discomfort. The procedure usually only takes several minutes to administer with almost no downtime.

Are there side effects to be aware of with Botox?

The most commonly observed side effects from a Botox treatment are swelling or redness at the injection site. This looks similar to a mosquito bite and usually resolves in 5 to 10 minutes. Bruising may occur as the risk remains with any injection but it is usually very mild and resolves within a few days. A much more rare side effect can be ptosis or droopy eyebrow or eyelid. This occurs in less than 1-2% of cases and is self-limiting.

More information about side effects can be found on Botox’s website.

Botox Summary

Botox is an injectable wrinkle relaxer derived from botulinum toxin, produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria. It relaxes muscles/skin by blocking signals to the muscles that cause contraction. These muscle-relaxing properties have a wide variety of implications for medical and cosmetic treatments. When used in a cosmetic treatment, it can be injected directly into the muscles responsible for wrinkles, and as the muscles relax, the wrinkles in the skin smooth. This produces a beautiful, youthful effect on the skin.

How do I get started?

If you’re interested in hearing more or in scheduling an appointment, contact our office at

858-587-7067

and we’ll take care of you. We offer free consultation appointments as well if you’d like to simply go over any problem areas and see if Botox or other treatment options may be the most effective solution.