Botox® Q & A

What is Botox?

Botox is a neuromodulator that treats and prevents wrinkles by temporarily putting the muscles that cause dynamic wrinkles, into a temporary time out.

There are two types of wrinkles: dynamic and static. While dynamic wrinkles form from repeated muscle movement and facial expressions, static wrinkles develop from volume loss.

How does Botox work?

Once injected into a specific muscle, Botox prevents your nerves from signaling for that muscle to contract. Since the muscle can’t move as it once did, the skin on top of it can’t crease.

With time, the skin starts to relax and the wrinkle begins to soften. By reducing movement in the muscle, new wrinkles can’t form.

What can Botox treat?

Botox works best at treating dynamic wrinkles, primarily in the top one-third of the face. The best types of wrinkles for Botox are:

• Forehead lines
• Frown lines
• Crow’s feet
• Bunny lines on the nose
• Vertical lip lines
• Chin dimples
• Neck lines
  
  

Fine lines and wrinkles aren’t the only issues that Botox can treat. Marti can also use Botox to relieve jaw pain from teeth grinding, alleviate headache pain, and shape the eyebrow area. You can also treat areas with excessive sweating- such as under arms and palms.

What can I expect from my Botox treatment?

When you arrive at Elevate Medical Aesthetics and Wellness, you will have paperwork to fill out and then a series of photographs will be taken to add to your medical chart. Marti will review the informed consent with you and answer any questions you may have. You will then formulate a treatment plan with her and injections will begin. The entire procedure takes 20-30 minutes.

There is no social downtime with Botox, so you can immediately resume your normal activities. While you may experience minor swelling, bruising, and redness at the injection site for 24-72 hours, these side effects should subside on their own, typically within 20 minutes. However, you should avoid aggressively touching your face for at least 24 hours to keep the medication contained to the treatment area. We also recommend staying upright for 4 hours, avoiding make up application for the rest of the day, no rubbing of the injection sites, avoiding strenuous exercise for 48 hrs, and avoid any tight hats, ski or swim goggles for several days.

How long does Botox last?

Botox loses its effect gradually over the course of 3-4 months. Once the treatment starts to fade, you can return to Elevate Medical for maintenance treatments. Since Botox is safe and effective, you can return for these treatments 3-4 times per year.

To learn more about the benefits of Botox, call Elevate Medical Aesthetics and Wellness.