Botox Treatment
Botox is a brand name of a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. There are other brand names for botulinum, such as Xeomin. In large amounts, this toxin can cause botulism, which you probably associate with food poisoning. Despite the fact that one of the most serious complications of botulism is paralysis, scientists have discovered a way to use it to human advantage. Small, diluted amounts can be directly injected into specific muscles causing controlled weakening of the muscles.
How Does Botox Work?
Botox blocks signals from the nerves to the muscles. The injected muscle can no longer contract, which causes the wrinkles to relax and soften.It is most often used on forehead lines, crow’s feet (lines around the eye) and frown lines. Wrinkles caused by sun damage and gravity will not respond to Botox.
How Is a Botox Procedure Performed?
Getting Botox takes only a few minutes and no anesthesia is required. Botox is injected with a fine needle into specific muscles with only minor discomfort. It generally takes three to seven days to take full effect and it is best to avoid alcohol at least one week prior to treatment. Aspirin and anti-inflammatory medications should be stopped two weeks before treatment as well in order to reduce bruising. Botox will be applied by a registered physician, in this case by Dr Ponte da Costa, medical consultant at BLT.
How Long Does a Botox Injection Last?
The effects from Botox will last four to six months. As muscle action gradually returns, the lines and wrinkles begin to re-appear and wrinkles need to be re-treated. The lines and wrinkles often appear less severe with time because the muscles are being trained to relax.
What Are the Side Effects of Botox?
Temporary bruising is the most common side effect of Botox. Headaches, which resolve in 24-48 hours, can occur, but this is rare. A small percentage of patients may develop eyelid drooping. This usually resolves in three weeks. This usually happens when the Botox moves around so you shouldn’t rub the treated area for 12 hours after injection or lay down for three to four hours.
Who Should Not Receive Botox?
Patients who are pregnant, breastfeeding or have a neurological disease should not use Botox. Since Botox doesn’t work for all wrinkles, a consultation with a doctor is recommended.
What to do after a procedure?
Do not rub on your face or massage/make up the treated area. Avoid excessive excercion, like sports for the first 48 hours. Sleep slightly upwards with three cushions the first evening. If you have any problems swallowing or difficulty breathing contact us as soon as possible. A two-week check up will be schedulled to evaluate the results.
How Much Botox Do I Need?
Every patient is unique in terms of both facial characteristics and desired result. Each individual facial muscle requires a differing amount of Botox in order to fully relax and prevent wrinkle formation. To further complicate matters there are a variety of other characteristics that influence how your body reacts to Botox injections. These can include your gender, size and strength of your facial muscles, and your metabolism.
Despite that, there is a set of guidelines provided by Botox’s manufacturer Allergan that can provide an estimate on how much Botox each patient will need for the final result they seek.
What Is A Unit Of Botox?
Botox is measured in units, an arbitrary unit of measurement derived by animal studies that correlate to a fixed number of botulinum molecules. Units measure the biologic strength of the Botox; it’s a scale to standardize the ability of Botox to relax the nerve. Units are unique to Botox and are determined by Allergan (all other neurotoxins are measured differently). Each vial of Botox contains 100 units, which can be split into individual blocks for treating various areas.
Unit Guidelines: How Much Botox Is Needed Per Facial Area
Generally accepted guidelines have been published that list amount of Botox in units to treat the most common facial areas. Most Botox providers use these guidelines as a starting point and customize a treatment plan for each patient (given the patient’s current condition and desired results).
Here’s the recommended units of Botox needed to treat common areas:
- Frown or Glabellar Lines: 15-25 Botox units
- Crow’s feet: 5-15 Botox units per side
- Forehead lines: 10-30 Botox units
- Eyebrows: 2-5 Botox units per side
- Nasalis “Bunny” lines: 5-10 Botox units
- Upper lip lines: 4-8 Botox units
- Smile lift: 3-6 Botox units
- Dimpled chin: 2-6 Botox units
- Marionette lines: 2-8 Botox units
- Pout boost: 2-4 Botox units
- Gummy smile: 2-4 Botox units
- Neck bands: 25-50 Botox units
Note that the only treatments listed above that are FDA approved are for glabellar lines and crow’s feet. The other treatments are considered off-label uses.
Characteristics That Influence How Much Botox You Will Need
There are many different factors that can determine how well a patient reacts to Botox, and therefore impacts how much neurotoxin is required to achieve a desired final result. Some of the most well-known characteristics include:
- Gender: Typically men have larger facial muscles compared to women and thus they generally need more Botox.
- Facial muscle strength: Beyond size, people have differing facial muscle strength which is typically developed through repetition of actions like frowning, smiling, squinting, or pursing the lips. Individuals who are more prone to these repetitions will require more Botox.
- Metabolism: Everyone has differing metabolism levels which will determine how long the effects of Botox will last. Botox typically lasts for 3-4 months.
- Aesthetic Goals: Some patients choose to maintain facial movement (partial muscle functioning) while others do not mind a more motionless result.
- Wrinkle Severity: The more severe or deep the wrinkle, the more Botox will be needed for proper treatment.
- Face Shape & Size: Patients with larger foreheads will require more Botox units compared to patients with a smaller forehead.
