What is a Botox Injection or botox shot?

Botox is the trade name of a medication used to inactivate the action of a specific muscle or group of muscles. It is in cosmetic use. The intention is to minimize the appearance of lines or wrinkles in the facial region. It will avoid the worsening of deep lines, but it will not "fill " those lines.

Who is the ideal candidate for BOTOX?

The ideal candidate for Botox is the patient with fine lines in the glabellar region (the root of the nose). This medication is approved by the FDA for this reason, off-label uses (meaning not approved by the FDA, but safe to be performed) in the periorbital area (crowfeet lines, eyelid lines), forehead (horizontal expression lines), nose ( bunny lines),mouth (gummy smile) and neck (platysmal bands). Any patient with these facial wrinkles will benefit, however it is important to mention that deeper lines will not be erased by this medication. To achieve that we need to use a dermal filler ( i.e restylane or juvederm)

What is the recovery period for BOTOX?

After Botox injection, the patient will have redness in the injection sites. This is a normal inflammatory reaction and will last a couple of hours. Few patients will have some blood extravasation, with bruising, depending on several factors and most importantly the amount of blood traveling outside the blood vessels. This bruising can last up to 3 weeks. However this is very rare ( less than 5% of the patients). Some patients will have headaches after the injection. This is usually due to tension of the cranial muscles during the injection. Most patients will not have any problems by the next day. The best way to avoid some of the problems with botox injection is to have a good injector. In my opinion the best injectors are Physicians experienced with the anatomical structures in the area. Plastic surgeons perform many surgeries in the area, because of this, they know exactly where to inject the medication, injectors without this experience, perform the procedure with external reference points that are not always accurate. Every patient is different and the more knowledge of the anatomy your injector has the best for you.

How does BOTOX work?

Botulism toxin A (onabotulinumtoxin A) blocks the neuromuscular trasmission of acetylcholine, creating a partial de-nervation of the muscle. As a consequence the muscle becomes unable to contract. The contraction of expression muscles in the face are the cause of certain facial lines. The cosmetic effect of Botox is the reduction in the appeareance of these lines.